• What is modern soybean oil?
  • Modern soy oil is a stable high quality triglyceride ingredient used widely in commercial processed foods. It is without other lipid contaminants and available at a reasonable cost. Modern soybean processing starts with solvent extraction to obtain crude oil and defatted meal.
  • What is solvent extraction of soybean oil?
  • The solvent extraction of soybean oil has become the most popular extraction method used across the globe. With a distinct advantage over traditional mechanical pressing, solvent extraction yields higher oil recovery and greater efficiency, leaving less than 1% residual oil in the meal.
  • What is the preparatory section in the soybean oil manufacturing process?
  • First comes the preparatory section in the soybean oil manufacturing process. It marks the initial stage where raw soybeans are processed to make them ready for oil extraction. Upon arrival at an oil mill, seeds often contain various foreign materials acquired during harvesting or transportation.
  • How is soybean processed?
  • Modern soybean processing starts with solvent extraction to obtain crude oil and defatted meal. Most defatted meal is used for animal feed and only a small portion is further processed into different types of soy protein products for human consumption (see Chapter 8). Crude oil contains variable amounts of nontriglyceride materials.
  • How is soybean oil extracted?
  • Once the soybean seeds undergo the preparatory section processes, they are moved to the solvent extraction plant. The solvent extraction process is a common method used for soybean oil extraction. The aim is to use a solvent for dissolving a target solute, and wash it out of the solid plant component.
  • How does cooking affect soybean oil extraction?
  • Cooking breaks oil cells and eliminates moisture as steam. This aids in lowering the oil’s viscosity while facilitating the oil separation during the extraction process. The expanding process involves heating the cleaned soybeans to facilitate soybean oil extraction. This can be achieved through mechanical pressing or by using solvents like hexane.