Soybean oil

Soybean oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean (Glycine max). It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils. As a drying oil, processed soybean oil is also used as a base for printing inks (soy ink) and oil paints. It is also converted to cooking oils.

Contents

Production

To produce soybean oil, the soybeans are cracked, adjusted for moisture content, heated to between 60 and 88ºC (140-190°F), rolled into flakes, and solvent-extracted with hexanes. The oil is then refined, blended for different applications, and sometimes hydrogenated. Soybean oils, both liquid and partially hydrogenated are sold as "vegetable oil," or are ingredients in a wide variety of processed foods. Most of the remaining residue (soybean meal) is used as animal feed.

In the 2002–2003 growing season, 30.6 million tons of soybean oil were produced worldwide, constituting about half of worldwide edible vegetable oil production, and thirty percent of all fats and oils produced, including animal fats and oils derived from tropical plants.[1]

Composition

100g of soybean oil has 16g of saturated fat, 23 g of mono unsaturated fat, and 58g of poly unsaturated fat.[2][3] The major unsaturated fatty acids in soybean oil triglycerides are 7–10% alpha-Linolenic acid (C-18:3); 51% linoleic acid (C-18:2); and 23% oleic acid (C-18:1). It also contains the saturated fatty acids 4% stearic acid and 10% palmitic acid.

The high-proportion of oxidation-prone linolenic acid is undesirable for some uses, such as cooking oils. Three companies, Monsanto Company, DuPont/Bunge, and Asoyia in 2004 introduced low linolenic Roundup Ready soybeans. In the past, hydrogenation was used to reduce the unsaturation in linolenic acid, but this produced the unnatural trans-fatty acid configuration, whereas in nature the configuration is cis. This external picture from North Dakota State University compares soybean oil fatty acid content with other oils.

Applications

Food

Soybean oil is mostly used for frying and baking. It is also used as a condiment for salads.

Comparative properties of common cooking fats (per 100g)
Total Fat Saturated Fat Monounsaturated Fat Polyunsaturated Fat Smoke Point
Sunflower oil 100g 11g 20g 69g 225 °C (437 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Soybean oil 100g 16g 23g 58g 257 °C (495 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Olive oil 100g 14g 73g 11g 190 °C (374 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Corn oil 100g 15g 30g 55g 230 °C (446 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Peanut oil 100g 17g 46g 32g 225 °C (437 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Vegetable Shortening (hydrogenated) 71g 23g (34%) 8g (11%) 37g (52%) 165 °C (329 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Lard 100g 39g 45g 11g 190 °C (374 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
Suet 94g 52g (55%) 32g (34%) 3g (3%) 200°C (400°F)
Butter 81g 51g (63%) 21g (26%) 3g (4%) 150 °C (302 °F)[lower-alpha 1]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h The Culinary Institute of America (2011). The Professional Chef. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0-470-42135-5. 

Drying oil

Soybean oil is a drying oil, which means that it will slowly harden upon exposure to air, forming a flexible, transparent, and waterproof solid. Because of this property, it is used in some printing ink and oil paint formulations.

Fixative for insect repellents

While soybean oil has no direct insect repellent activity, it is used as a fixative to extend the short duration of action of essential oils such as geranium oil in several commercial products.[4][5]

Trading

Soybean oil is traded at the Chicago Board of Trade in contracts of 60,000 pounds at a time. Prices are listed in cents and hundredths of a cent per pound.

References

  1. ^ United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Statistics 2004. Table 3-51.
  2. ^ Ulrich Poth, "Drying Oils and Related Products" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002. doi:10.1002/14356007.a09_055
  3. ^ Oil, soybean, salad or cooking
  4. ^ Barnard DR, Xue RD (Jul 2004). "Laboratory evaluation of mosquito repellents against Aedes albopictus, Culex nigripalpus, and Ochierotatus triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae)". J Med Entomol. 41 (4): 726–30. doi:10.1603/0022-2585-41.4.726. PMID 15311467. 
  5. ^ Fradin MS, Day JF (Jul 2002). "Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites". N Engl J Med. 347 (1): 13–8. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa011699. PMID 12097535.