Soybean meal is the protein-rich solid left over after oil is extracted from soybeans. It contains roughly 44% to 48% protein by weight, making it the most widely used plant-based protein source in animal feed worldwide. Global production runs close to 282 million metric tons per year, and it feeds everything from chickens and pigs to cattle and farmed fish.
How Soybean Meal Is Made
The process starts at a crushing facility, where whole soybeans are cracked into small pieces so the outer hulls can be separated. Those cracked pieces are then rolled into thin flakes, which dramatically increases the surface area for oil removal. The flakes pass through a solvent extraction system that pulls out the soybean oil, leaving behind a defatted material sometimes called “spent flakes.” These flakes are then heated, dried, and ground into the final meal product. The finished meal typically contains only about 1.5% residual oil.
Heat treatment during this process serves a critical purpose beyond simple drying. Raw soybeans contain anti-nutritional compounds, most importantly trypsin inhibitors, that block protein digestion and can cause pancreatic problems in animals. Industrial processing uses steam at 110 to 130°C to break down these compounds and make the protein fully available. Without this step, much of the meal’s nutritional value would be wasted.
The Two Main Grades
Soybean meal is sold in two standard grades, distinguished by whether the hulls are removed before processing. Dehulled (or “high-protein”) soybean meal contains approximately 48% crude protein and around 3% to 4% crude fiber. Regular (or “hulled”) soybean meal retains the fibrous outer seed coat, which dilutes the protein content to about 44% while pushing crude fiber up to roughly 4% to 6%.
The difference matters depending on the animal being fed. Poultry and young pigs benefit most from the dehulled, high-protein version because they need concentrated amino acids and digest fiber poorly. Cattle and other ruminants handle the regular grade well, since their digestive systems break down fiber efficiently. The dehulled version commands a higher price, but for many operations the regular grade offers better value.
Why It Dominates Animal Feed
Soybean meal’s dominance comes down to its amino acid profile. It is particularly rich in lysine, the amino acid most often lacking in grain-based diets. Dehulled meal contains about 3% lysine, and even regular meal provides around 2.8%. No other widely available plant protein matches this combination of high total protein and strong lysine content at a competitive price.
Poultry operations are the single largest consumers. Broiler chickens and laying hens rely on soybean meal as their primary protein source, often making up 20% to 30% of the total feed mix. Pig farms are the second-largest market, followed by dairy and beef cattle, aquaculture, and pet food manufacturing. In each case, soybean meal provides the essential amino acids that corn and other energy grains lack.
Fermented soybean meal is a newer variation gaining traction, especially in Asia. The fermentation process breaks down the remaining anti-nutritional compounds even further while generating beneficial enzymes, bioactive peptides, and probiotic organisms. This makes it particularly useful for young animals with sensitive digestive systems, though it costs more to produce than standard meal.
Uses Beyond Animal Feed
While animal feed accounts for the vast majority of soybean meal consumption, food-grade versions end up in human products as well. Soybean meal can be further processed into soy flour, soy protein concentrate, and soy protein isolate, which show up in everything from baked goods to protein bars. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), a common meat substitute found in grocery stores, is made directly from defatted soy flour derived from the same crushing process. Soy milk production also begins with processed soybean material, and that soy milk then becomes the base for tofu.
Industrial applications exist too, though they represent a small slice of total demand. Soybean meal serves as a component in some adhesives, biodegradable plastics, and fertilizer blends.
Global Production and Pricing
The world produced roughly 282 million metric tons of soybean meal in the 2024/2025 marketing year, with projections approaching 289 million metric tons for 2025/2026. The United States, Brazil, Argentina, and China are the dominant producers, though Brazil has overtaken the U.S. as the largest soybean grower overall.
Prices fluctuate with soybean harvests, crushing margins, and demand from livestock sectors worldwide. Through 2024 and into 2025, global benchmark prices ranged from about $284 to $331 per metric ton. That puts soybean meal in a middle price tier among protein feed ingredients: cheaper than fishmeal or specialty proteins, but more expensive than lower-protein alternatives like sunflower meal or rapeseed meal. For most livestock producers, the cost per unit of usable protein still makes soybean meal the most economical choice available.