Aglucone isoflavone enriched vegetable protein extract and protein material, and high genistein and daidzein content materials and process for producing the same

A process for producing an aglucone isoflavone enriched protein material from a vegetable material comprising:

• extracting a vegetable material containing isoflavone conjugates and protein with an aqueous extractant having a pH above about the isoelectric point of said protein in said vegetable material;
• separating said extractant from said vegetable material to form an aqueous extract containing said isoflavone conjugates and said protein;
• treating said aqueous extract at a temperature of about 2.degree. C. to about 121 .degree. C. and a pH of about 6 to about 13.5 for a time period sufficient to convert said isoflavone conjugates to isoflavone glucosides;
• separating a protein material containing said isoflavone glucosides from said aqueous extract;
• and
• contacting said isoflavone glucosides in said protein material with an enzyme capable of cleaving glucoside bonds at a temperature of about 5.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and a pH of about 3 to about 9 for a time period sufficient to convert said isoflavone glucosides to aglucone isoflavones.

A process for producing an aglucone isoflavone enriched extract from a vegetable material, comprising:

• forming an aqueous slurry of a vegetable material containing protein and isoflavone conjugates;
• treating said aqueous slurry of said vegetable material at a temperature of about 2.degree. C. to about 121.degree. C. and a pH of about 6 to about 13.5 for a sufficient time to convert said isoflavone conjugates to isoflavone glucosides;
• extracting said vegetable material with an aqueous extractant having a pH above about the isoelectric point of said protein in said vegetable material;
• separating said extractant from said vegetable material to form an aqueous extract containing said isoflavone glucosides and said protein;
• and
• contacting said isoflavone glucosides in said aqueous extract with an enzyme capable of cleaving glucoside bonds at a temperature of about 5.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and a pH of about 3 to about 9 for a period of time sufficient to convert said isoflavone glucosides to aglucone isoflavones.

A process for producing an aglucone isoflavone enriched protein material from a vegetable material, comprising:

• extracting a vegetable material containing isoflavone conjugates and protein with an aqueous extractant having a pH above about the isoelectric point of said protein in said vegetable material;
• separating said extractant from said vegetable material to form an extract containing said isoflavone conjugates and said protein;
• separating a protein material containing said isoflavone conjugates from said extract;
• forming an aqueous slurry of said protein material;
• treating said aqueous slurry at a temperature of about 2.degree. C. to about 121.degree. C. and a pH of about 6 to about 13.5 for a period of time sufficient to convert said isoflavone conjugates to isoflavone glucosides;
• and
• contacting said isoflavone glucosides in said aqueous slurry with an enzyme capable of cleaving glucoside bonds at a temperature of about 5.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and a pH of about 3 to about 9 for a period of time sufficient to convert said isoflavone glucosides to aglucone isoflavones.