Soya Oil

Degumming

Soybean oil contains over 2% phosphatides.They are precipit- ated by water addition and separated in the degumming process.

Wet gums can be added back to the meal in the DT, or dried to produce lecithin.

Neutralising

These unit operations reduces free fatty acids to below 0.08% and phosphorus to below 3 mg/kg. Iron and copper concentrations are reduced to below the detection limit. Coloured compounds (chlorophylloids, carotenoids) are not affected significantly, altough chlorophylloids can be reduced by 30-70% of the original concentration under certain process conditions. The concentration of sulfur compounds is reduced slightly.

Bleaching

The neutralized oil is usually golden yellow, which is not yet suitable for food purposes.It is necessary to bleach the oil so as to remove the various pigments not removed by neutralization. This is done with adsorbents in the form of bleaching earth or activated charcoal.

Soybean oil is bleached at a maximum temperature of 100°C- 105°C. The bleaching earth must be used in concentrations of 0.3-0.5% of the oil weight in chemical refining.

Deodorising

For soybean oil in chemical refining we can present some typical operating parameters:

Temperature :	230-240°C
Pressure:	2-3 mbar
Deo time:	40-60 min
Final FFA :	0.03-0.05%
Trans FA:	0.5-1%
Toco losses:	25% max

The improved deodorisation technology has led to a perfect overall refined oil quality:

• Low residual FFA and high oxidative stability
• Light color, bland odor and taste
• Low trans and polymeric triglyceride content

Furthermore we are perfectly in control of the removal of minor components:

• Adjustable process conditions
• Limited thermal/oxidative degradation.

A special Dual Temp® Deodoriser is also available with:

• Low temperature-long time for mild deodorising and moderate stripping and thermolytic/hydrolytic breakdown reactions
• High temperature-short time for stripping and heat bleaching and for controlled removal/retention of valuable minor components

Hydrogenation

Oil quality required for the hydrogenation:

Free fatty acids:	< 0.05%
Soaps:	< 25 ppm
Phosphorus:	< 2 ppm
Moisture:	< 0.05%
Peroxide value:	< 0.5 meq/kg
p-Anisidine value:	< 10

Interesterification

Interesterification is used to :

• change the overall melting profile (usually to smoothen the solid fat content) or the melting point of the mixture (usually a decrease)
• improve the compatibility of the different triglycerides in the solid state
• improve the plasticity of the resulting solid by changing the (re)crystallisation properties
• combine the properties of mixed oils and fats

Fractionation

Dry fractionation is the simplest and cheapest modification process, as it is not the source of oil losses, any more than it requires supplementary post-treatment of the finished products.

Especially in today’s fast changing market, fractionation offers some serious advantages over hydrogenation and interesterification.

The very low operating costs as well as the zero oil loss and full reversibility of the process make it most attractive.

Soybean oil is widely used oil and is commonly called ‘vegetable oil’. Soybean oil is a very healthy food ingredient despite the bad publicity regarding fats and oils in general. Soybean oil is very popular because it is cheap, healthful and has a high smoke point. Soybean oil does not contain much saturated fat. Like all other oils from vegetable origin, soybean oil contains no cholesterol. Saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart diseases and mainly found in products from animal origin such as milk, cheese and meat products. Soybean oil contains natural antioxidants which remain in the oil even after extraction. These antioxidants help to prevent the oxidative rancidity.

Soybean oil is also used by the food industry in a variety of food products including salad dressings, sandwich spreads, margarine, bread, mayonnaise, non-dairy coffee creamers and snack foods. The high smoke point of soybean oil allows it to be used as frying oil. Soybean oil is often hydrogenated to increase its shelf life or to produce a more solid product. In this process, unhealthy trans fats are produced which may raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Food manufacturers are now trying to remove trans fats from their product. For this purpose, scientists are breeding new varieties of soybeans containing oil that does not need to be hydrogenated.

Soybean oil is not only used in food products but is also used as renewable raw material to produce a variety of non-food products including bio diesel, inks, plasticizers, crayons, paints and soy candles.

Soybean oil has normally a shelf life of 1 year but its better to store the soybean oil only a few months at room temperature. Soybean oil should be stored in a dry and dark place. It should be stored away from heat and if you want to keep soybean oil for longer periods it should be kept refrigerated.

Soybean Oil is the leading vegetable oil traded in the international markets, next only to palm. Palm and Soybean oils together constitute around 68% global edible oil trade volume, with soybean oil constituting 22.85%. During the last decade, volume of soybean oil exported has grown at the rate of 4.05%. It accounts for nearly 25% of the World's total oils and fats production. Globally, production of soybean oil has grown at the rate of 5.8% during the last decade. Increasing price competitiveness, and aggressive cultivation and promotion from the major producing nations have given way to widespread soy oil growth- both in terms of production as well as consumption. Argentina, Brazil, China and India along with US are the major contributors for the growth.

