Environmentally Friendly Preparation of Tempeh from Indonesian Soybean with Dry Peeling Technique

Soybean for tempeh preparation is generally peeled by wet milling of cooked soybean seeds. This technique is time consuming and requires a lot of water. Instead, peeling can be done by dry milling prior to cooking to save processing time and water usage. This research aims to evaluate the characteristics of tempeh prepared from local Indonesian soybean as influenced by peeling techniques. The characteristics of peeled and unpeeled-soybean were also evaluated. Characterization of tempeh was done on proximate composition, textural properties, color, and organoleptic acceptances. The proximate characteristics of tempeh made from dry-peeled and wet-peeled soybean had no significant differences. Tempeh prepared by dry peeling had a softer texture (1.79 N) than that prepared by wet peeling (2.04 N). The color of tempeh with dry-peeled soybean was lighter than that with wet-peeled soybean, both its outer and inner part. Tempeh prepared by dry peeling had a better sensory acceptance in chewiness (4.3) than that by wet peeling (3.0), and no differences in taste, cohesiveness, aroma, and color. These results provide an alternative of a more environmentally friendly tempeh preparation with a dry peeling technique.