The ingredient in almost everything you eat - Francesca Bot

Prevodilac: Ognjen Miladinović Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In the 1930s, American industrialist Henry Ford had one overwhelming obsession:

Tokom 1930-ih godina, američki industrijalac Henri Ford

imao je jednu veliku opsesiju:

soybeans.

soju.

He extracted their oil to make enamel for painting his cars.

Vadio je njeno ulje kako bi napravio premaz za farbu njegovih auta.

He crushed them into powder to make plastic parts.

Mrvio ju je u prah da napravi plastične delove.

And he encouraged American farmers to grow as much of the plant as possible.

Podsticao je američke poljoprivrednike da je uzgajaju što je više moguće.

But he wasn’t just feeding soy to machines.

Ali nije samo mašine hranio sojom.

At the Chicago World’s Fair, he hosted a soy-centric feast.

Na Svetskom sajmu u Čikagu organizovao je gozbu baziranu na soji.

The ingredient had been a staple in Asian cuisine for centuries,

Ona je bila ključni sastojak u azijskoj kuhinji vekovima,

but Ford’s dinner— full of soy substitutes for dairy, meat and wheat—

ali Fordova večera— puna supstituta za mlečne proizvode, meso i žitarice—

took the integration of soy into food a step further.

podigla je uključenje soje u hranu na sledeći nivo.

Today, soy is in so many foods that most people consume it every day

Danas je soja u toliko hrane da je većina ljudi unosi svaki dan

without even knowing it.

a da to i ne zna.

So what makes soybeans so versatile?

Šta čini soju tako upotrebljivom?

And is our global obsession healthy or harmful?

Da li je naša globalna opsesija zdrava ili štetna?

Soybeans have been cultivated in Asia as early as 5,500 years ago,

Soja se uzgajala u Aziji pre više od 5 500 godina,

but since then they’ve spread across the globe.

ali se nakon toga proširila širom sveta.

Part of soy’s success is that the crop can be grown easily and cheaply

Deo sojinog uspeha je u tome što se usev može uzgajati lako i jeftino

in variable conditions.

u različitim okolnostima.

And once they’re grown,

Nakon što poraste,

soybeans have an incredibly high density of proteins and fats;

soja ima visoku sadržinu proteina i masti;

ingredients which in recent years have been used in everything

sastojaka koji se u poslednje vreme koriste u svemu,

from mayonnaise to biodegradable plastic.

od majoneza do biorazgradive plastike.

The ideal method for separating these components

Idealan metod za odvajanje ovih sastojaka

depends on what you’re trying to extract.

zavisi od toga šta pokušavate da odvojite.

To isolate soy proteins, dehulled beans are sometimes pressed through rollers

Za izolaciju sojinog proteina, oljuštena zrna se provlače kroz valjke,

to create thin flakes, and then steeped in water to draw out the proteins.

stvarajuči pljosnate komadiće koji se natapaju u vodi radi izvlačenja proteina.

Alternatively, whole beans can be simply soaked and ground

Osim toga, cela zrna se mogu jednostavno natopiti i samleti

into a whitish, protein rich liquid.

u beličastu tečnost bogatu proteinima.

In both cases, the resulting substance can be used to make spongy foods

U oba slučaja, rezultat se koristi za pravljenje sunđeraste hrane

like tofu or filtered to produce soymilk.

kao što je tofu ili se filtrira radi proizvodnje sojinog mleka.

And at the industrial scale,

Na industrijskom nivou,

these proteins can be used in various ways to help make processed foods.

ti proteini se koriste na različite načine radi proizvodnje prerađene hrane.

Soy fats may be even more versatile.

Sojine masti mogu biti još upotrebljivije.

In one extraction method,

U jednoj metodi izolacije,

soybeans are dried, cleaned, and then fed into an extruder.

soja se suši, čisti i potom stavlja u ekstruder.

This machine simultaneously heats and presses the beans,

Ova mašina u isto vreme zagreva i pritiska zrnevlje,

producing a liquid containing soy oil and other fatty components.

stvarajući tečnost koja sadrži sojino ulje i druge masne komponente.

By adding water and spinning the mixture, components are separated into two parts:

Dodavanjem vode i okretanjem smese, komponente se dele na dva dela:

refined soy oil for things like salad dressing, and a substance called lecithin.

refinisano sojino ulje za nadeve za salate i supstancu koja se naziva lecitin.

