SOYBEAN MERCHANDISING COUNCIL TO HOLD PROMOTION HERE

Soy flour isn't found in many family kitchens yet, but the food industry uses it extensively.

Soy flour turns up in an array of food products, including fudge, pies, doughnuts, cakes, rolls and a number of other food products.

"Soy flour can be used to produce a dense bread with a nutty flavor," said Warren Seidel, of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, headquartered in Jefferson City. "Some cooks use the flour to thicken gravies and cream sauces."

Seidel and other members of the soybean council will be in Cape Girardeau Friday to conduct an in-store soy foods promotion at Schnucks Food & Drug, 19 S. Kingshighway.

"I'll be preparing some soybean brownies," Seidel said.

Consumers who visit Schnucks during the four-hour, 2 to 6 p.m., session, will have an opportunity to sample dishes containing soy flour and tofu and will receive recipes and coupons for soy food products.

Tofu, Seidel said, is similar to cottage cheese. It is made by curdling fresh soy milk. "Tofu doesn't really have a taste, but, it acts like a sponge and has the ability to soak up any flavor that is added to it."

Tofu is a dietary staple throughout Asia, where it is made fresh daily in thousands of small tofu shops. Tofu can be used with chili sauce, casserole or soup, or when blended with cocoa and sweetener, it becomes a double for chocolate cream pie filling.

Soy flour, which is available at a number of grocery stores, including Schnucks, is usually used in conjunction with other flours to boost the protein content of the baked product.

"Several people use about 15 percent soy flour in their baking," Seidel said. "It adds a moist quality to the baked foods."

Other popular soybean recipes -- spicy roasted soybeans or baked beans -- call for whole soybeans, which can be obtained from supermarkets or natural food stores.

Soy foods are gaining popularity with consumers, said Susie Oberdahlhoff, director of promotion and education for the soybean group.

"We've been moving the soy flour here," said Dennis Marchi, manager at the Schnucks store here. Soybean officials have noticed an increase of consumers who request information on soy foods.

Soybeans, which are raised extensively in Southeast Missouri, are used in many products -- soy diesel fuel, adhesives, soy ink, plastics, foams, and NewStone, a new composite building material.

Six Southeast Missouri counties are among the top 10 soybean producing counties, headed by Pemiscot County.

Pemiscot, New Madrid and Mississippi counties top the list, each with annual production figures of more than 5 million bushels. Fourth on the list is Stoddard County, with annual production figures of more than 4.8 million bushels. Other counties in the 10 include Butler and Dunklin, each producing about 3 million bushels a year. Another big soybean-producing county is Scott, which plants a many as 93,000 acres of soybeans each year, with harvest totals near the 3 million bushel mark.

Soybean acreage in Cape Girardeau County is usually 40,000 to 45,000 acres. With yields averages of slightly more than the 30-bushel mark, which translates into about 1.3 million bushels.