Media Room - FAQs

Who is The Solae Company?
The Solae Company is a food science and ingredient manufacturing organization. Formed through an alliance between DuPont (NYSE: BG) and Bunge (NYSE: BG), the company provides food manufacturers across the world with better ingredients for better living. It enjoys annual revenue exceeding USD $1 billion.

Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, USA, The Solae Company’s 3,000 outstanding employees serve thousands of food and beverage manufacturers in more than 80 countries. Many of these customers license the Solae brand to appear on their packaging as a “trust mark” of proven nutrition and superior taste.

The Solae Company has for more than 30 years invested in fundamental research aimed at better understanding the health benefits of soy protein. In fact, researchers at more than 180 leading universities and academic institutions have used Solae® brand soy protein in 400 soy studies.

What is Solae® soy protein?
Solae® brand soy protein is a complete, high-quality protein derived from soybeans. It is used as an ingredient in a wide variety of foods, beverages and meat products that can be found in your local grocery store. Solae® brand soy protein has the same protein quality score as meat, egg and milk protein, is 90 percent protein (on a dry weight basis), highly digestible and lactose-free.

Scientific research continues to demonstrate that consuming soy protein as part of a healthy diet may help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), – aids in weight management (helps you feel fuller longer), maintain bone health and may protect against certain forms of cancer. The Solae Company has invested over thirty years of research in understanding the positive impact of soy protein on human health.

Why are proteins important to the body and what is the relationship of amino acids to protein?
Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells – essential in building body tissues during periods of growth and development and in repairing and maintaining body tissues. They have numerous functions in the human body, including their vital role in muscle, hormones, enzymes, and various fluids and body secretions, and as antibodies in the immune system.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. At least twenty of these amino acids commonly make up both plant and animal proteins.

How are proteins classified and what does High-Quality Protein mean?
Food proteins are often classified as either complete or incomplete depending on their amino acid content. Complete proteins are those food proteins that contain all the essential amino acids in concentrations necessary for human needs. Incomplete proteins are food proteins that are deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids that must be supplied by food.

"High-quality" proteins are complete proteins containing all the essential (indispensable) amino acids in concentrations sufficient to meet the requirements of humans. Solae® brand soy protein is a high-quality protein with and a Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 1.0. This is the highest PDCAAS value that any protein can achieve, and means that Solae® soy protein has the same score as meat, milk, and egg proteins. In other words, soy ingredients manufactured by The Solae Quality contain very high quality proteins.

What is the difference between Solae® brand isolated soy protein and other soy protein isolates on the market?
Solae® brand soy protein, backed by more than 35 years of scientific research on its nutritional benefits, is manufactured using patented technology that creates great-tasting, customized solutions for The Solae Company’s food and beverage customers. In fact, our corporate tagline, "Better Ingredients for Better Living," accurately describes The Solae Company as an organization that markets high quality products that bring value to the end-user by making foods and beverages that are healthier, more flavorful, more stable, more appealing and more affordable.

What products on the market contain Solae® soy protein and where can I find them?
You'll find Solae® brand soy protein in hundreds of products – for example, food bars, beverages, snacks and meatless alternatives – in grocery stores across the world. Many of our customers display the Solae® logo on their packages as a trust mark of proven nutrition and superior taste.

What are the health benefits related to consuming a diet containing Solae® brand isolated soy protein?
Few foods have been studied for their nutritional value as thoroughly as soy. Many studies have shown that diets rich in soy protein may provide several health benefits, including a lowered risk for heart disease, help in managing weight and the prevention of certain kinds of cancer. New research suggests a variety of performance benefits for athletes who consume Solae® brand soy protein.

How does Solae® brand soy protein work to lower cholesterol?
Various bioactive components in soy protein have been suggested to explain the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein. Studies have shown that soy protein enhances bile acid secretion, which has the effect of removing cholesterol from the blood. Other research has shown that soy protein stimulates the liver to remove LDL-cholesterol from the blood. Still more studies have suggested that the amino acid profile of soy protein may be chiefly responsible for its heart health benefits. Researchers continue to explore the exact mechanisms by which soy protein lowers a person’s blood cholesterol.

How much soy protein should I include in my daily diet to lower cholesterol?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Health Claim, consuming 25 grams of soy protein, as part of a low fat, low cholesterol diet, in four daily servings of 6.25 grams is effective in reducing both total cholesterol and LDL -cholesterol levels.

Is soy protein good for people concerned about bone health?
Studies of animals eating a diet that is rich in Solae® brand soy protein suggest a connection between soy protein and bone health. Soy protein may protect against osteoporosis and fracture risk by promoting a more optimal calcium balance.

Could soy protein help me lose weight?
It is possible, and new research is exploring how soy protein may help a person manage their weight. Experts already agree, however, that protein is an important part of a healthy, weight-friendly diet because it creates a feeling of fullness (called satiety), and helps prevent overeating.

Not all proteins are the same, and lean protein is the best choice. Good sources of lean protein include fish, soy foods, beans, lean meats (turkey, chicken), skim milk and soymilk.

Is soy protein safe??
Yes, soy protein is safe. Soy is one of the oldest foods known to mankind, and has been a staple of Asian diets for centuries. Few foods have been researched as thoroughly as soy, and its potential heart health benefits have been endorsed government health authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Japan.

Why do doctors, nurses and nutritionists recommend soy-based formulas for normal, full term babies without feeding problems?
A robust body of science has demonstrated the health and safety of soy-based infant formula for healthy, full-term infants because it provides an excellent source of high quality, highly digestible protein. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses the use of soy-based infant formula, and the Food and Drug Administration has determined it is a safe and acceptable infant feeding formula. .

Yes, Soy foods are healthy, but how do they taste?
They taste great! The Solae Company is a leader in developing new taste technologies that allow food manufacturers to develop great-tasting, convenient and better-for-you foods containing soy protein.

Who should eat soy?
Soy foods have been a nutritious part of the human diet for hundreds of years, but we are only beginning to understand their many health benefits. For example, based on scientific evidence from more than 50 independent studies, the FDA in 1999 issued a health claim for soy stating that consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Another 58 independent epidemiological studies point to the link between soy consumption and the reduced risk of certain types of cancer. Other published scientific studies cite soy’s role in weight management, performance nutrition and a reduction in osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms.