The SOY-BEAN INDUSTRY in the UNITED STATES A. A. HORVATH* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Although China has long appreciaterl the peculiar virtues of the soy bean, the Occident i s only beginning to awaken to the potential utility of this unique legume. A s a n economical source of valuable and wholesome dietary elements it probably has no peer. The diversit? of industrial uses to which its several deriuatives are already put is little short ojnmnzing. A s yet, hmumer, we are only beginning to suspect the extent of the potentialities which further scientific research may here discmer and which commercial development may transform into actualities.
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Illinois N. Carolina Indiana 1,ouisiana Missalxri Iowa
HE way out of the present economic depression lies along the line of readjustment, of new ideas and developments. One of the young giants in our commercial life that is beginning to stretch mighty and powerful limbs is the domestic soy-bean industry. Chemically, the soy bean consists of about 40 per cent. protein, 20 per cent. oil, 10 per cent. moisture, and 5 per cent. ash, the remainder consisting of non-nitrogenous extractives. There is practically no starch present. The soy bean was introduced into the United States as early as 1804. By 1914 only 2000 acres were planted in the state of Illinois, but by 1927 this acreage had increased to 776,000. I n the whole United States 50,000 acres were planted in 1917 while the acream for 1931 was 3,497,000. Until r e c e n t l y this plant has been grown primarily as a forage crop. At the present time the soy bean occupies a permanent place in many of the rotations of the farming systems of the easte r n half of t h e United States. A constantly increasing demand for the seed has led to the development of very profitable soybean seed industries
* Special Associate Member of the National S o y - b e a n Oil Manufacturers Association. [P. 0. Box 331, Oakland Station. ]
in many sections of the cotton and corn belt. According to the figures of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1931, 2,226,000 acres of soy beans were utilized for hay and 1,271,000acres produced 18,885,000 bushels of seed. The production by states (bushels of seed) is tabulated below:
S. Carolina Ohio
8,055,000 Virginia 3,542,000 Kentucky 3,082,000 Delaware 1,092,000 MisGssIppi 1,080,OW Tennessee 578,000 Georgia 323,000 Alabama 560.000 Kansas
392.000 378.000 364,000 399,000 185,000 171,000 207,000 108,000
Arkansas Maryland Oklahoma Wept Virginia Michigan Wisconsin
174,000 94,000 70.000 36,000 24.000 20.000
The widespread interest in the soy bean, created by the phenomenal increase in acreage and production, indicates that the crop is destined to become one of considerable economic value in the United States. Within a decade it has advanced from a position of minor to one of major importance. In 192.5 the National Soy-bean Growers Association was formally organized. One of its objects is "to bring together for mutual cooperation and coijrdination of effort those interested in the production, distribution, utilization and investigation of the soy-bean industry in all its phases." Its present name is the American Soybean Association (16).
1 H u ~ n a u u c1'noci;ss MILL
OIL MILLING
The richness of the soy bean in oil has been known to the Orientals since t i m e immemorial, and they have devised a wedge press enabling the securing of about 50 per cent. of the oil. The W e s t e r n technic h a s developed three processes: (1) Solvent or n m process. In this method chemicals are used to dissolve the oil in the beans. Very little solvent-process soy-bean oil is produced in t h e United States. (2)
High vacuum hammer-welded cooling tank for bringing deodorited oil to room temperature. In the background is a mineral wool insulated winterization tank for cold chilling of soy-bean oil.
