Product Alternatives: Soybean Complex
1. Whole Soybean
The soybean (Glycine max) is often called the miracle crop. It is the world's
foremost provider of protein and oil. The bushy, green soybean plant is a
legume related to clover, peas and alfalfa. In the US, farmers plant soybeans
in the late spring. During the summer, soybeans flower and produce 60-80
pods, each holding three pea-sized beans. In the early fall, farmers harvest
their crop for these beans which are high in protein and oil. A 60-pound
bushel of soybeans yields about 48 pounds of protein-rich meal and 11 pounds
of oil.
More soybeans are grown in the United States than anywhere else in the world.
In 1998, U.S. soybean farmers harvested a record 2.757 billion bushels (75.04
million metric tons) of soybeans. More than half the total value of the U.S.
soybean crop is exported as whole soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil.
There are two types: dry soybeans and green vegetable soybeans.
1/2 cup of dry soybeans contain:
- 149 calories
- 7.7 grams of fat
- 14.3 grams of protein
1/2 cup of green vegetable soybeans contain:
- 60 calories
- 2 grams of fat
- 6 grams of protein
Commodity
Fact Sheet
2. Soybean Oil
Soybean oil is the world's most widely used edible oil. In the United States,
soybean oil accounts for nearly 80% of edible oil consumption.
Almost all margarine and shortenings contain soybean oil. It also is frequently
found in mayonnaise, salad dressings, frozen foods, imitation dairy and meat
products and commercially baked goods.
Soybean oil has little flavor, which is an advantage because it won't interfere
with the taste of the food.
Soybean oil's 85% unsaturated fat profile is among the lowest of the vegetable
oils. Soybean oil contains 61% polyunsaturated fat and 24% monounsaturated
fat. Saturated fats in the diet can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase
the risk of heart disease. So healthcare professionals recommend replacing
saturated fats with unsaturated fats as much as possible.
Like other vegetable oils, soybean oil contains no cholesterol. Soybean
oil is one of the few non-fish oils containing linolenic acid, an omega-3
fatty acid that has been shown to help prevent heart disease.
Commodity
Fact Sheet
3. Soybean Meal
Soybean meal is the product remaining after extracting most of the oil
from whole soybeans. The oil may be removed by solvent extraction or by an
expeller process in which the beans are heated and squeezed.
Soybean meal is high in protein and energy and is one of the most commonly
used protein supplements in North America. It is a palatable feedstuff and
may be used as the major protein supplement in rations for dairy cattle.
Commodity
Fact Sheet 
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