Soybean meal is obtained by grinding the flakes remaining after removing most of the oil from soybeans by the solvent extraction process. Widely available, actively traded, highly palatable, and rich in ssential amino acids, solvent extracted soybean meal represents the “gold standard” for vegetable protein ingredients. Highly digestible for swine and poultry, the amino acids in soybean meal complement other ingredients to create a balanced diet. Because it’s an excellent source of rumen degradable protein, soybean meal allows microbes to produce maximum levels of high-quality microbial protein. A good source of amino acids, soybean meal also functions as a widely accepted alternative to fishmeal in aquaculture diets.
When processed, a 60 pound bushel of soybeans yields approximately 48 pounds of protein rich soybean meal (80 percent) and 11 pounds of crude soybean oil (18 percent). All commodity soybeans are processed using the same basic crushing and extracting methods regardless of how the soybean meal and soybean oil will ultimately be used.