Lecithin is made of molecules called phospholipids,

Lecitin je sačinjen od molekula koji se nazivaju fosfolipidi,

which have a phosphate head that attracts water and a tail that attracts fats.

koji imaju fosforne glave koje privlače vodu i rep koji privlači masnoće.

These features make phospholipids excellent for blending ingredients

Ove osobine čine fosfolipide odličnim za vezivanje sastojaka

that naturally separate from each other.

koji se po prirodi odvajaju jedni od drugih.

This process is called emulsification

Ovaj proces se naziva emulsifikacija

and soy lecithins are used as an emulsifying agent

i sojini lecitini se koriste kao emulgatori

in a huge variety of foods.

u raznovrsnoj hrani.

For example, during chocolate production

Na primer, tokom proizvodnje čokolade

phospholipids attach to both the fatty components of the cocoa butter

fosfolipidi se vezuju i za masni deo kakao putera

and the water-soluble sugar particles,

i za rastvorljive čestice šećera,

making them easier to combine into a smooth mixture.

olakšavajući njihovo mešanje u jednoličnu smesu.

A similar process happens in powdered products

Sličan proces se javlja u praškastim proizvodima

that need to be instantly rehydrated.

koji se moraju rehidrirati istog momenta.

Soy lecithin bonds with the water

Sojin licitin se vezuje sa vodom

and helps the powder disperse more quickly.

i čini da se prah brže rastopi.

While there are other plants we can process for lecithin and proteins,

Iako postoje druge biljke koje možemo da preradimo za lecitin i proteine,

soy’s mild taste and widespread availability

sojin blag ukus i široka rasprostranjenost

have earned it a place in thousands of food products.

su joj osigurali mesto među hiljadama prehrambenih proizvoda.

But is it unhealthy to be eating this much soy?

Da li je nezdravo jesti ovoliko soje?

Not really.

Zapravo nije.

Soybeans contain many of the essential amino acids our bodies need,

Soja sadrži mnoštvo esencijalnih amino kiselina koje su potrebne našim telima,

making them one of the best ways to get these proteins without eating meat.

što je jedan od najboljih načina da se dođe do ovih proteina bez mesa.

And the beans’ fat content is largely made up of so-called “good” fats—

Sojin sadržaj masti se pretežno sastoji od takozvanih „dobrih” masnoća—

poly and mono-unsaturated fatty acids,

poli- i mononezasićenih masnih kiselina,

which can decrease cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

koje mogu sniziti holesterol i umanjiti rizik od srčanih oboljenja.

There are some compounds in soy

Soja sadrži neka jedinjenja

that may inhibit our body’s absorption of various minerals.

koja mogu sprečiti apsorpciju različitih minerala.

And about 0.3% of the general population has a soy allergy,

Oko 0,3% populacije ima alergiju na soju,

which can be severe in rare cases.

koja u retkim slučajevima može biti teška.

But for many people, the biggest complaint about soy consumption

Ali za većinu ljudi, najveća primedba na konzumaciju soje

is the occasional increase in flatulence.

je pojava povremene nadutosti.

Outside our bodies however, soy is much more worrying.

Van naših tela pak, soja je više zabrinjavajuća.

To accommodate the soy farms needed for heavy industry,

Da bi se farme soje prilagodile teškoj industriji,

processed foods and livestock feed, huge swaths of land have been deforested.

prerađenoj i stočnoj hrani, velike površine zemljišta su rašumljene.

Between 2006 and 2017, roughly 22,000 square kilometers of the Amazon

Od 2006. do 2017, oko 22 000 kvadratnih kilometara Amazonije

were cleared for soy production.

je rašumljeno radi proizvodnje soje.

In some regions, this has also led to the displacement of farmers

U nekim oblastima, ovo je dovelo do premeštanja poljoprivrednika

and indigenous communities.

i domorodačkih zajednica.

So if we want to keep using soy and all its byproducts,

Dakle, ako želimo da nastavimo sa korišćenjem soje i njenih prerađevina,

we’ll need to find a way to do it humanely and sustainably.

moraćemo da nađemo način da to uradimo humano i održivo.