Hydraulic or old process. The soy beans after being ground are cooked in a steam-jacketed kettle at a temperature near 200" Fahrenheit. Hydraulic pressure is then applied to press out the oil. (3) Exfieller method. This is a comparatively new method. The soy beans after being ground are cooked in steamjacketed kettles and then the oil is expelled by a friction process, which generates a temperature well above the boiling point. Carefully manufactured soy-bean meal made by the expeller process is well cooked and has a bland, nut-like taste. Meal or cake made by the expeller method contains about 4.0 per cent. oil and by the hydraulic process up to 8 per cent. One ton of beans (331/3 bushels of 60 pounds each) containing 19 per cent. oil will yield by the expression method about 250 pounds of oil and about 1600 pounds of meal, the remaining 150 pounds being ascribable to loss in cleaning and milling, and to moisture. Soy-bean oil has always found amarket in the United States, as our records of imports show, and starting with the year 1913 the records reveal tremendous gains. During the war the general shortage of fats and oils made it necessary to import substantial amounts of Manchurian soy-bean oil. The import figures for 1918 show that 336,824,646 pounds valued at $32,827,460 were received from the Orient. It was quite natural that the idea of producing soy-bean oil from domestic beans should have received a decided stimulus under such conditions. North Carolina led the way and produced a small amount of oil in 1916 in a cotton-oil mill. In 1920 the Chicago Heights Oil Manufacturing Co. followed and in 1922 soy-bean oil was made by the A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co. of Decatur, Illinois, operating one expeller. The capacity of this mill today is over a million bushels per year. In 1923 the Blish Milling Co., of Seymour and Croters-
ville, Indiana, also began to crush soy beans, and their production rose to 317,000 pounds in the season 192728. In 1924 Funk Brothers, of Bloomington, Illinois, joined the ranks of these pioneers.* By 1929 new mills for the crushing of beans were springing up everywhere and others were planned in various localities. The increasing quantity of soy beans crushed for the manufacture of oil and meal in recent years is shown by the data of the U. S. Bureau of Agricultural Economics: For the season of 1925-26, 10,520 tons 1926-27, 10,036 tons 1927-28, 16,728 tons 192&29, 26,448 tons 1929-30, 48,038 tons 1930-31, 121,455 tons The greatest handicap the soy-bean oil industry has had to combat heretofore has been the scarcity of mill beans. Only one or two mills have ever been able to run the year through. The farmers would either feed the beans to live stock or hold them for seed. At the present time the situation is entirely changed and more soy beans are available than the crushing industry uses. According to W. H. Eastman (5). president of the National Soy-bean Oil Manufacturers Association, the production of soy-bean oil in 1930 was 13,500,000 pounds, as compared to 11,000,000 pounds in 1929. Consumption during 1930 totaled 17,000,000 pounds, as compared with 13,000,000 pounds for 1929. That the consumption figures are larger than production is due to the use of part of the inventory stocks carried over from precedmg seasons. With the increase in domestic production and consumption has come a decline in imports of soy-bean oil from 19,500,000 pounds in 1929 to 8,300,000 pounds in 1930. And although the greatest proportion of this imported oil was re-exported as refined oil in order to obtain the benefit of the t a r 8 drawback, the figures do help complete a picture which shows the extent to which soybean oil is used in American industry today. The profitable u tiliiation of the American commercial soy-bean mop is one of our important farm problems. The soy-bean plant and its products have a wide field of uses, but, as stated by Eastman, without the oil-milling industry to provide a cash market for the commercial supply of soy beans, the crop cannot be expanded, nor can its true value be fully realized. In 1930 the threshed soy-bean crop aggregated approximately 13,000,000 bushels. Along with this greater production has come a steady increase in the amount which has moved into commercial channels until in 1930 the percentage of commercial soy beans totaled about 30 per cent. of the United States production or somewhat over 4,000,000 bushels. These figures show that the milling industry has assumed considerable importance in providing an outlet for a large share of the soy beans in this country, and to this extent is paving the way for a continued ex* Data secured from 0.Eisenschiml. [See reference (6). 1
