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To cite this article: B. K. Mital & S. K. Garg (1990) Tempehtechnology and food value, Food
Reviews International, 6:2, 213-224, DOI: 10.1080/87559129009540867
Article views: 39
Download by: [NUS National University of Singapore] Date: 16 February 2017, At: 17:10
Food Reviews International, 6(2), 213-224 (1990)
TEMPEHTECHNOLOGY AND
FOOD VALUE
B. K. MITAL
Department of Food Science and Technology
College of Agriculture
S. K. GARG
Department of Microbiology
College of Basic Sciences and Humanities
ABSTRACT
Tempeh is a greyish-white product obtained by fungal fermentation
of dehulled, hydrated, and partially cooked soybean cotyledons. It
is free of cholesterol, a good source of vitamins and minerals, and
is highly digestible. Tempeh can serve as an excellent substitute for
animal protein products and it therefore holds promise to combat
malnutrition in countries where proteins and calories are in short
supply.
Research Paper No. 5837 through the Experiment Station, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and
Technology, Pantnagar, U.P. India.
213
INTRODUCTION
PREPARATION METHODS
About 20-30 years ago most of tempeh production in Indonesia was based
on this traditional process with minor modifications. Steinkraus (2, 3) devel-
oped a pilot-plant process which resulted in modernization of the process in that
country. In this process soybeans are shrivelled at 104 C for 10 min to facilitate
hull removal. The hulls are then cracked using a burr mill and separated from
cotyledons by an aspirator or gravity separator. Alternately, the beans are soaked
and dehulled wet by pressing them through an abrasive vegetable peeler. Acidi-
fication of beans is accomplished by adding 197o (v/v) lactic acid to the soak or
cook water or by inoculating the soak water with Lactobacillus plantarum to
promote natural acidification. Fermentation with lactobacilli has also been re-
ported to reduce the content of oligosaccharides responsible for flatulence (4,
5). Steinkraus et al. (6) found that addition of lactic acid to soak and cook water
lowered the pH of beans to 4.0-5.0, which favored the growth of the mold and
inhibited the growth of bacterial contaminants. Acidification is an essential step
in the manufacture of tempeh. The pH of unacidified soybeans is in the range
of 6.5-6.8, which is suitable for the growth of variety of organisms including
spoilage and food-poisoning types. Tanaka et al. (7) found that Clostridium
botulinum (types A and B) produced toxin and that Staphylococcus aureus, Sal-
monella typhimurium, and Yersinia enterocolitica grew well when they got entry
during tempeh preparation through unacidified soybeans.
In another process cotyledons are boiled or steamed for 15 to 20 min, drained,
cooled, surface dried, and inoculated with powdered culture of tempeh mold.
The inoculated beans are spread in trays, covered, and incubated at 37 C for
about 20 h at 75-85% relative humidity. Martinelli and Hesseltine (8) developed
a process in which inoculated cotyledons were packaged in perforated plastic
bags and then incubated. The process has been found very useful in commercial
manufacture of tempeh (9).
After completion of fermentation, tempeh cake has an attractive, bland, slightly
nutty flavor. It is then sliced, dipped in salt solution, and deep-fat fried. At times
the slices are dipped in a water suspension of rice flour, salt, and spices before
frying. The fried tempeh has a dark-brown, appealing color.
The keeping quality of tempeh is short at ambient temperature. Therefore, it
is consumed the same day. If kept at room temperature for longer periods, the
color turns dull brown, the surface becomes wet and slimy due to bacterial growth,
and the product develops bitterness. Prolongation of storage under such condi-
tions results in disagreeable putrid flavor. However, deep-fat fried tempeh has a
longer shelf-life. If kept in closed containers or sealed plastic bags, the crisp slices
remain tasty for weeks. Sometimes the cake is sliced into thin pieces and dried
under the sun. The dried pieces remain edible for several days.
FOOD VALUE
Raw mature soybeans are indigestible and bitter in taste. However, fermentation
of soybeans with Rhizopus oligosporus transforms beans into a highly digestible
216 MITALANDGARG
and delicious product with unique texture and appearance. One of the most im-
portant functions of the mold in such food fermentations is the synthesis of en-
zymes (10) which decompose complex compounds such as starch and protein into
smaller molecules. Such enzymatic activity may also decrease or eliminate anti-
nutritional components such as phytic acid and, consequently, improve the food
value of fermented product. Fresh tempeh contains approximately 19-20% pro-
tein, which compares well with the protein content in chicken (21 %), beef (20%),
hamburger (13%), whole eggs (13%), and whole milk (3%). The nutrient com-
position of tempeh is shown in Table 1.
