SOYABEANS Composition Database. They also contain relatively large amounts of poly - and monounsaturated fats – the so-called ‘good fats’ - and are low in both carbohydrates and saturated fats. Due to their high nutrition value, soyabeans are used to produce many different food items around the world. Some of the most popular soya-based foods include soya sauce, soya milk, and protein substitutes such as tofu, tempeh and textured vegetable protein.
Major uses
Market review Soyabean is a versatile oilseed supplying both oil and meal to the global market, which has been disrupted by the ChinaUSA trade war, African swine fever affecting feed demand in China and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus Ile Kauppila
24 OFI – MARCH/APRIL 2020
OFI MarchApril 2020 p24.indd 2
The last few years have been exciting for soya farmers and traders, but for all the wrong reasons. The soyabean market grew at a fantastic pace in the years leading up to 2017, with both the USA and Brazil reporting record harvests. Then, in 2018, multiple events mostly centering around China and the USA threw the soya market into disarray, disrupting established trade patterns. With soya being one of the most valuable farm crops in the world, the end result of such upheavals were felt far and wide, from producers to consumers. But what exactly makes soyabean such a valuable commodity? The oilseed is a versatile legume and has a myriad of uses across a variety of sectors. Most people probably consider soyabean a food, and human nutrition is indeed one of its major applications. Soyabeans are one of the best sources of plant-based proteins, with 16.6g of protein per 100g of beans, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food
However, on a global scale, soyabeans are much more financially important as an oil and meal. According to the American Soybean Association (ASA), one bushel – or slightly over 27kg – of soyabeans produces about 5kg of oil and 22kg of high-protein meal. Roughly 98% of the world’s soyabeans are processed into these two products. Of the two, soyabean oil ties more closely into human food use. About 95% of the world’s roughly 56M tonne annual soya oil supply is consumed as edible oil. It is a popular frying oil and is also used as an ingredient in, for example, baked goods and salad dressings. Another popular use for soyabean oil is for biodiesel production which, for example in the USA, accounts for 25% of total soya oil consumption. Soyabean oil is also used in a wide range of non-food industrial products, such as petroleum-free plastics, printing inks and even car parts. Soya-based industrial lubricants are preferred by some end users due to their high heatresistance and non-toxicity, says the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association (NCSPA). Other possible uses for soyabeans include particle board production, biocomposite materials, and even nontoxic crayons that are safer for children to use. Research into soya-based products has picked up in the last decade, and new applications keep being discovered, particularly in the field of renewable alternatives to petroleum and oil products. Finally, soya meal is used as an animal feed. Of the total global soya meal output of 238M tonnes, 98% is used for animal feed, from swine and cattle to poultry and pets. Soya meal is also becoming increasingly common in fish food, both in commercial aquaculture and home aquariums, to replace increasingly scarce fish meal, the NCSPA says. The remaining 2% of global soya meal output is used mostly in human nutrition as soya flour and other proteins. Some of the key global soya producers
www.ofimagazine.com
20/03/2020 11:11:49