pansion of the mop. Therefore it is the demand for soy-bean products which will determine the future demand for millimg beans, and which in turn will have considerable effect upon the development of the soybean crop. Accordingly, it is upon the consumption of soy-bean oil and soy-bean oil meal that the continued utilization of the soy bean in the oil-milling industry depends. The consumption of soy-bean oil should be well maintained in the future, as new uses are constantly being developed for the oil. It is being consumed in large quantities by the soap and edible fat industries. There is also a steadily increasing demand for the oil in the paint and varnish, coated fabrics, and core-oil industries, to mention but a few of the larger users. It appears as though there should continue to be a fair demand for all the soy-bean oil produced in this country as long as its price is on a comparable basis with competitive oils. Nevertheless, although the greater consumption of soy-bean oil is of considerable interest and importance The current trading rules of the National Soy-bean Oil to the milling industry, we must bear in mind that the oil comprises only about one-seventh of the combined Manufacturers Association require that crude soy-bean weight of the products, while the cake or meal remaining oil shall not, contain in excess of 1.5 per cent. free fatty after processing the soy beans comprises approximately acids or 0.1 of one per cent. moisture and impurities. six-sevenths of the total weight. Therefore the main- The rules of the New York Produce Exchange in Oils tenance of the soy-bean milling industry at a high level of require that prime crude soy-bean oil shall refine to a production i s dependent upon the consumption of soy-bean color not deeper than 35 yellow and 9 red (Lovibond). Soy-bean oil is classed under semi-drying oils and has oil meal. And heretofore, according to Eastman, this cousnmption has been disappointingly small, despite its well-definedplace in the paint and varnish industry. the fact that the meal has no superior as a protein con- According to the authoritative opinion of Dr. 0. Eisenschiil (6) the proportion of soy-bean oil shall centrate. The soy-bean meal has not received the attention be between 10 and 15 per cent. of the paint vehicle (in which it requires and which it merits. Soy-bean oil admixture with linseed oil). When used in this way meal is perhaps the most versatile of all protein con- the resulting oil film is apparently as strong as though centrates, and can be fed with equal success to all types the soy-bean oil werenot present, but, on the contrary, of livestock. It is highly nutritious, palatable, and is more elastic and will not turn brittle under condidigestible, with a very desirable physical &ect on the tions that would so affect a film of pure linseed oil. animal, and has given excellent results both in experi- The question naturally arises whether if a 10 per cent. ments and under actual feeding conditions. Finally, admixture of soy-bean oil is desirable, an equal dilution and what is of considerable importance at this time, with corn oil, cottonseed oil, paraffin oil, or some other its value per unit of protein is unsurpassed. I t should substance could be advocated on the same grounds. be quite apparent that the American feeder has not This would be, according to Eisenschiml, an entirely come to realize the value of the meal, nor to utilize its wrong conclusion. It seems that soy-bean oil and qualities to the same extent as the Danish farmer. linseed oil amalgamate perfectly, giving a homogeneous In the year 1930 something over 100,000 tons of the film; even if an excess of soy-bean oil is used, the oil meal were manufactured in this country from our film will be equally faulty all over, remaining tacky indomesticsoy beans. Yet the little country of Denmark stead of drying hard. Corn oil, on the other hand, is consuming considerably more than we produce in seems to draw together in spots, and a mixture of 10 the United States, while our milling industry is forced per cent. corn oil with 90 per cent. linseed oil shows an to store a good share of its production, unable to dis- uneven appearance, with perfect areas interspersed pose of it. This is not only something for our livestock among wet patches. In the case of paraffin oil the feeders to consider, but it should also interest growers result is still more disastrous. Soy-bean oil has certain properties which make it and distributors of soy beans. Soy-bean oil has in the average the followingchemical more valuable to the paint and varnish industry than composition: glycerides of saturated fatty acids, it would be as a mere diluent for limseed oil. For in14 per cent.; of linolenic acid, 2 per cent.; of linolic stance, it is particularly well adapted for grinding acid, 53 per cent.; of oleic acid, 30 per cent.; nn- pastes. These pastes never skin over and they hold saponifiable matter, etc., 1 per cent. Its average their original tints remarkably well. In this way the oil is being used in steadily increasing quantities. iodine number is 130 (Hiibl).
