Study on the Effects of Drying Process on the Composition and Quality of Wet Okara

Drying of the soymilk residue Okara was investigated by the two different drying processes in order to obtain good quality Okara in respect of its composition and shelf life characteristics. In one method the drying of wet Okara was accomplished in a Vacuum tray drier, maintained at around 758 mm Hg and 50 o C thereby reducing moisture content by as much as 95%. In the other method drying of Okara was performed in Microwave unit that reduced the moisture content between 88% and 90%. The Vacuum tray drier method is more effective to produce Okara of good quality compared to the Microwave process. The study revealed high total viable bacteria and yeasts and molds counts of wet Okara in comparison to dried Okara. The microbiological quality of different Okara samples illustrated the importance of drying to increase the shelf life.