SOYBEAN OIL

Soybean oil is the natural inexpensive oil extracted from whole soybeans. It is the most widely used oil in the United States, and is sold as either pure soybean oil or as a main ingredient in vegetable oil. Processed into margarine and shortenings, soybean oil is 85 percent unsaturated fat profile is among the highest of the vegetable oils. Soybean oil contains 61% polyunsaturated fat and 24% monounsaturated fat. Saturated fats in the diet can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. So healthcare professionals recommend replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats as much as possible.

Soybean oil is a pale yellow oil. Consists of mostly glycerides of linoleic, oleic, linolenic and plamitic acids. Used in cosmetics as an emollient. Soybean oil is an inexpensive oil that is nutritious and has a high smoke point.

To produce soybean oil, the soybeans are cracked, adjusted for moisture content, heated to between 60 and 88 ºC (140–190 °F), rolled into flakes, and solvent-extracted with hexanes. The oil is then refined, blended for different applications, and sometimes hydrogenated. Soybean oils, both liquid and partially hydrogenated are sold as "vegetable oil," or are ingredients in a wide variety of processed foods. Most of the remaining residue (soybean meal) is used as animal feed.

In the 2002–2003 growing season, 30.6 million tons of soybean oil were produced worldwide, constituting about half of worldwide edible vegetable oil production, and thirty percent of all fats and oils produced, including animal fats and oils derived from tropical plants.

Composition:

Per 100g, soybean oil has 16g of saturated fat, 23g of mono unsaturated fat, and 58g of poly unsaturated fat. The major unsaturated fatty acids in soybean oil triglycerides are 7–10% alpha-linolenic acid (C-18:3); 51% linoleic acid (C-18:2); and 23% oleic acid (C-18:1). It also contains the saturated fatty acids 4% stearic acid and 10% palmitic acid.

The high-proportion of oxidation-prone linolenic acid is undesirable for some uses, such as cooking oils. Three companies, Monsanto Mompany, Dupont/Bunge, and Asoyia in 2004 introduced low linolenic Roundup Ready soybeans. In the past, hydrogenation was used to reduce the unsaturation in linolenic acid, but this produced the unnatural trans-fatty acid configuration, whereas in nature the configuration is cis.