Soy-bean oil further has the property of mitigating the after-yellowing of a white paint or enamel, and in this respect it is without a peer. The trade would pay a considerable premium over the price of linseed oil to obtain soy-bean oil for this purpose. Some concerns usesoy-bean oil in the form of blown oil in connection with this application, but a bleachable, non-break, refined oil properly treated in the kettle is probably preferable. The quantity of soy-bean oil that the paint trade will absorb at about a cent a pound under that of linseed oil is considerable, but much educational work remains to be done along these lines; and, after all, the amount of paint used has its natural limitations regardless of price. Hence, the soy-bean industry will have to look for the disposal of very large quantities of oil to the edible fat or to the soap trades. In these fields, the price of cottonseed oil, corn oil, and related products will dictate the market for soy-bean oil, and until this stranger in their midst has established its own place, it will have to be sold at a discount. This discount will offer great financial gains to those who are prepared to take advantage of it when the proper moment comes. I t is estimated that 75 per cent. of the soy-bean oil consumed in the United States is being used by paint and varnish industries and in manufacture of linoleum, oilcloth, and artificial leather. Lesser quantities are utilized in printer's ink and soap. Soy-bean oil, standing midway between linseed oil and cottonseed oil in its general and special soap-making properties, is being used as a substitute for both of these oils. In the manufacture of soft soap soy-bean oil serves as an almost complete substitute for linseed oil. In the manufacture of hard soaps it can replace cottonseed oil to some extent only, as the soap is softer than the one made from cottonseed oil. The hardness can be enhanced by mixing with waterglass and the luster by application of starch. I t is somewhat hard to saponify soy-bean oil and its incomplete saponification will produce a kind of soap which is susceptible to deterioration. These defects, however, may be remedied by mixture in suitable quantities with tallow, cocoanut oil, rosin, etc. They are readily saponifiable in a mixture with soy-bean oil and the saponification of soy-bean oil is greatly facilitated through their accelerating influence. The best proportion is from 20 to 30 per cent. of soy-bean oil. The limit concentration of caustic soda lye solution for the saponification of soy-bean oil is 8.5O Be. If a higher concentration is used the result is a partial saponification combined with a salting-out effect. The offensive odor of such soy-bean soap, as time goes by, arises from decomposition of imperfectly saponified free fatty acids. At present hydrogenated soy-bean oil is also being used in soap manufacture. Soy-bean oil is being recommended as a soap material on account of its high froth-generating power. Uyebata (Japan) (9) has found that a 2 per cent. solution of so-.
dium chloride does not affect the foaming property of soybean soap. When the sodium chloride concentration was increased to 3 or 4 per cent. the soap became rather rough to the touch, although foam was still produced. The writer's studies in China (1920) showed the foam of pure soy-bean soap to bevery stable, persistingsometimes for one hour. These qualities make soy-bean soap of particular value for hard water and even sea water. About 9 per cent. of pure glycerin can be obtained from soy-bean oil as a by-product in themanufactureof soap. The consumption of soy-bean oil by the soap industry went up sharply during the Great War, showing an increase from 1,182,000 pounds in 1912 to 124,058,000 pounds in 1917. An investigation of the suitability of soy-bean oil for core oil was recently made by Casberg and Schubert (4) at the Engineering Experiment Station, University of Illinois. Their conclusions are that raw soy-bean oil produces cores with an average tensile strength that compares favorably with the core oils now on the market. Cores made with various proportions of linseed oil and soy-bean oil were as strong as those made with linseed oil. The addition of kerosene to raw soy-bean oil caused a gradual reduction in the average tensile strength of the cores as the percentage of kerosene in the mixtures was increased. Japanese investigators (9) are recommending for the axles of railway cars a core oil consisting of one part of "blown" soy-bean oil (sp. gr. 0.94) and two parts of heavy petroleum. SOY-BEAN OIL FOR FOOD
The freshly expressed soy-bean oil, if prepared from thoroughly sound seed, is practically neutral and has no unpleasant taste. On standing, however, the oil acquires a rancid taste due to the liberation of free fatty acids and the formation of oxyacids. The odor of the crude soy-bean oil is considered by Schmalfuss and Treu (18) to be due to the presence of methyl-n-nonyl ketone. The advance of science in recent times has quickened the development of methods of refining and hydrogenating oils. Refined soy-bean oil may be placed on a level with refined cottonseed oil. The process of refining includes the clarification of bean oil (elimination of moisture, protein substances, and other organic admixtures), the elimination of free fatty acids, the bleaching (removal of the coloring matter by clay), and the deodorizing. The process of deodorizing consists chiefly in blowing superheated steam through bean oil in a vacuum. In this way are removed most of the free volatile acids and substances giving the aldehyde reaction. Refined soy-bean oil is being used as a substitute for salad oil, often being blended with other oils. In this country it has recently found a new channel, namely, in the mayonnaise industry. Soy-bean oil has been used by the Chinese for many centuries as an edible oil. Crude soy-bean oil is digested by man to the extent of 95 to 100 per cent. for daily
doses of 100 g. The thoroughness of assimilation of soy-bean oil by humans has also been confirmed by the Office of Home Economics of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The presence of a considerable amount of linolic acid (53 per cent.) renders the soy-bean oil exceptionally valuable as a fatty food, since this acid can be directly utilized by the body cells. Burr and Burr (3) showed two years ago that scaly feet and dandruff on the back of young rats were due to a deficiency of linolic acid in the diet (butter does not contain any linolic acid). Recently Reed. Yamaguchi, Anderson, and Mendel (17). experimenting a t Yale, discovered the striking amount of activity exhibited by rats on a 37 per cent. soy-bean oil diet: "At periods of great activity several of these ratsmust have run constantly a t a rate of 20 revolutions per minute for 10-hour periods." Soy-bean oil, therefore, could profitably be included in the regular diet of soldiers, farmers, miners, etc., where there is a high demand for muscular efficiency and the exclusion of fatigue. In hydrogenation the deodorization of soy-beau oil is practically complete, and a product made from cottonseed oil has no superiority over that prepared from soy-bean oil. The consumption of soy-bean oil in the production of lard substitutes and oleomargarine was in 1914 in this country 1,585,000 pounds and 486,000 pounds, respectively, and rosein 1918 to 56,517,000 and 5,921,000 pounds. (Lard substitutes are prepared by mixing lard with partly hydrogenated oil.)
