Theses and Dissertations Collection

Tofu has been a staple source of protein for over a millennium. Tofu is traditionally made from soybeans (Glycine max) because of its high protein and fat content, but with increased pressures towards other legumes, other crops, like are being explored. Some research has been done into the production of soy-free tofu using freeze dried isolates, but there is a paucity of work that look into manufacturer friendly techniques. The purpose of this thesis is to review the effects of unconventional treatments and different formulations on a pea-based tofu in a manner that can be replicated by a manufacturer. Yellow split peas (Pisum sativum) have a protein make up that is functionally similar to soy tofu, but previous work produces pea tofu with low hardness values.

An additional pressing step was taken to remove water to increase the firmness prior to pasteurization. Peas lack the amount of fat the soy contains, so a fat added treatment was run as well. Disruption did improve the hardness of the tofu, so did pasteurization. Additional experiments were run to test different heating times, coagulant concentration, and fat concentrations. Biochemical analyses were run to determine the protein functionality as it pertains to parameters of interest to tofu manufacturers. Overall the research determined that peas can be used to make a tofu with similar parameters to that of commercially produced soy tofu.