| abstract |
The present invention relates generally to a process of isolating isoflavones/phytoestrogens from a plant protein and producing plant proteins for use in nutritional products that have reduced levels of phytoestrogens, manganese and/or nucleotides. More specifically, this invention is directed to a process of using ion exchange technology to remove phytoestrogens, manganese or nucleotides from plant proteins. Either the removed phytoestrogens or the treated plant protein may be retained for further processing. The phytoestrogens have utility as pharmaceuticals. The treated plant protein has utility in nutritional products. This invention is also directed to isoflavones prepared by the process, to plant protein products resulting from the inventive process, and to nutritional products that use the plant protein product as a source of amino nitrogen. |