a b s t r a c t
Backgrounds: Soymilk is a complex colloidal system that mainly comprises protein and lipid particles and
other minor components. Soymilk is consumed worldwide as a nutritious protein beverage and used as
raw material to produce soy gel foods, such as tofu and soy yogurt. Recently, soymilk has been applied in
dairy industry as a functional ingredient to improve the texture, flavor, and nutritional value of various
products. To fulfill these traditional and innovative applications, researchers must elucidate the structure
efunction relationship of the major components of soymilk.
Scope and approach: This review aims to provide a fundamental picture of the microstructural nature of
soymilk and its gel. The behavior of particles during soymilk gelation is also discussed. This study emphasizes
the influence of heat on formation of particles and gelation of soymilk.
Key findings and conclusions: When heating raw soymilk, the subunits of soy protein are denatured,
dissociated, and subsequently aggregated to form particles with heterogeneous sizes, composition, and
molecular structure. The ion- or acid-induced coagulation between denatured soy protein and lipid
particles results in soymilk gelation. Models based on published data are proposed to illustrate protein
elipid interaction during soymilk production and gelation