THE LI LABORATORY
Department of Biology
Center for Biological Clocks Research
Texas A&M University
DeepCook:
The Soy Milk Machine Fly Food Method
By Wanhe Li
February 2025
​
An efficient and reliable food preparation method is one of the most valuable assets a fly lab can have. I want to share a discovery that could improve fly food preparation: the Soy Milk Machine Fly Food Method, or as I like to call it, DeepCook.
​A Brief History of Soy Milk. Soy milk is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Traditionally, making soy milk is time- and labor-consuming, including soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out particulates. This nutritious drink originated in China over 2,000 years ago, credited to Liu An (179–122 BCE), a prince of the Western Han Dynasty. According to historical accounts, Liu An developed soy milk to create easily digestible nourishment for his ailing mother, and the drink successfully helped restore her health. Industrial production popularized soy milk in the late 20th century, but freshly made soy milk remains a cherished staple in Chinese households. For many, the experience of waiting in line at a breakfast stand with a home-brought container to scoop up fresh soy milk is an unforgettable memory of our home country.​​​​​​​​​​
The Soy Milk Machine. Since its invention in the past decade, the soy milk machine has gained widespread popularity in China, representing a two-millennia-long pursuit of convenience and nutrition. I owned a soy milk machine about 10 years ago, but it was still somewhat inconvenient—requiring manual filtering to remove particulates, and cleaning was cumbersome due to burned soybean residues. However, modern machines have evolved dramatically. They now integrate high-powered blending, automated boiling, self-cleaning functions, and even a temperature maintenance feature. It was during the recent holiday season that I realized this appliance could serve an entirely new purpose: fly food preparation.​​​​​​​​​
DeepCook. Traditional fly food preparation can be labor-intensive, requiring continuous monitoring, manual stirring, and careful temperature control. However, with a soy milk machine, the process becomes almost effortless. Here’s how I utilized its functionalities for fly food making :
-
Automated Cooking & Blending: I weighed and poured the dry ingredients into the machine and selected the “soy milk” or “chowder” program. This setting automatically brings the mixture to a boil for 20–30 minutes with intermittent powerful blending, ensuring uniform consistency.
-
Molasses Integration: After the initial cooking phase, I added molasses and allowed the machine to blend and boil the mixture for another 10 minutes.
-
Perfect Temperature Control: The “keep warm” function can maintain the mixture at around 60°C—ideal for adding heat-sensitive additives, such as propionic acid and Tegosept without causing premature solidification. I can take my time to fill in bottles without worrying about the solidified agar.
-
Flexible Additions: This “keep warm” function also allows for easy incorporation of specialized ingredients, such as retinal for optogenetics experiments. I imagine that we can also prepare a variety of diets (high fat, high protein, fruit-containing, etc.) with this machine.
-
Effortless Cleaning: At the end of the process, I simply added water and dish soap, pressed the self-clean button, and let the machine do the work.​​​​​​​​
Below is a detailed protocol for cooking your first batch of DeepCook fly food:
​
Protocol/Recipe
Cooking Molasses Food.
https://www.archonscientific.com/recipes
“The classic Drosophila media in the tradition of Calvin Bridges, our standard brown food is a nutritional blend of quality molasses, enriched cornmeal, and inactivated yeast.”
To cook ~800mL food using the soy milk machine:​​​​​​​​
List 1 (dry):
ddH2O: 750mL
Agar: 4.8g (Lab-Express Catalog #: 1001-fly-1kg)
Cornmeal: 48g (VWR Catalog #: 75860-346)
Yeast: 15g (Lab-Express Catalog #: 1015-10kg)
List 2 (wet):
Molasses: 40mL (VWR Catalog #: 75860-374)
​
List 3:
Tegosept: 10mL stock solution
(10% (w/v) Methylparaben solved in Ethanol)
Propionic Acid: 3mL
Step 1:
Mix List 1 in the cleaned soy milk machine, use the “soy milk” or “chowder” function, allowing boiling/blending of the mixture to 212F for 20min. When mixing the ingredients, pour in some water first to prevent the dry ingredients from directly contacting the bottom heating surface.
Step 2:
Add List 2, use the “soy milk” or “chowder” function, allowing boiling/blending the mixture to 212F for 10min.
Step 3:
Allowing the mixture to cool to ~65C, one can use the “juice” function to blend the mixture a couple of times to facilitate cooling.
Add List 3, and use the “juice” function to blend briefly. Set the program to “keep warm,” which will keep the mixture at 140F (60C).
Take your time to dispense the food to fly food vials or bottle containers. A pancake dough dispenser could be used.
DeepCook presents an exciting opportunity for fly labs. Not only does it simplify the cooking process, but it also enables greater flexibility in preparing diverse diets. I hope the manufacturer of soy milk machines will produce larger models in the future. I am proud of DeepCook because it embodies a fusion of scientific ingenuity and cultural heritage. I hope this method proves valuable to the Drosophila community, making the lives of fly cooks—and researchers—just a little bit easier. If you try it in your lab, I’d love to hear about your experience!​