Soybean Meal Quality

A review of soybean meal was written several years ago by the technical director of the American Soybean Association in Korea. The article discussed the importance of the quality of soybean meal to the feed formulator and livestock/poultry producer in Korea. The article did a nice job of summarizing the importance of soybean quality. The article concluded by stating that the quality of soybean meal can be affected by three key factors: processing conditions, amount of soy hulls and origin. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) protein solubility and urease activity (pH measurement) are important analytical methods to determine whether or not the soybean meal is properly processed. The recommended KOH protein solubility for properly processed soybean meal is 75-90% and the pH increase for urease activity is 0.05-0.3. The amount of soy hulls in soybean meal can be adjusted to control the protein level of the final soybean meal product. As poultry digestive tracts are not suitable for fiber, dehulled soybean meal low in fiber will be the best protein source for poultry. Also, the origin of the meal source should be considered as factors affecting performance of poultry because there are large variations in the soybean varieties, weather and soil in which the soybeans are grown, handled and stored. The full article can be found at:

Shin, Soo. 2002. Soybean meal quality in Korea: Its effect on broiler and layer performance. American Soybean Association Technical Bulletin; PO45-2002. www.asaes.com/dwonload_doc.php?file=PO45-1nSoo.pdf