(From left to right): Kevin Oforka (Nigeria,) and Mary Kanyingi (Kenya) making croissants with a flour consisting of 3 percent 70 PDI defatted soy flour (DSF). They were able to taste and observe the benefits of incorporating this ratio into their recipes.

A trade team consisting of African business representatives from Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya is attending the Baking with Soy: From Farm to Plate course at the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) this week in Fargo, N.D.

The focus of the training is on learning how to incorporate defatted soy flour (DSF) into new and traditional baking techniques. The team will receive the knowledge and skills to incorporate DSF into recipes based on their own unique challenges as bakery owners and food manufacturers.

So far the team has met with representatives from NCI, CHS Inc. and the North Dakota Soybean Council. They have been able to observe first-hand the benefits of incorporating DSF into recipes for scones, pan breads, donuts and other baked goods. The company from Nigeria is currently baking with U.S. DSF, and has used this opportunity to experiment with recipes and work with the NCI’s food technologists to improve his understanding of the properties of soy flour.

The two business owners from Ghana are eager to begin baking with DSF, as they will benefit from a USDA funded Quality Samples Program (QSP) container of defatted soy flour. The course has been useful in demonstrating the functional and economic benefits of baking with soy flour.

The trade team participants are being partially sponsored with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Market Development (FMD) funds. Participants were required to pay for their own airfare.