Tempeh resembles closely food products from meat and milk in nutritional
attributes (Table 2). Soybean protein is rich in lysine. Therefore, soybean foods
such as tempeh can be effectively used to supplement typically lysine-deficient
cereal diets. The essential amino acid pattern of tempeh is shown in Table 3.
Tempeh is free from cholesterol and approximately 80% of its fat consists of
unsaturated fatty acids (16). It is a good source of minerals and B vitamins, par-
ticularly of B,2, which is generally absent in foods of plant origin (Table 4).
Table 3. Comparison of Amino Acid Pattern of Tempeh with FAO/WHO Reference Pattern
(mg/g nitrogen)
FAO/WHO Tempeh 6 Percent of FAO/WHO
Amino acid pattern" (soybean) pattern in tempeh c
Methionine/cystine 220 171 78
Threonine 250 267 107
Valine 310 349 113
Lysine 340 404 119
Leucine 440 538 112
Phenylalanine and tyrosine 380 475 125
Isoleucine 250 340 136
Tryptophan 60 84 140
"Provisional amino acid scoring pattern. Technical Report Series 522, WHO (1973).
*Murata et al. (12).
c
Shurtleff and Aoyagi (1).
Liem et al. (20) found that tempeh contained 1.5-6.3 fig B12 per 100 g. They
also observed that its content could be increased to as high as 14.8 /*g/100 g if
Klebsiella pneumoniae is incorporated in the starter. In addition, soybeans also
contain (per 100 g dry weight) magnesium (236 mg), potassium (15.04 mg), zinc
(3.8 mg), and manganese (1.2 mg).
218 MITAL AND GARG
MICROBIOLOGY OF FERMENTATION
Tempeh produced under commercial conditions contains vitamin B12 (20, 27).
This vitamin is altogether absent when pure culture of R. oligosporus is used
for tempeh manufacture. Curtis et al. (27) identified the culture responsible for
B12 production in tempeh as Klebsiella pneumoniae. Later on they observed that
this organism must also be used if tempeh is to serve as an essential source of
vitamin B,j in the diet of vegetarians. It can produce as much as 150 mg of B n /g
of soybean substrate. Liem (28) found that increasing the cobalt content of soy-
bean substrate above 100 ppb exhibited a directly proportional increase in B12
content of tempeh.
Variety of molds and bacteria may be found in tempeh depending upon the
microflora of the raw soybeans; methods of soaking, cooking, and incubation;
and sanitary and hygienic conditions during manufacture. However, only one
mold species is essential for the production of quality tempeh (2, 3, 6, 29). This
mold does not require much aeration, as do many other molds. In fact, too much
aeration may cause sporulation.
Antioxidants
Flavor Profile
covered with white mold mycelium with typical flavor and texture. Shurtleff
and Aoyagi (1) have also described methods for making tempeh-like foods using
substrates other than soybean.
Wang et al. (56, 57) reported that R. oligosporus NRRL 2710 produced a heat-
stable antimicrobial substance active against Gram-positive bacteria including
both microaerophilic and anaerobic bacteria such as Streptococcus cremoris,
Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens, and Cl. sporo-
genes. The only Gram-negative bacterium sensitive to this substance was Kleb-
siella pneumoniae. The compound contains polypeptides. Its activity is not in-
fluenced by pepsin or R. oligosporus protease but is slightly decreased by trypsin
and peptidase. However, it is readily inactivated by pronase.
REFERENCES
1. W. Shurtleff and A. Aoyagi, "The Book of Tempeh," 2nd ed., Harper and Row, New York,
1985.
2. K. H. Steinkraus, D. B. Hand, J. P. Van Buren, and L. R. Haekler, in "Proceedings of the
Conference on Soybean Products for Protein in Human Foods," Sept. 13-15, USDA, Peo-
ria, IL, U.S.A., 1961, p. 75.
3. K. H. Steinkraus, J. P. Van Buren, L. R. Haekler, and D. B. Hand, Food Technol., 19, 63
(1965).
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48, 438 (1985).
8. A. Martinelli and C. W. Hesseltine, Food Technol., 18, 167 (1964).
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15. R. Djurtoft and J. S. Jensen, in "Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods," K. H. Stein-
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TEMPEH 223