At the heart of the research is the effect of the extrusion process on isoflavones.
Extrusion is used to make many popular breakfast cereals.
Isoflavones are components within soy that are suspected to be the reason why soy has shown protective activity against heart disease, breast and prostate cancers and osteoporosis, as well as alleviating menopausal symptoms, and reducing bad cholesterol levels. In the November-December issue of Cereal Chemistry, they pinpointed the most appealing texture and size of extruded soy and corn meal blends mixed with sugar and water as chosen by volunteer panelists. In a paper to be published in the Journal of Food Science, researchers will detail the mix of an extruded corn snack with soy protein that drew favorable taste responses from 400 volunteer tasters at the U. of I. College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Open House in 1996. The manufacturing process lends itself to blending ingredients, like in this case corn and soybeans. You could also use wheat or rice.