While US has a strong domestic consumption base and mostly exports soybean in addition to oil, Argentina and Brazil exports much of their production, mostly in the form of crude oil. China and India, though being producers themselves, import soybean/its derivatives to cater to their expanding consumer base. While China imports both bean and oil, India allows only imports of oil.

Global consumption shot up to 29.38 million tons in 2001-02, growing at the rate of 5.76% during the past decade. Notable upward movement in consumption in soya oil is being seen in EU, Central Europe, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, US, Mexico, Brazil, China and India.

Soybean oil is the derivative of soybean. On crushing mature beans, 18% oil and 78-80% meal is obtained. While the oil is mainly used for human consumption, meal serves as the main source of protein in animal feeds. India is the World's largest importer of edible oils in the World. Of the total 5.0-5.5 million tons of vegetable oils imported, 1.3-1.5 million tons is soybean oil, imported mostly form Argentina, and followed by Brazil and US. In addition to imports, domestic production of around 0.7-0.8 million tons takes the annual soybean oil consumption of the country to 2.0-2.2 million tons, with a market value of Rs 8000 crore.

Crude and Refined soybean oils are permitted to be imported into India at an import duty of 45% and 50.4% respectively. Imports of soybean oil into India have been on a continuous rise since the past 6-7 years. It has witnessed a sharp rise from a mere 84,000 tons during 1996-97 to 1.54 million tons during 2001-02.

Indian edible oil market is highly price sensitive in nature. Hence, the quantity of soybean oil imports mainly depends on the price competitiveness of soybean oil vis-à-vis its sole competitor, palm oil. This also implies that soybean oil prices are highly influenced by palm oil prices in Malaysia, the market leader in palm oil production and exports.

In India, ready (spot) markets of Indore and Mumbai serve as the 'reference' market for soybean oil prices. While the Indore price reflects the domestically crushed soybean oil (refined and solvent extracted), Mumbai price indicates the imported soy oil price. Futures trading in soybean oil is also prevalent in many futures exchanges in the country, the prices of which are largely influenced by the international edible price movements (especially Malaysian palm oil and soybean oil at CBOT), soybean availability in domestic markets, demand for meal and other associated supply-demand factors of soybean and its derivatives.

Soybean oil is among the most vibrant commodities in terms of 'price volatility'. Its prominence in the international edible trade scene (9-10 million tons), concentration of production base in limited countries as against its widespread consumption base, its close link with several of its substitutes and its base raw material (soybean) in addition to its co-derivative (soya meal), the nature of the existing supply and value chain, etc throw tremendous opportunity for 'trade' in this commodity. The opportunity is further enhanced by the expected rise in consumption base and the consequent increase in imports of vegetable oils in the years to come. Futures trading in soybean oil would essentially serve as the right tool for hedging market-linked risk by all those in the value chain of the commodity- the soybean producing farmers, processors, brokers, speculators, soybean and meal traders, traders of other oilseeds and oils, etc.

MOISTURE 0.50% MAX. FFA 1.5% MAX., COLOUR 40, FLASH POINT 120* C, ACID VALUE 6% MAX., IODINE VALUE 125 TO 140 WIJS

SOPA has proposed the following Specifications for Solvent Extracted Soy Oil (R.G. 1):

Description :

Source : Oilseeds : World Markets and Trade, November, 2007

The oil should be from good quality Soybean seed by a process of Solvent Extraction. Solvent used should be food grade such as Hexane. The oil should be free from rancidity, adulterants, sediments, suspended impurities and separated water.

S.No.	Characteristics	Basis	Rebate
1	Moisture Imp. & Volatiles	0.25%	No Rebate
		0.26 to 0.50%	Single Rebate
		0.51 to 1.0%	Double Rebate
		Above 1.0%	Buyer's Option
2	Colour 1/4" Cell Y+5R	40.0 Units	No Rebate
		41 to 45 Units	Rs. 10/MT/Unit
		Above 45 Units	Buyer's Option
3	Free Fatty Acid	1.50%	No Rebate
		1.51 to 2.0%	Single Rebate
		2.1 to 2.5%	Double Rebate
		2.51 to 3.0%	Triple Rebate
		Above 3.0%	Buyer's Option
4	Flash Point	110oC	No Rebate
		109 to 100oC	Rs. 100/MT
		Below 100oC	Buyer's Option
5	Phosphetides	2.10%	No Rebate
		2.11 to 2.50%	Single Rebate
		2.51 to 3.0%	Double Rebate
		Above 3.0%	Buyer's Option
6	Iodine Value	120 to 141	-
7	SAP Value	189 to 195	-
8	Refractive Index	1,4650 to 1,4710	-