Glossary > Feed Ingredients > SOYBEAN MEAL

Soybean meal is produced in two major protein levels by different processes. Soybean meal must be heated (toasted) sufficiently to destroy, the trypsin inhibitor.

Forty-four percent soybean meal is usually mechanically extracted to produce a meal of:
· 44 percent crude protein;
· crude fat, 4.7 percent;
· crude fibre, 6.0 percent.

Forty-eight percent soybean meal is dehulled and solvent extracted to yield meal with:
· crude protein I level of 48 percent;
· crude fat, 0.9 percent;
· crude fibre, 2.8 percent.

Soybean meal or cake is one of the most valuable sources of vegetable protein. The amino-acid composition is comparable to that of milk protein. It is essential, however, to remember the shortcomings of soybean meal as a substitute for animal proteins in compound feeds.

Some minerals are present only in small quantities in soybean meal, and although it is a good source of some vitamins, it lacks vitamin B12, which is found instead in animal protein supplements. This vitamin is probably the one most often lacking in practical poultry diets.

From the taste of the meal it is possible to judge whether it has been heated enough during processing to be safe for pigs and poultry. It should have a pleasant nut-like taste and a light brownish colour. If the meal has a "beany" raw taste, it should be used only for ruminants.

Properly heated soybean meal is an excellent feed for all classes of animals with no restraints on its use; however, soybean oil meal extracted with trichloroethylene is toxic to some animals and should not be used for feeding.