A NOVEL TREATMENT OF SOYBEANS BY AN EXPOS URE TO HIGH-HUMIDITY AIR CONTAINING WATER MICROCLUSTERS

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether soybean as raw ma terial for processed foods could be affected in texture by an exposure to high-humidity air containing ultrafine water particles. Soybean wa s kept to stand in a new type refrigerator named Shinki store box, whi ch could be supplied the high-humidity air containing water microclust ers. This high-humidity air was generated by the separation in a cyclo ne of microscopic water drops which was formed by cracking and splitti ng water in air flow, The Shinki store-box humidified soybean much fas ter than other conventional ones of high-humidity being provided by ev aporation-condensation system, And a scanning electron microscopic obs ervation revealed a morphological change of the tissue of soybean. Sto ring in the Shinki stimulated soaked soybean in sucking water even at a lower temperature. Boiled soybean after an exposure to the high-humi dity air was found to get softer than conventionally treated soybean i n terms of rheological factors. An application of the high humidity ai r to soybean processing was discussed.