Meet sachi, the first alcoholic drink made from tofu whey.

Tofu whey is a liquid byproduct generated during the tofu production process. It's typically thrown away, but scientists at the National University of Singapore have found to way to turn it into a tasty beverage.

The researchers' innovative fermentation process also fortifies the drink with isoflavones, antioxidants unique to soy.

Some scientists have suggested isoflavones offer health benefits, including protection against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, some types of cancer and loss of cognitive function. So far, there is limited evidence of such health benefits.

But even if sachi doesn't cure cancer, it may help prevent waste.

"The traditional way of manufacturing tofu produces a large amount of whey, which contains high levels of calcium and unique soya nutrients such as isoflavones and probiotics," Chua Jian Yong, a doctoral student at NUS, said in a news release. "Hence, disposing tofu whey is wasteful."

Until now, few had tried to turn tofu whey into a usable product.

"I had previously worked on alcohol fermentation during my undergraduate studies in NUS, so I decided to take up the challenge of producing an alcoholic beverage using the whey," Chua said. "The drink turned out to be tasty, which is a pleasant surprise."

Tofu production is on the rise, which means more tofu whey is being generated and thrown away.

"Alcoholic fermentation can serve as an alternative method to convert tofu whey into food products that can be consumed directly," said Liu Shao Quan, an associate professor at NUS. "Our unique fermentation technique also serves as a zero-waste solution to the serious issue of tofu whey disposal."

To make sachi, researchers added sugar, acid and yeast to the tofu whey and allowed it to ferment. Scientists tweaked the fermentation process to ensure there was no waste. The result was a slightly sweet alcoholic beverage with fruity and floral accents. Sachi has an alcohol content between 7 and 8 percent.

Researchers have filed a patent application for the sachi production process.

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Excavations in the Republic of Georgia by the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE), a joint undertaking between the University of Toronto (U of T) and the Georgian National Museum, have uncovered evidence of the earliest winemaking anywhere in the world. The discovery dates the origin of the practice to the Neolithic period around 6000 BC, pushing it back 600-1,000 ... read more

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