CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The three basic needs of man are food shelter and clothing but food has been proved to be the most important. Food has been defined as that which can be eaten to nourish the body. Since the economic situation is getting worse day by day, it becomes imperative that an alternative soymilk be provided to improve nutrition status.
Soybeans (Glycine max) is a member of the family legminosae, sub family papilnonaceae (Howell and Caldwell, 1972) Ezedinma F.O.C 1964) it is an annual summer legume  be4ing that it is found in the hairy pods of an erect bushy legume native to Asta and have been reported   to have originated from eastern and where used as food as long as before the existence of written record. It is highly proteinous in that it contains a large proportion of assailable protein, have carbohydrate having no starch at all. The protein of soybeans  are  glycinun, phaseolin, and legumlin are equally good source of B- comple vitamins and minerals (James et al 1992). They are also known to contain best blance of essential ammoniac’s and that is why it is usually referred to as the miracle legume or the poor mans meats”.
SOYBEAN PRODUCTION
Originally confined to the temperate zone is no spreading rapidly into tropic particularly in Brazil and other parts of south American in India and in the far East Inspite of being one of the earliest filed crops, soybeans was introduced into Nigeria shows that Benue state and Kogi state is the most important soybeans producing are in the country. In Nigeria, nearly all of the soybeans  production estimated at 30,000 tons is for human consumption and in response to increasing demand for. Soybeans as a source of protein and vegetable oil, National programmes in Nigeria have expanded their research on the crop since 1981) ( III A Annual report 1983).
Soymilk, which is traditionally an equeous extract of whole soybeans has been of considerable interest to nutritionists as a possible  substitute for cow or human milk due to its advantage over many other protein source in that no allergenic properties have been associated with it so far. Therfore it is recommended for infants who are allergic to cows milk (food and food production Encyclopedia 1971)
Soymilk has been made in china for generation and its consumption is fast gaining ground in Nigeria (Ahmed 1984; bashiell et al, 1990) soymilk has been recommended by physicians for years  to patients who are allergic to cows milk and now it is being recommended to those who have suffered from or are prone to degenerative heart diseases and who need a milk with unsaturated fat as a   replacement for dairy milk. (Ahened 1984)