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Are all the processing steps of tofu harmless?

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3

1

Tofu is considered as a processed food. After watching a couple videos on YouTube. I am only concerned about two points specifically:

1. Is heating the soaked and crushed beans so that they become a paste harmful? As sometimes high heat can harm a food product.


2. I don't know about the coagulant they add, which is magnesium chloride. I see that they sometimes add calcium chloride/sulfate too. Are these safe coagulants?

Nothing else I watched in the process made me think they could be harmful.

food-safety food-science tofu food-processing

share|improve this question

edited Jul 17 at 15:11

aslisabanci

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Welcome to SA! What do you mean by "harmful"? It's not clear from your question why cooking or magnesium chloride would be harmful. Particularly since raw soybeans are poisonous.
  
  – FuzzyChef
  Jul 16 at 16:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hey @FuzzyChef, thanks for the welcome! By harmful I mean having any effects that can be bad for your health/body, etc... Why cooking at this temperature or magnesium chloride would be harmful is not my claim. This is a question aiming to de-mystify some myths about tofu, that I keep hearing.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 17 at 7:44
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Both magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are perfectly safe additions to food or water and widely used in the food industry. In fact, I don't think you can get consistent production of beer, for example, without using these additives.
  
  – aris
  Jul 18 at 5:26
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I used to have to add both of those to my too-soft tap water just so I could brew tea.
  
  – aris
  Jul 18 at 5:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Reminder: we won’t accept questions about general “health” topics. Only food safety and quantifiable questions (“does cheese or gummy bears contain more vitamin B2 per ounce?”). So please don’t ask whether something may have “any” effect.
  
  – Stephie♦
  Jul 18 at 9:40
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

3

1

Tofu is considered as a processed food. After watching a couple videos on YouTube. I am only concerned about two points specifically:

1. Is heating the soaked and crushed beans so that they become a paste harmful? As sometimes high heat can harm a food product.


2. I don't know about the coagulant they add, which is magnesium chloride. I see that they sometimes add calcium chloride/sulfate too. Are these safe coagulants?

Nothing else I watched in the process made me think they could be harmful.

food-safety food-science tofu food-processing

share|improve this question

edited Jul 17 at 15:11

aslisabanci

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Welcome to SA! What do you mean by "harmful"? It's not clear from your question why cooking or magnesium chloride would be harmful. Particularly since raw soybeans are poisonous.
  
  – FuzzyChef
  Jul 16 at 16:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hey @FuzzyChef, thanks for the welcome! By harmful I mean having any effects that can be bad for your health/body, etc... Why cooking at this temperature or magnesium chloride would be harmful is not my claim. This is a question aiming to de-mystify some myths about tofu, that I keep hearing.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 17 at 7:44
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Both magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are perfectly safe additions to food or water and widely used in the food industry. In fact, I don't think you can get consistent production of beer, for example, without using these additives.
  
  – aris
  Jul 18 at 5:26
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I used to have to add both of those to my too-soft tap water just so I could brew tea.
  
  – aris
  Jul 18 at 5:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Reminder: we won’t accept questions about general “health” topics. Only food safety and quantifiable questions (“does cheese or gummy bears contain more vitamin B2 per ounce?”). So please don’t ask whether something may have “any” effect.
  
  – Stephie♦
  Jul 18 at 9:40
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

Tofu is considered as a processed food. After watching a couple videos on YouTube. I am only concerned about two points specifically:

1. Is heating the soaked and crushed beans so that they become a paste harmful? As sometimes high heat can harm a food product.


2. I don't know about the coagulant they add, which is magnesium chloride. I see that they sometimes add calcium chloride/sulfate too. Are these safe coagulants?

Nothing else I watched in the process made me think they could be harmful.

food-safety food-science tofu food-processing

share|improve this question

edited Jul 17 at 15:11

aslisabanci

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Jul 17 at 15:11

aslisabanci

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Jul 17 at 15:11

aslisabanci

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

asked Jul 16 at 13:36

aslisabanciaslisabanci

12166 bronze badges

1 Answer
1

active

oldest

votes

7

Making tofu for mass production and consumption and making tofu at home generally follow the same procedures. Soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked. The resulting "milk" is separated from the soilds. Then a coagulant is added (either salts, acids, or enzymes depending on producer and type of tofu). Finally, the tofu is pressed. The one difference between tofu you purchase in a package and tofu made at home is that the mass-produced variety likely goes through a pasteurization step. In general, this is a process that has been used for centuries (other than the pasteurization, of course, which is more recent technology). Given the history of tofu production, and the number of people who consume it, any health concerns would have been identified by now.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 16 at 14:56

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Okay, thanks for the answer. As I detailed in my question if the temperature while heating the beans are safe and if that coagulant is a safe food additive, I have trouble understanding all this "tofu is bad because it's processed" arguments. Not all processing is harmful and I wanted to double check this with people who are knowledgeable in food processing.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 14:58
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @aslisabanci, I have never heard the "tofu is bad because it is processed" argument.
  
  – moscafj
  Jul 16 at 15:01
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I'm seeing it in many places. Apart from the "Is soy bad for you?" discussions, some people are also claiming that tofu is bad because it's "highly processed" That's how I became curious about it. I wanted to know if there are any steps involved, similar to adding nitrites while producing certain types of processed meat. So I wanted to learn all the steps. After learning a bit by myself, I wondered how safe those coagulants are and how safe the preparation temperature is. If these are also okay, then this argument is apparently a myth.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There are food regulations in place for this kind of stuff, it would of been flagged if they are harmful. Would you consider vitamins in gummy bear form processed food?
  
