Earlier this year, the Science Center partnered with local St. Louis ag tech firm Benson Hill to showcase Benson Hill’s proprietary Ultra High Protein (UHP) commercial soybeans in the GROW Gallery. There, guests can learn about how Benson Hill used traditional breeding procedures to create these high-protein soybeans, as well as their benefits for farmers, food production, and the planet.
Typical commodity soybeans used in the production of soy-based ingredients result in protein levels of around 50% after they’re processed (which involves crushing the beans, followed by a concentration step that involves additional water and energy use).
Benson Hill’s UHP soybeans have “post-crush” protein levels of around 60–65%, which means the concentration step can be skipped, reducing the amount of energy used in processing by approximately 50% and the amount of water used by approximately 70%. READ MORE