Soybean meal nutritional composition differs by origin when considering amino acid digestibility and energy. This nutritional composition difference can be quantified into a financial value using a feed formulation process. The value is estimated based on observed soybean meal nutritional composition (amino acids and energy) and ingredient prices.

The Soybean meal premium ($/MT) is expressed as a function of diet cost savings resulting from differences in nutrient composition. The more competitive nutrient composition means that less soybean meal, supplemental amino acids, and fats are required in the diet to achieve the same level of final nutrient balance.

Nutritionists are also concerned that total damage and heat damage to the whole soybean can impact protein quality and the digestibility of amino acids, reducing the value of soybean meal in the diet.

Refining oil loss is the quantity of oil lost during refining due to quality, inefficiencies in refining or incremental losses that occur as a function of the refining process. The default value in the calculator is estimated based on calculations from the Soybean Oil Value Calculator.

Neutral Oil Loss (NOL) is the major component of the refining oil loss estimate. NOL represents the quantity of oil lost during the process of caustic refining, impacting final refining yields. The AOCS Method for NOL considers the ratio of neutral oil to triglycerides and unsaponifiable matter. These materials are polar compounds (e.g., Free Fatty Acid and phosphatides) that are removed as crude degummed soybean oil (CDSBO) is refined to produce refined bleached and deodorized soybean oil (RBD SBO). After removal of these substances, the loss is the difference between total neutral oil and 100%.

The cost of refining oil includes costs associated with the different stages of refining crude degummed soybean oil. These stages include refining (neutralization), bleaching and deodorization. The default value in the calculator for cost of refining oil is estimated based on calculations from the Soybean Oil Value Calculator.

The refining stage (neutralization) removes Free Fatty Acids (FFA) using an alkali solution. The higher the FFA content, the higher the alkali dosage required and the higher the neutral oil loss. A high FFA content leads to an increase in refining cost and refining yield loss.

The bleaching stage removes pigments (e.g., carotenoids, chlorophyll) and other oxidative products by filtering neutralized oil through a bleaching clay. Removal of pigments ensures successful quality assessment using a Lovibond test. While Crude Degummed Soybean Oil (CDSBO) can have red color of greater than 8 on the Lovibond scale, industry standards require refined bleached and deodorized soybean oil (RBD SBO) to be less than 0.8 Red.