of the latter. As is well known, water increases the viscosity of chocolate to an alarming extent. These plastic masses can be quickly changed to emulsions of more or less normal viscosities by the incorporation of half of a per cent. of lecithin. Lecithin may therefore be considered as a "fat economizer." Experimental results with cocoa and lecithin show the possibility of overcoming the formation of sediments a t the bottom of the cup, as the addition of the lipoid helps to stabilize the emulsion formed when cocoa is made up for drinking purposes (14). The use of lecithin in baking presents several possibilities. I t permits a more even distribution of fat and obtains a maximum shortening effect, increases the SOYA BEAN
I
LECITHIN
The soy bean is remarkable in the possession of another substance, closely related to the oil--namely, the phospholipoid, lecithin.* It is present in the soy bean to an extent of 1.65 per cent. When the oil is extracted from the soy bean by a solvent the lecithin is extracted simultaneously and has to be separated by special procedures. The accompanying chart gives a scheme of the whole milling-extraction process. Up to the present time all the soy-bean lecithin used in this country is being imported from Germany and Denmark. The commercial product is a dark brown paste or heavy viscous liquid, containing about 60 to 70 per cent. of lecithin, the remainder being pure soya oil, cocoanut oil, etc. In a general way lecithin seems to act on fats as a protective colloid, and it tends to prevent the separation of fractional constituents. When cooled, liquefied fats containing lecithin solidify to a homogeneous mass. The margarine industry absorbs a considerable amount of this lipoid, as its incorporation overcomes many of the differences between butter and its subs t i t u t e e . g., i t binds the water and prevents spitting when frying. Lecithin is of great interest in the chocolate and cocoa industry. I t retards the occurrence of "bloom" in chocolate and reduces meatlv the viscosity
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* Egg yolk contains approximately 10 per cent, lecithin. Its emulsifying as well as some other characteristics may be attributed mainly to the high percentage of lecithin.
I
GRINDINGmr\o MILLING
REFINING: OF OIL
o::);>i&
Ex~~or.ra.r~oN OF THE SOYBEAN According to the processes of Hansa-Muehle G. m. b. H., Hamburg. (Those derivations representing products ready for sale are marked by circles.)
