SOYABEAN CO-PRODUCTS AND ANIMAL NUTRITION | Sustainable Animal Nutrition

SOYABEAN CO-PRODUCTS

Soy molasses is brown, viscous syrup with a characteristic bitter taste. It is obtained from defatted soybeans by the alcohol extraction, and it is a by-product of soy protein concentrate production. Soybean molasses is obtained by the industrial extraction of defatted soybean flakes, by use of warm diluted ethanol (60-70%) or dilute iso-propanol (IPA). The choice of alcohol type for extraction depends on the availability and prices of extraction liquid. After extraction, alcohol and some water are removed by evaporation, distillation and stripping with steam. The end product, soy molasses is virtually alcohol-free, with the desired moisture content.

SOYABEAN MOLASSES

Soy molasses is brown, viscous syrup with a characteristic bitter taste. It is obtained from defatted soybeans by the alcohol extraction, and it is a by-product of soy protein concentrate production. Soybean molasses is obtained by the industrial extraction of defatted soybean flakes, by use of warm diluted ethanol (60-70%) or dilute iso-propanol (IPA). The choice of alcohol type for extraction depends on the availability and prices of extraction liquid. After extraction, alcohol and some water are removed by evaporation, distillation and stripping with steam. The end product, soy molasses is virtually alcohol-free, with the desired moisture content.

The yield of soybean molasses is approx. 19% counting on the soybeans, or 25% counting on the defatted soybean meal, which is considerably high. Also, due to increase in global demand for valuable proteins, amounts of produced soybeans are constantly increasing, consequently followed by increase in quantities of soybean molasses. Therefore, for optimal usage of the soybeans, valorisation of all by and co-products is justified from multiple aspects.

World soybean production – million tons (Source USDA estimates, 2019)

SOYABEAN MOLASSES – CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

The main constituents of soybean molasses are sugars: oligosaccharides (stachiosis and raffinose), disaccharides (sucrose) and smaller amounts of monosaccharides (fructose and glucose). Composition of soybean molasses varies depending on the variety of soybeans, growing conditions, geographical location and year of . The less represented ingredients include saponins, protein, lipids, minerals (ash), isoflavones and other organic materials. Typical composition of soybean molasses is shown in Table below.

SOYABEAN MOLASSES – ANIMAL NUTRITION

Soybean molasses can be used as feed ingredient in animal feed production.

– As a pelleting aid

– As source of energy in animal nutrition.

Soybean molasses can be sprayed on soybean meal in a desolventizer-toaster, or can be mixed with soybean hulls and included into liquid rations for ruminants. Piglets can also digest oligosaccharides present in soybeans. Stachiosis and raffinose are completely fermented by bacteria in the back of the intestine in determined piglets.