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Not All Expeller Soybean Meals are Equal

Last week, I accessed a Pig Progress Weblog where Dr. Ioannis Mavromichalis wrote about his experience with expeller soybean meal. He indicated that he likes the product in swine diets but lately, he has had experience with under processed expeller meal.

I responded with a comment to Dr. Ioannis to the fact that, the term “Expeller soybean meal” is generic and does not reflect how the product is produced.

• Is it the old Chinese method where the expeller does the cooking?
• Is it our Insta-Pro ExPress(R) Soybean Meal where the soybeans are high shear extruded prior to pressing?
• Is it a copy of Insta-Pro technology where other types of extruders and expellers are used? If so, is the processor following the manufacturing recommendation?

It is more likely that Dr. Ionnis is referring to our Insta-Pro ExPress(R) “Expeller soybean meal” since Kansas State University has conducted numerous quality and swine feed trials with our extruded-expelled (ExPress(R)) Soybean Meal.

With this system, a producer can under-process, over-process, or optimally process the meal. Although we can teach and provide our customers with quality control procedures, give them free access to Insta-Pro technical staff who are willing to provide guidance on optimization of the ExPress(R) process and quality of ExPress(R) soybean meal, the final decision is in the hand of the processor who is independent and make his/her own decision.

Some variables that can be managed to enhance the quality of ExPress(R) soybean meal are:

1. The use of high grade, clean soybeans
2. Controlling the range of moisture content of raw soybeans (9-11%)
3. Proper maintenance of the equipment and the use of Insta-Pro parts as per the manual
4. Proper extrusion temperature (310-320 degrees Fahrenheit)
5. Proper adjustments of the press (expeller) to produce predictable levels of residual oil
6. Avoid adding water to ExPress(R) soybean meal. Added water will dilute the nutrients and may oxidize the oil thus reducing the digestible energy and adversely affect protein quality
7. Send samples to the laboratory for testing the quality of the product.

In conclusion, processing parameters has to be adhered to in order to optimize the quality of the Extruded-Expelled (ExPress(R)) Soybean Meal.Owning quality processing system does not automatically assure optimum quality of the processed product. We should also avoid using generic terminology in describing a process or a product to lessen the confusion.