Source: AgAnswers, an Ohio State Extension and Purdue Extension Partnership

Today, man does not have to live by wheat bread alone -- at least in central Ohio.

Healthyhearth bread, a new soy-based bread that resulted from research by Ohio State University food scientists, is believed to be the first commercially available bread with enough soy to carry the Food and Drug Administration's heart-healthy label. It is available at The Andersons two stores in Columbus, Ohio, on Sawmill and Brice roads.

It all started with a food scientist wondering if soy could help bread from becoming stale so quickly. "And it does," said Yael Vodovotz, assistant professor of food science and technology at Ohio State and co-editor of the textbook "Bread Staling" (CRC Press, 2000). "But then you have to ask, what do you do with it?"

With the help of undergraduate student Cory Ballard, colleagues and graduate students, she found out. The result is a high-protein bread that has 6.25 grams of soy protein per slice. Neither Healthyhearth creators, nor leaders of the Soyfoods Association of North America, are aware of any other commercially available bread that can make the FDA's heart-healthy claim.

Soy protein has been under investigation for years, with the best-documented health benefits focusing on blood lipids and risk of heart disease. The FDA-approved health claim reads, "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. One slice of Healthyhearth bread provides 6.25 grams of soy protein."

That's about three times the amount of protein than in conventional wheat breads, Vodovotz said, and just enough soy for FDA permission to use the health claim. Choosing the high-soy bread would make it easier for consumers to eat enough soy protein to reduce risk of heart disease.

While soy protein's benefits regarding heart disease have been well established, Vodovotz, her students and colleagues are conducting a wide range of research examining other soy properties, particularly on soy isoflavones and their potential cancer-fighting effects.

Pure isoflavones, plant chemicals with weak estrogen-like activity, have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors in the lab. The Ohio State research includes:

* An examination of the stability and bioaccessibility of isoflavones from soy bread.

When examining isoflavones from Healthyhearth bread, lead researcher Mark Failla, chair of Ohio State's Department of Human Nutrition, and graduate students Kelly Walsh and Yu Chu Zhang used an artificial digestion system to examine what happens to the isoflavones in the bread during human digestion. They found that the isoflavones survive the processing and baking process, and most survive the digestion process, as well.

From the study, the researchers believe that isoflavone-rich foods that also contain fat and protein -- such as soy bread -- may be more easily absorbed by the human body than isoflavone supplements would be.

* Study of the isoflavones and antioxidant activity in different cultivars of soybeans grown in Ohio. Researchers identified five specific cultivars that have higher isoflavone content and/or antioxidant activity. Using those types of soybeans in soy-based foods could boost the health benefits of foods like the new soy bread even more.

* The identification of specific kinds of isoflavones in the new soy bread and their effect on human cancer cells. At high enough concentrations, the isoflavones appear to have a significant effect at reducing the proliferation of human prostate cancer cells, at least in the lab, said Steve Schwartz, one of the researchers on that study and professor of food science and holder of the Haas Endowed Chair. Josh Bomser, assistant professor of food science and technology who participated in evaluating the anticancer effects of the soy bread, found differences in the type of isoflavones in the crumb part of the bread and the crust. The team hopes to investigate this further.

* In cooperation with the University of Michigan, the soy bread is being used in a three-month clinical trial to test soy's effect on preventing bone loss. Subjects for the trial are being recruited and will participate in Michigan; urine samples will be sent to Ohio State labs for testing.

Another clinical trial, in partnership with Steve Clinton of Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center, is scheduled to begin in January to test the effect of both soy bread and a powdered soy beverage on human subjects.

"While potential anti-cancer effects of soy hold some promise, we still have more questions than answers," Clinton said. "This trial should help us fill in some of the critical gaps in our knowledge, particularly regarding breast and prostate cancer."

Last year, Vodovotz and Ballard formed a new company, Bavoy Inc., to market the bread to commercial bakeries for sales in retail outlets. The company, which has a patent pending on the bread, has offices in Ohio State's Business Technology Center and has an option to obtain an exclusive license to the technology used in creating the bread. In the current venture, Stan Evans Bakery is producing the loaves.

Vodovotz is a shareholder in Bavoy Inc., and acts as scientific adviser for the company but has no decision-making authority or formal association with the company. Ballard is president of the early-phase start-up firm. He said it has been exciting to take a product from concept to reality.

"Getting Healthyhearth bread on grocery store shelves is a big leap," Ballard said. "We went from a concept, to the lab, to a bread machine, to a pilot plant, to a test market with a commercial baking facility. That's a milestone."

Along the way, the product and business plan garnered praise from many corners, from earning the Innovator of the Year Award from Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center to taking third place in the Fisher College of Business's Deloitte & Touche Business Plan Competition, both in 2003.

Jeff Schnell, marketing director for Bavoy, said selling Healthyhearth at The Andersons stores is a great fit.

"They're interested in providing healthful products, and we're interested in getting our soy bread into consumers' hands," Schnell said. Bavoy hopes to bring more soy-based foods to the market, including cookies, crackers and pizza dough.

In the meantime, consumers who frequent The Andersons stores can enjoy Healthyhearth original, cinnamon-raisin and multigrain breads.

The research behind Healthyhearth bread has been funded in part by Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Commercialization of the product was partially funded by the Food of the Future Award, a competitive research grant of $40,000 for one year from the Ohio Governor's Technology Action Fund. In addition, an equipment grant from the NASA Food Commercial Space Center at Iowa State University paid for the baking oven used by the group in the pilot plant of Ohio State's Food Industries Center. The firm also recently received a grant from the Center for Innovative Food Technology.