An aqueous soya suspension is prepared by grinding soya beans in the presence of water at a temperature of from 90 DEG to 100 DEG C. to form a dispersion of particles of which the majority have dimensions of the order of 100 to 500 mu ; heating the dispersion by the injection of steam to a temperature of from 120 DEG to 160 DEG C. thereby destroying the antitrypsin factor; and grinding the dispersion to form a suspension containing corpuscules of protein and fat with dimensions of the order of 2 to 10 mu and cell wall debris of which the largest dimension does not exceed substantially 40 to 300 mu . The soya suspension may be consumed as such or used as a starting material for the production of foods such as cheese or used as a base for the production of beverages such as a cows' milk substitute.