6

Soybean Oil Extraction and Processing

Andrew Proctor

Soybeans are the dominant oilseed in both U.S. and world markets. During
a typical year soybean production comprises over half the worldwide oilseed
production (Anonymous 1995). However, according to Dutton (1981) in the early
1940s, soybean oil was considered a poor quality oil, not suitable for food use,
and more appropriate for use in industrial paints. It was first used in margarine
in World War II due to the shortages of other fats and oils, but its use was limited
to 30% of the product.
The increase in popularity of soy oil, from a minor edible oil of the I 940s to
the major food oil of the 1990s, was in part due to desirable agronomic soybean
characteristics, the high quality of the soy protein meal, and high soybean yields
at competitive prices. Nevertheless, an improved understanding of lipid chemistry
and enhanced oil processing technology were the most vital factors affecting the
success of soy oil as a food grade product. 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. 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. To remove some of these impurities from the crude
soy oil and convert it to a high quality edible oil, it is necessary to subject crude
oil to a series of refining operations, including degumming to remove lecithin,
neutralization to separate out free fatty acids and bleaching to remove pigments
and the residues of previous refining steps. Deodorization is the final operation,
which removes volatile components by steam distillation. The final product is a
refined, bleached, and deodorized oil, commonly known as RBD oil. However,
due to its high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids, natural, refined
soybean oil still has susceptibility to oxidation and off-flavor formation. It also

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© Chapman & Hall 1997
298 / Soybeans: Chemistry, Technology, and Utilization

has limited range of functionality. To overcome these limitations for wider food
applications, additional processes, including hydrogenation, interesterification,
winterization and/or fractionation, are often necessary. Figure 6.1 is an outline
of modem soy oil processing, end products, and their edible applications.
This chapter provides a concise discussion of modem soybean oil processing
with special reference to recent innovations in oil processing, co-product process-
ing and plant/environmental safety issues. Additional information on the subject
may be found in Erickson et al. (1980), Snyder and Kwon (1987), Wan (1991),
Erickson (1995), and Hui (1996).

l.!!.!~~~~---t lecithin Sludge

~~--,-,,-....-'-',-,--~I---~ So ap Stoe k

ICooking Oill ___~D---l

or
Other Fally Oils

D
Shortening
Mellorine Fat
Specialties

Figure 6.1. Schematic diagram for manufacturing edible soybean oil products. D =
deodorization, W = winterization, S = solidification, H2 = hydrogen gas. From Brekke
(1980).