  – Huangism
  Jul 16 at 17:57
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Huangism as I said, I don't consider every artificial matter or every food processing in the same sense. Take the example of virgin olive oil for instance. It has a certain burning degree. If a food processing step would involve heating a product that has virgin olive oil in it, above that burning degree, then I wouldn't want that. My question was to clarify these types of issues, to see if they exist or not. I don't know if food processing steps like my example are also regulated or not. I am not an expert in this, thus my question to people who are more knowledgeable.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 17 at 7:49
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

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7

Making tofu for mass production and consumption and making tofu at home generally follow the same procedures. Soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked. The resulting "milk" is separated from the soilds. Then a coagulant is added (either salts, acids, or enzymes depending on producer and type of tofu). Finally, the tofu is pressed. The one difference between tofu you purchase in a package and tofu made at home is that the mass-produced variety likely goes through a pasteurization step. In general, this is a process that has been used for centuries (other than the pasteurization, of course, which is more recent technology). Given the history of tofu production, and the number of people who consume it, any health concerns would have been identified by now.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 16 at 14:56

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Okay, thanks for the answer. As I detailed in my question if the temperature while heating the beans are safe and if that coagulant is a safe food additive, I have trouble understanding all this "tofu is bad because it's processed" arguments. Not all processing is harmful and I wanted to double check this with people who are knowledgeable in food processing.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 14:58
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @aslisabanci, I have never heard the "tofu is bad because it is processed" argument.
  
  – moscafj
  Jul 16 at 15:01
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I'm seeing it in many places. Apart from the "Is soy bad for you?" discussions, some people are also claiming that tofu is bad because it's "highly processed" That's how I became curious about it. I wanted to know if there are any steps involved, similar to adding nitrites while producing certain types of processed meat. So I wanted to learn all the steps. After learning a bit by myself, I wondered how safe those coagulants are and how safe the preparation temperature is. If these are also okay, then this argument is apparently a myth.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There are food regulations in place for this kind of stuff, it would of been flagged if they are harmful. Would you consider vitamins in gummy bear form processed food?
  
  – Huangism
  Jul 16 at 17:57
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Huangism as I said, I don't consider every artificial matter or every food processing in the same sense. Take the example of virgin olive oil for instance. It has a certain burning degree. If a food processing step would involve heating a product that has virgin olive oil in it, above that burning degree, then I wouldn't want that. My question was to clarify these types of issues, to see if they exist or not. I don't know if food processing steps like my example are also regulated or not. I am not an expert in this, thus my question to people who are more knowledgeable.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 17 at 7:49
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

7

Making tofu for mass production and consumption and making tofu at home generally follow the same procedures. Soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked. The resulting "milk" is separated from the soilds. Then a coagulant is added (either salts, acids, or enzymes depending on producer and type of tofu). Finally, the tofu is pressed. The one difference between tofu you purchase in a package and tofu made at home is that the mass-produced variety likely goes through a pasteurization step. In general, this is a process that has been used for centuries (other than the pasteurization, of course, which is more recent technology). Given the history of tofu production, and the number of people who consume it, any health concerns would have been identified by now.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 16 at 14:56

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Okay, thanks for the answer. As I detailed in my question if the temperature while heating the beans are safe and if that coagulant is a safe food additive, I have trouble understanding all this "tofu is bad because it's processed" arguments. Not all processing is harmful and I wanted to double check this with people who are knowledgeable in food processing.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 14:58
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @aslisabanci, I have never heard the "tofu is bad because it is processed" argument.
  
  – moscafj
  Jul 16 at 15:01
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I'm seeing it in many places. Apart from the "Is soy bad for you?" discussions, some people are also claiming that tofu is bad because it's "highly processed" That's how I became curious about it. I wanted to know if there are any steps involved, similar to adding nitrites while producing certain types of processed meat. So I wanted to learn all the steps. After learning a bit by myself, I wondered how safe those coagulants are and how safe the preparation temperature is. If these are also okay, then this argument is apparently a myth.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There are food regulations in place for this kind of stuff, it would of been flagged if they are harmful. Would you consider vitamins in gummy bear form processed food?
  
  – Huangism
  Jul 16 at 17:57
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Huangism as I said, I don't consider every artificial matter or every food processing in the same sense. Take the example of virgin olive oil for instance. It has a certain burning degree. If a food processing step would involve heating a product that has virgin olive oil in it, above that burning degree, then I wouldn't want that. My question was to clarify these types of issues, to see if they exist or not. I don't know if food processing steps like my example are also regulated or not. I am not an expert in this, thus my question to people who are more knowledgeable.
  
  – aslisabanci
  Jul 17 at 7:49
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

Making tofu for mass production and consumption and making tofu at home generally follow the same procedures. Soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked. The resulting "milk" is separated from the soilds. Then a coagulant is added (either salts, acids, or enzymes depending on producer and type of tofu). Finally, the tofu is pressed. The one difference between tofu you purchase in a package and tofu made at home is that the mass-produced variety likely goes through a pasteurization step. In general, this is a process that has been used for centuries (other than the pasteurization, of course, which is more recent technology). Given the history of tofu production, and the number of people who consume it, any health concerns would have been identified by now.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 16 at 14:56

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 16 at 14:56

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges

answered Jul 16 at 14:47

moscafjmoscafj

31.8k11 gold badge5050 silver badges9292 bronze badges