water absorption power of the mix, retains moisture more effectively in the baked cake and delays the staling process. Ziegelmayer (19) found that lecithin prevents the syneresis of dough. In the absence of lecithin, swelling continues until sol formation occurs. Lecithin has also found application in the textile industry. Soya lecithin when used by itself in aqueous emulsion gives a very useful lubricant for both cotton and wool, and it can also be mixed with olein in any proportion. In cases where great softness and suppleness are called for, the new product should be borne in mind for use in spinning the fiber. The addition of lecithin to doubling liquid is claimed to give the yarn rather more weight and i t becomes soft and lustrous. When mercerized, the yam treated with
lecithin has a rather higher luster. In the finishing of artificial silk the presence of lecithin is said to produce more level dyeings. Bleached lecithin is advocated for cntton finishing. It prevents the goods from becoming s t 8 during drying, tends to close the interstices, and keeps the finish together in a satisfactory manner when the goods are given a run on the breaking machine. Generally, the addition of lecithin makes that operation unnecessary. The addition of lecithin is said to have a beneficial effect also for kier-boil under pressure, dye baths, and cloth printing (13). Soy-bean lecithin is also a suitable ingredient for emulsions for greasing chrome leather. The presence of one per cent. of lecithin in emulsions causes a decided increase, in most cases, in the absorption of grease by the leather. This addition also permits the use of a higher temperature, which likewise increases the amount of grease absorbed (2). BLEACHING PROPERTIES
The domestic industry, represented by tbe J. R. Short Milling Co., Chicago, has become a pioneer in issuing a soy-bean preparation, "Wytase," possessing the capacity of bleaching natural wheat flour. Its action is based on the oxidizing effect of the natural enzymes of the soy bean. It makes possible the use of unbleached wheat flour for bread. One per cent. wytase added to the dough and fermented in the regular way lightens the yellow color appreciably. SOY BEANS FOR FOOD
The average Chinese lives on but a few cents a day. This is not a myth, nor is it merely a sign of abject poverty; it is a simple statement of an economic accomplishment of which China may justly feel proud. We in spendthrift America should a t least stop and honestly study China's sane solution of her food problem. The brief experience of the Occident becomes ridiculously insignificant when compared to the 4000year experiment which the Orient has conducted on the feeding of large numbers of people. We, with our new civilization, are still undergoing adjustment to new environmental and economic influences and have not yet reached a state of stable equilibrium (1). The Chinese people make practically no use of
dairy products and the people consume a very meager amount of meat. Yet, in spite of this, they have lived for centuries on what appears to be a remarkably well-balanced diet by the use of the soy bean. It was mentioned that the soy bean contains, besides its 20 per cent. of oil, about 40 per cent. of protein. This protein has been found by leading American and European authorities to he a "complete protein" which can be used as a substitute for meat, egg, and milk protein.* Since lean beef contains only 20 per cent. protein and 10 per cent. fat i t is evident that one pound of soy beans i s equivalent i n protein and fat to two pounds of beef. And, iu addition, the soy bean contains all the known vitamins and has a physiologically alkaline ash. The market price for one bushel of soy beans in this country was a t times as low as 40 cents last winter and averaged less than one cent per pound. The possibility of having an equivalent of two pounds of beef for less than one cent should make the problem of feeding the 10,000,000 needy and unemployed a much more simple one. But it is first necessary to educate the American people. The U. S. Department of Agriculture, with Mr. w. J. Morse as the able leader of the Soy-bean Division, has not spared any effort in the last decades to develop interest in this bean. The U. S. Bureau of Home Economics, more than ten years ago, published over one hundred recipes for the use of the soy bean as food. Yet, up to 1929, the progress in this direction was very slow. Five years ago soy-bean oil millers were not interested in developing soy-bean foods. All they wanted was to get suflicient beans for milling. In recent times a certain hesitance has been felt in the sales divisions of some milling companies, owing, undoubtedly, to diiculties to be encountered in the form of the natural sales resistance to a new type of product. The absence of sufficientvision on the part of some of the leading soy-bean millers in the past, and the unsound economic conditions of war and post-war times, resulted in the present situation where the demand for soy-bean cake i s the limiting factor for the industry. Were it possible to convert the 100,000tons of soy-bean meal, produced bv the oil millers in one of the recent -
* Navy beans, lima beans, etc., contain only 20 per cent. tein, and it is not a "mmplete" protein.
