Soybean Protein--Resume and Bibliography

Excerpts from the Introduction: Until recently in the United States, the primary interest in the soybean was directed to its use as a feedstuff, especially for stock and poultry. It was soon found that the oil extracted from the soybean possessed properties of value for industrial application. Consequently, the beans were processed by mechanical pressure or solvent extraction to remove the oil as completely as practical, and the meal was used as a protein concentrate in feeds. Within the past 5 years, however, the soybean acreage has steadily increased until now (1938) it approaches 7,000,000 acres which yield about 50,000,000 bushels. Certain industrial uses have been developed for the meal and protein extracted from the beans. In most cases these uses capitalize on the chemical characteristics of the protein and the relatively high percentage of protein found in soybean meal. In view of this interest it seems appropriate to review the literature on soybean protein with special emphasis on its industrial applications.