The Jeonnam Agricultural Research Institute has developed a new variety of white tofu, "Midang," which is expected to replace imported products.

(Muan=Yonhap News) Reporter Hyeong Min-woo = Jeonnam Institute of Agricultural Technology announced on the 22nd that it has developed a new variety of soybeans, 'Midang,' with a white shell. Soybeans, which belong to the legume family and are an annual crop, are mainly used as a raw material for processed foods such as rice cakes and starch noodles. Jeonnam is a leading region, accounting for approximately 70% of the total soybean cultivation area in the country, while Yeongguang is known as the largest production area nationwide. Domestic soybean production is limited, causing difficulties in securing raw materials in the processing industry. Therefore, more than 90% of the soybean powder used for Yeongguang's specialty, Mosit-leaf rice cake, relies on imported soybeans from countries like Myanmar. The newly developed Midang is expected to be easy to process and replace imported soybeans in various food industries, including rice cake powder. Jeonnam Institute of Agricultural Technology is in the process of applying for variety protection for Midang and plans to expand field trials among farmers, focusing on Yeongguang County. Researcher Choi Jin-shil from the Jeonnam Provincial Agricultural Technology Institute's Crop Research Institute, who developed the variety, said, "We will support farmers and the industry to utilize the variety stably by smoothly proceeding with the field trials and variety protection application procedures."