Germinated soybean products as nutraceutical compounds in breadmaking

Epidemiological studies have shown a positive relation between diet and good health. Seeds, like soybeans, considered in the past as detrimental to health due to some anti-nutritional factors, are studied now with a new perspective. Since the last decade, many studies have been published relating some soy components such as isoflavones, saponines, trypsin inhibitors, used for the prevention of specific illnesses. The same effect has been attributed to some proteins. Soy proteins present higher nutritional values as compared to cereals and other legumes, but they do not produce as good results as casein when subject to biological analysis. Germination has been proposed to increase this relation, as well as to promote the generation of some bioactive peptides, that could be associated to a decrease of some malign tumour cells. These nutraceutical properties have increased the interest in adding soybean proteins to food, but the effect that these materials have in the product establishes the level of addition. Bread has been one of the products where this kind of proteins has been tested. This review deals with the different kinds of soy compounds added to bread products and their effect on technological properties, looking for obtaining of a nutraceutical product.