years, into edible flour, and distribute it among the 10,000,000 unemployed, there would be only 20 pounds per capita. At a ration of one-half pound per day, it would last for 40 days only. In extenuation of the hesitancy of the oil millers stands the well-known fact that whole soy-bean flouror a flour from soy-bean cake cannot be kept without turning rancid and acquiring an unpleasant odor and taste. In addition, the reputation of soy-bean flour for human consumption has suffered enormously from the fact that it is known chiefly as a feed for farm stock and from the marketing of low-grade edible flours, consisting mostly of nothing but roasted soy-bean cake. A new era dawned in the possibilities of the soy bean for food with the discovery in 1923 by Prof. L. Berczeller (8), (10) of the University of Vienna of a special process which eliminated the beany flavor from the soy bean and produced a nutty-tasting soy-bean flonr capable of being stored for years without marked deterioration. Its principle consists in the subjection of the beans to the action of saturated steam for a short period of time, followed by vacuum distillation. It is to the credit of the Soyex Company that this process was brought over to the United States with the establishment in 1930 of a plant in Nutley, New Jersey. A high standard for soy-bean flour was established, confidence in the possibiiities of soy beans for food was gradually gained, and the interest of the public and industrialists was reflected in a number of new attempts in the form of plants and laboratories which started to conduct experiments and to manufacture their own soy-bean flour and a great variety of soy-bean food products. Another stimulating factor was the beginning of the depression and later its height with the oversaturation of the market with standard articles, which awakened the American pioneer spirit for an effort in the development of new products. The baking industry became particularly interested in soy-bean flour and in a number of cities bread with 12 to 15 per cent. soy-bean flour is now available.* The wheat industry has realized that soy-bean flour is not a competitor of wheat but an ally, capable of bringing the wheat consumption up. Soy-bean pancake flour, macaroni, etc., are also on the market, along with a number of confectionary goods (doughnuts, etc.) manufactured with soy-bean flour. In using soybean flour the confectioner is attracted by the prospect of saving in eggs, milk, and shortening. It is said that soy-bean flour up to 1per cent. is being used in this country for some brands of ice cream. A sweetened, chocolate-flavored soy-bean powder is being extensively advertised by radio. A soy-bean baby food, which was successfully fed a few years ago to forty babies with milk idiosyncrasy at Harvard Medical School (7), is also on the market. There are in the United States also some small canneries for soy beans and soya cheese (Tofu), soy sauce and Worcestersbiire sauce.7
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* It contains about twice as much protein as wheat bread, the protein being of higher quality; the yield in dough and baked bread is larger, and its keeping qualities are enhanced.
The only existing way to convert the presscake from the oil mills into an edible product is to extract the remaining oil by some solvent. This procedure should, besides, be applied immediately after the pressing of the oil before deterioration sets in. It is also necessary to select beans of good quality, remove all the impurities, and thoroughly clean them before milling. The milling process will also have to be modified. While at present the interest of the oil miller is focused on the oil, the meal being considered a rather burdensome by-product, in the future both will be leading in the new development of the soy-bean industry. I t is evident that a much higher price can be charged for edible soya flour than for stock feed. With larger profits the milling industry will be able to pay more to the soy-bean grower and make farming more profitable. GLUE
In recent years the soy-bean cake (or meal) has found another outlet-namely, in the soy-bean glue industry. From the beginning in 1923 until 1926 soy-bean glue faced the typical discouraging and disheartening uphill fight that is faced by most new products until all production problems are solved and the products themselves win the full confidence of the users. The year 1926 proved to be the turning point in the life history of soy-bean glue. Prior to this time there had been an insistent demand for plywood of greater water resistance on the part of automobile manufacturers, who were beginning to buy large amounts of plywood. Finally, the Pacific Coast Plywood Manufacturers announced through their Association that they wished to arrange a series of competitive demonstrations of all water-resisting plywood glues. These demonstrations were made during April, 1926, with nearly all glue manufacturers participating. The results in these tests obtained with soy-bean gluesof I. F. Laucks, Inc., Seattle, Washington, were so outstanding that these glues were almost immediately adopted by all the Pacific Coast plywood manufacturers and have since been in continuous use there. In 1927 the manu-
PLANTMAKING ADHESIVES t The Worcestershire sauce is nothing but a specially spiced soy sauce. Say sauce has been found to enhance markedly the digestion of carbohydrates and proteins.
subdivided into human utilization, livestock utilization, the arts, paints and oils, and milling. The "Century Soy-bean Exhibit" is an excellent opportunity for the domestic soy-bean industries to display their products and i t is undoubtedly going to stimulate further developments. CONCLUSIONS
As Henry Ford recently said, The dinner table of the world is not a sufficient outlet far the farmer's products; there must be found a wider market if agriculture is to be all that i t is competent t o become. And where is that market to be found if not in industry?. . . . For several years we have been running large crops of everything from sunflowers to soy beans through our chemical laboratory, in an effortto find an annual market for the farmer's produce.
