DEALING WITH THE QUALITY OF SOYBEANS AT HARVEST
A recent article addressed how weather adversely affects soybean quality and nutrient content impacting soy growers nationwide. The United States produces about 38% of global soy output, mainly in the Midwest. The planting and harvesting season are from April to June and September to November, respectively. Currently, many soy producers are dealing with harvest delays which could yield a low-quality product, decrease total yield and make their beans vulnerable to be lost. Therefore, it is crucial to know the best moment to harvest, consider storage if you have available space for a short period of time to avoid damage, and evaluate seed quality as soon as possible using the current technologies. Also, consider the best methods for processing. Indeed, producers/nutritionists should think and advise about solutions to this issue when using soybeans for animal feeding.
Current processing technologies like high-shear dry extrusion are available for proper processing of soybeans to deactivate the antinutritional factors (i.e. trypsin inhibitors) and improve the nutritional and functional properties of soybean meal to be used in diet formulations. In fact, the nutritional quality of soybean products is related to the method of processing. At Insta-Pro International®, the quality of the extruded product – when processed under proper conditions – when fed to many species results in improved digestibility and performance, which is supported by research data. According to Insta-Pro® recommendations, starting soybean moisture should be within 9-11% for proper processing into dry extruded full-fat soymeal and ExPress® soymeal. High-moisture beans are a challenge to process properly because moisture acts as a lubricant in the extruder barrel, pushing down extrusion temperatures. Low processing temperatures will not properly deactivate antinutrients, and performance can suffer. Additionally, soybeans that are too dry may overheat and meal quality can be impacted; the lack of moisture may make it difficult to thoroughly deactivate antinutrients.
At Insta-Pro International® we can help you understand how to deal with variations in quality of soybeans and how to use high-shear dry extrusion technology for proper processing.
