INFORM October 2024

20 • inform October 2024, Vol. 35 (9)

Soybean meal and oil quality by production region Hauzhen Liu

As the soybean industry well-knows, seeds produced in different areas of the world with different cultivars, climate, and storage and handling conditions have different quality characteristics. Such differences naturally impact the unprocessed seeds, the extracted oil and the defatted meal used in both food and feed. However, there is insufficient data on the compositional or quality differ ences in soybean products based on their region of origin.

In a recent review article, our team reported on the findings from papers published on the quality of soybeans and co-products from major soybean export countries. To date there are eight key stud ies published in peer reviewed journals comparing the soybean qual ity characteristics from the largest exporting countries, Brazil and the United States. Our analysis subjected the data in these publications to meta-analysis to obtain comprehensive data on the chemical compo sition, nutritional value, minerals and AA composition of soybean meal from the US and Brazil. In addition, our team collected and analyzed crude, degummed soybean oil samples that originated from soybeans grown in Argentina, the US, and Brazil from vessels or soybean crush ing facilities in India and South Korea. THE IMPORTANCE OF SOYBEANS Soybeans have been a major crop for producing oil and protein in east Asia for thousands of years. However, soybeans only emerged as a major crop in western countries in the past 100 years. Today, they are one of the most globally traded agricultural products driven by demand for vegetable oil and an economical, high-quality source of protein. The US, Brazil, and Argentina are now the major producers and exporters of whole soybeans, soybean oil and soybean meal (SBM) with Asian (especially China) and western European coun tries serving as export destinations. Approximately 100 million tons of soybeans are consumed per year in China, over 90 percent being imported. Between 2009 and 2023, more than 60 percent of US and global exports were destined for the Chinese market—10 percent were exported to the EU and nearly four percent to Mexico. Due to US-China trade disputes in the past several years, the Brazilian soy bean share in Chinese market has increased.

• To address the lack of data on soybean oil quality from different geographical regions, researchers compared soybean and soybean co-products grown in diverse environmental conditions. • Using meta-analysis they summarized soybean and soybean meal quality by origin. • In addition, they obtained samples of US, Brazil, and Argentina crude, degummed soybean oil to analyze for key quality factors. • These analyses suggest that the environmental conditions where soybeans are grown, stored, and handled effect the chemical composition and nutrient quality of soybean meal and oil.