Soybean oil

Soybean oil is one of the most widely used vegetable oils worldwide. It is obtained from the seeds of the soybean, which are mainly grown in countries such as the USA, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. Because soybeans are produced in large quantities and are versatile, soybean oil is almost always readily available — in supermarkets, foodservice wholesalers and even in many online shops. For you this means: if you are looking for soybean oil, you will almost always find it in various sizes, from small bottles for the kitchen to large cans for restaurants.

Soybean oil is popular because it has a mild flavor that does not dominate. It also has a relatively high smoke point (especially when refined). This makes it suitable for frying and deep-frying, but also for salad dressings and mayonnaise. In many processed foods soybean oil is one of the standard ingredients because it is inexpensive, stable and neutral in taste.

Soybean oil is produced by pressing or extracting the oil fractions from soybean seeds. There are two main routes:

Depending on the production method, different types of soybean oil arise that differ in flavor, color, nutrients and use.

Soybean oil is a vegetable edible oil obtained from the seeds of the soybean (Glycine max). It is one of the most important oils worldwide by volume and is used in food, industry and pharmaceuticals. It is characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, versatile technological processability and suitability for cold and hot culinary applications. In food technology soybean oil serves as a carrier for fat-soluble vitamins, as an emulsifier component after modification and as a functional lipid in baked goods, dressings, margarines and snacks.

Botanical and agronomic origin: soybeans are cultivated in temperate to subtropical climates, with main growing areas in the USA, Brazil, Argentina and China. The oil content of the bean typically ranges from 18–21 %, depending on variety, location, harvest time and post-ripening. The seeds contain, besides oil, 35–40 % protein and minor components such as phytosterols, tocopherols and phospholipids. Harvest and post-treatment (cleaning, drying to approx. 12–13 % moisture) influence oxidation stability and the efficiency of subsequent oil recovery.

Production and processing: industrially, soybean oil is mainly obtained by hexane extraction from ground, conditioned and flaked soybeans. The process includes cell structure disruption, dissolution of lipids in the solvent and subsequent desolventizing/drying of the meal (soybean cake) for the feed industry. Mechanical pre-pressing and gentle cold pressing are used alternatively or in addition. Crude soybean oil contains free fatty acids, phospholipids (gums), pigments, metals and odor compounds. Refining is multi-stage: de-l lecithinization (washing/enzymatic), deacidification (neutralization with alkali), bleaching (with adsorbents such as bleaching earth/activated carbon) and deodorization (steam distillation under vacuum). These steps lower peroxide and acidity values, remove colorants and reduce volatile off-flavor components.