Analysis on physicochemical and sensory qualities of soymilk prepared by various cultivars: Application of fuzzy logic technique.

Soymilk has a complicated system, and its sensory and physicochemical characteristics are influenced by the components of the soybean seeds. Thirty-five soybean cultivars were selected, and correlation analysis and clustering analysis were applied to determine the significant correlations between soybean seed traits and soymilk physiochemical properties. Four sensory quality attributes of soymilk, including taste, odor, appearance, and mouthfeel, were quantified in numerical values and scored based on a weighting criterion which was constructed via the fuzzy logic technique. Soymilk prepared from the soybean seeds with the lower crude protein and the higher crude fat content displayed better sensory qualities. A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to establish a predictive model for overall sensory scores of soymilk, which could be the reference for soybean cultivars selection in soymilk processing. To comprehensively optimize the processing costs, nutritional values, and sensory qualities, a set of detailed attributes of soybean seeds were recommended based on this study: 100-seed weight is higher than 20 g; ash content is less than 5.5 g/100 g; crude fat content is 20 to 24 g/100 g; and crude protein content is as high as possible, while the maximum limit is 40 g/100 g. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The established predictive model can be a reference for soybean cultivars selection in soymilk processing. Moreover, the soybean composition range that is revealed by this study also provides a recommendation for the soybean breeding.