There can be no doubt that the soy bean is one of the most promising of all agricultural plants for an almost unlimited variety of industrial uses, and that it is going to play an outstanding r81e in the future economic life of this country.
facture of commercial veneer glue from h e r i c a n grown soy beans was begun. The present uses of soy-bean glues embrace the entire BIBLIOGRAPHY fir and pine plywood industry, together with a large share of the plywood box industry and the furniture (1) ADOLPH.W. H.. "A 4000-Year Food Exoeriment." Sci. plywood industry so far as glass backs, drawer bottoms, Am:, i43,425 (Dec., 1930). (2) ANON.,"Report of the Technologic Institute of Copenand similar panels are concerned, but not tops, drawer hagen on Tests and Research on Emulsions Containing Lecithin," fronts, and other plywood where fancy veneers are Hnlle nu*: Cuirs, 1931, p. 312. (3) BURR,G. 0 . AND M. M., "On theNature and R61e of the used extensively. A considerable tonnage is also Fatty Acids Essential in Nutrition," J , B i d . Chem., 86, 587 used in the lamination of insulating board to be used 11-Q- X-l-I,. C. H. AND C. E. SCHWERT, "An Investigation in refrigerators and for other purposes. (4) CASBERG, Fir wood and soy-bean glue apparently have a natural, of the Suitabilitv of Sov-bean Oil for Core Oil." Universitv of mutual affinity-a very fortunate thing for a new glue introduced in the Pacific Northwest. Not only were there advantages in adhesion and water resistance, Soy:bean Oil," ibid., 13,22(Mar. 18,1929). . but also the use of soy-bean glue enabled the fir plants (7) HILL,L. W. AND H. C. STUART, "A Soy-bean Food Prepato speed up production, because the peculiar consistency ration for Feeding Infants with Milk Idiosyncrasy," J. A n . Med. Arsoc., 93,985 (1929). of the new glue enabled the spreader crews to handle (8) HoRvATn. A. A., "The Soy Bean as Human Food," stock faster, and also because spreaders could be run a t a Booklet Series No. 3, published by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry, National Government of the Republic of higher speed without danger of foam. China, Shanghai. 1927 (in English). A matter of incidental technical interest that has A. A,, "The Soy-bean Oil of China and Its (9) HORVATH, been developed in connection with soy-bean glues is the Manifold Uses," Booklet Series No. 13, 1929 (inEnglish). See rsf ( 2 ) use of carbon bisulfide as an agent to increase water .-.. ,-,. HORVATH, A. A,, "Soya Flour as a National Food," (10) resistance. This chemical materially increases the Sci. Mo.. 33.251 (Seot.. 1931). (11) 'HO~VATH, k . ' ~ . , h he Soy Bean as Human Food." water resistance of protein glues and is particularly Ind. Eng. Chem., N m s Ed., 9 , 136 (May 10, 1931). useful with soy-bean and casein glues. (12) LAWCKS, I. F. AND G. DAVIDSON,"Oil-Seed-Residue Soy-bean glue, although a newcomer in the plywood Glues." A paper presented a t the Sixth Annual Wood Industries 1931. of the American Sodetv of Mechanical Enpinews. field, has found many uses in the last eight years, and Meetine. O., "Lecithin in the Textile 1nd&try," (13) -MEC&ELS. its tonnage approximates that of all other plywood glues Melliend Textilb,aichte, Heidelberg, 1931, No. 11E. %
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SOY-BEAN EXHIBIT A T THE CHICAGO
WORLD'S FAIR
The soy-bean industry of the United States will be adequately represented a t the 1933 "Century of Progress" exposition in Chicago in the Agricultural Division under the title "Century Soy-bean Exhibit." On July 9, 1931, an organization meeting of representatives of the soy-bean industries was held in Chicago, where a committee was elected for the sections: producing, marketing, and utilization, the latter section being
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(141 Mnaoal >--, - - - - - - -v,~R. ~ H., "Lecithin in Industry," Food Mnnufacture. 5 . 7 5 (Mar. 1930). ( i 5 j M'ORSE,W. J., "Soy-bean Utilization," U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Former's Bullelin, No. 1617 (1930). (16) Proceedings of ihe American Soy-bean Association, 19251931. AND L.B. (17) %FED, L. L., F. YAMAGUCHr, W. E. ANDERSON, MBNDEL,Factors Influencing the Distribution and Character of Adipose Tissue in the Rat," J. B i d . Chem., 87, 147 (1930). (18) ScmcALFuss, H. AND A. TREU, "Ueber Methyl-nnonvlketone aus dem Btherischen 61 der Sovabohne." Biochem. z . , i89,49 (1927). (19) ZIEGELBIAVER, W., "The Action of Plant Lecithin on the Swelling and Surface Tension of Glutin and the Starches of Flour," Kolloid-Z., 53, 224 (1930).
