Processing Your Ingredients to Improve Shelf Life
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about the shelf life of soy ingredients produced using Insta-Pro equipment, like Full-Fat Soy, ExPress® Soymeal, and ExPress® Soy Flour. Thanks to the dry extrusion process, these products are highly stable. With moisture levels around 5–6%, they can last up to 12 months when stored at temperatures up to 140°F, well beyond typical commercial storage conditions.
To make things easier, here’s a quick-reference chart showing what you can expect from the ExPress® process, based on 1000 kg of soybeans:
| Product | KG Produced from 1 MT Soybean | Shelf Life |
| Whole Soybeans | 1000 | depends on storage conditions |
| Extruded FFS | 950 | 9 months |
| ExPress® Soymeal | 825 | 3.4 years |
| ExPress® Soy Flour | 825 | 10 years |
| ExPress® Soy Oil | 125 | 1+ year |
| Textured Soy Protein | Varies by Size | 1.7 years |
When designing an ExPress® plant, you’ll want to size it to meet your monthly production needs with a buffer for flexibility. For instance, a 4 MTPH plant running 24 hours a day for 25 days a month will yield approximately 1980 tons of ExPress® Soymeal and 300 tons of ExPress® Soy Oil. If your monthly requirement is 1500 tons of meal and 250 tons of oil, this setup is ideal.
While storing ingredients for 9 months isn’t typically practical due to space and cost, studies have shown that extruded soy products retain their nutritional value and functionality over time, an important essential advantage for feed manufacturers and end users.
How does this compare to solvent-extracted soybean products?
Solvent-extracted soybean meal generally has a shorter shelf life, typically around 3 to 6 months, due to higher residual moisture and the presence of residual solvents, which can accelerate spoilage and reduce stability. Additionally, solvent-extracted products may require preservatives or controlled storage environments to maintain quality, whereas extruded products are naturally more stable thanks to the high-temperature, short-time processing.
If you have questions about shelf life or want help sizing your ExPress® extrusion plant, feel free to reach out. We’re here to help you design a solution that fits your needs.
