Soybean (Glycine max) is a candidate crop that has been selected to be grown on long-duration planetary missions by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program. The nutritive composition of the soybean is 38% protein, 18% oil (.5% lecithin), 15% soluble carbohydrates (sucrose, stachyose, raffinose, others), 15% insoluble carbohydrates (dietary fiber), and 14% moisture, ash, and other substances. Several reports have indicated the effects of soy-rich foods on the deterrence of estrogen-associated cancers, cardiovascular diseases, decrease of climacteric symptoms, and prevention of osteoporosis. In spite of its nutritive value, and seemingly popularity, direct consumer consumption of soy remains limited. The objective of this study was to determine consumer acceptability of selected traditional red meat or poultry entrees (tacos, stroganoff, sloppy joes, lasagna, chicken stew, meatballs, and hamburgers) substituted with texturized soy protein. For an overall consumer acceptance of the entrées, untrained consumers used a 9-point hedonic scale (9 = like extremely; 5 = neither like nor dislike; and 1 = dislike extremely) to evaluate the acceptability of the products. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences among products.
Results indicated no significant differences (P<0.05) in consumer acceptance of the tacos, stroganoff, sloppy joes, chicken stew, meatballs, and hamburgers substituted with texturized soy protein (TSP) and controls. There were significant differences (P>0.05), however in consumers' acceptance for the lasagna. Products substituted with TSP are being recommended to NASA's ALS program for inclusion in a vegetarian menu plan designed for lunar/Mars space missions and consumers here on earth.