We always knew tofu was versatile but this is not your average veggie-lover’s twist on the wild card of foods. A tofu-based healthy wine has been developed by scientists from the National University of Singapore and thanks to its innovative making process it is enriched with isoflavones, an antioxidant associated to many health benefits.

The beverage, which they named Sachi, takes three weeks to make and has between seven to eight percent alcohol. It’s made specifically from tofu whey, a liquid generally discarded during the production of tofu, so besides having a better-for-you twist, the drink also contributes to a zero-waste approach to tofu production.

Chua Jian Yong, a PhD student involved in the development of Sachi, explained more about the project in a communicate published by the university: “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 prebiotics. Hence, disposing tofu whey is wasteful. Very little research has been done to transform tofu whey into edible food and beverage products. 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. The drink turned out to be tasty, which is a pleasant surprise.”

Both Chua and Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan have an interest in sustainable food production and are from the Food Science and Technology Programme at the NUS Faculty of Science.

As if these were not enough encouragements to give Sachi a chance, the drink has been reported to feature very pleasant sake-like flavours and aromas, with a delicate sweet, fruity and floral character and a delicate hint of soy.

More information: news.nus.edu.sg