DECATUR - Old Folgers Crystals commercials featured stealth coffee operatives who replaced a restaurant's regular brew with instant coffee.

The ads invariably ended with a customer's shock upon hearing that their coffee was made with Folgers Crystals - they never thought instant could taste so good.

A different bean has been involved in a similar blind taste test going on in some Illinois public schools, including Garfield Montessori Magnet School in Decatur.

Researchers from the University of Illinois are infusing school lunches with soy, coming up with more nutritious alternatives to kids' favorite lunchtime foods. The hope is that they don't recognize the difference.

"The reason that we wanted to do it was because of the concern for childhood obesity and the fact that school lunch programs might be contributing to that," said professor Barbara Klein, a nutritionist at the university. Dishes made with soy protein can provide significantly less fat than their meat-based counterparts.

In the Decatur experiment, soy entirely replaced meat in chili for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders at one lunch; it replaced half of the meat in spaghetti sauce at another meal. Meat versions of the meals using otherwise identical recipes were served two other days.

"We wanted to show there was no discernable difference in the taste or texture," said Greg Webb, vice president for public affairs for Archer Daniels Midland Co. The project was underwritten by ADM, which provided all the soy meals for the students. The company also took care that the side dishes were identical.

After the meals, researchers measured the amount of food that kids left on their plates. So far, it looks like soy's holding its own.

"It looks like the plate waste was similar, but until - all of the schools that participated are finished, we can't make a conclusion," Klein said. Results could arrive as early as next month.

Other areas involved in the program are Murphysboro, Pekin and Danville. Other food items tested on the kids were chicken nuggets and ravioli made with soy. Other organizations helping with the study are Illinois Center for Soy Foods, Illinois Soybean Association and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Webb said.

Garfield Principal Debbie Holeman Shipp said parents were notified of the experiment, and the nurse ensured participating children had no food allergies that would hinder their involvement.

"We're excited to be able to be a part of the project. Not only is it enhancing what we're doing for kids in community, it's also the basis of creating healthier and nutritious eating habits in children," she said.

Holeman Shipp became a soy advocate herself after adding more soy protein to her diet during the summer. She's since lost 43 pounds.

"We need to be more aware of the benefits we derive from the product," she said. "There are so many benefits, and they have refined the processing of the soy so that you cannot tell a difference."

Other nutrition programs are planned for Garfield in the near future. A curriculum called "Food is Elementary," also sponsored by ADM, will teach children about where food comes from and how it's grown. Holeman Shipp also wants to start an after-school health and nutrition club.

All of this education she thinks reflects the Montessori philosophy of educating the whole child - teaching them health and problem-solving skills along with their math and reading.

The philosophy also stresses service to the community, which the students are doing through their participation in the project.

"This is an example of our district partnering with community and business," Holeman Shipp said. "We are right here in the middle of it, and it's so exciting to be a part of."

Amy Hoak can be reached at ahoak@;herald-review.com or 421-7972.