Soybeans are referred to as “meat without bones” due to their high protein content, which is comparable to that of meat, eggs, and dairy products.
And the soybean plant is one of the few plants that offer the essential amino acids necessary for protein synthesis.
Today, let us learn about some surprising soybean facts.
Soybean Facts 1-10
1. Glycine max is the scientific name for the soybean plant.
2. Molybdenum, copper, folate, manganese, phosphorus, and vitamin K are among the vitamins and minerals that may be found in soybeans.
3. Soybeans are capable of absorbing nitrogen from the air and creating their own fertilizers.
Microorganisms found on soybean roots may transform nitrogen from the air into a form that plants can use.
4. As lubricants, soy-based oils can endure greater temperatures than petroleum-based oils.
5. After palm oil, soy oil is the second most significant vegetable oil.
6. Soybeans are an annual crop grown from seed; they produce and perish in a single growing season.
And require 90 to 120 days from planting to harvesting.
7. The United States, Argentina, and Brazil are the primary producers of soybeans.
8. Soybeans are native to East Asia and were the most important crop there before the beginning of written history.
9. The height of mature soybean plants is between 20 and 50 inches.
10. Soybeans offer several health benefits, including defense against cancer, improvement of heart health, healthy weight increase, and reduction of diabetes risk.
Soybean Facts 11-20
11. Soybean-derived foods include soy oil, tofu, soy milk, soy butter, soy yogurt, soy flour, and tempeh.
12. April is known as the soy-foods month to encourage everyone to incorporate soy into their diet.
13. Soybeans are one of the five fundamental sacred grains for the Chinese, along with wheat, rice, barley, and millet.
14. The primary natural source of dietary fiber is soybean.
15. Soybean seeds may be yellow, greenish, black, brown, or multicolored.
16. In 2017, Canadian farmers planted 33 percent more acres of soybeans than in 2016.
17. In 2017, Canadian farmers harvested 7.74 million metric tons of soy. That is enough to fill 2,880 swimming pools of Olympic size.
18. Since 2006, Canadian soybean production has surged by 123 percent.
19. In 2016, Canada shipped enough soy to fill 53,363 rail cars.
20. China purchases more than one-third of our agricultural exports. The United States (11%), Japan (7%), the Netherlands (7%), and Italy (4%) make out the top five.
Soybean Facts 21-30
21. In the past four decades, global soy output has expanded by more than 500 percent.
22. Asia has been cultivating soybeans for three millennia. Western interaction with soybeans and soyfoods was restricted until the 1800s when considerable numbers of Asians immigrated to Europe and the United States.
23. Around 1855, soybeans were first planted in Canada, and in 1895, the Ontario Agricultural College began growing them.
24. Oils, resins, crayons, inks, plastics, cosmetics, soap, solvents, textiles, and biodiesel are just a few of the industrial items that contain soybeans.
25. One acre of soybeans is capable of yielding 82,368 crayons.
26. A 60-pound bushel of soybeans produces around 48 pounds of protein-rich meal and 11 pounds of oil.
27. One acre of soybeans yields 40,000 tofu meals and 9,500 liters of soy milk.
28. In the 1930s, Henry Ford invested $1,250,000 in the development of both culinary and industrial uses for soy.
29. By 1935, two bushels of soybeans were used in the production of each Ford automobile, including paint, shock absorber fluid, and plastic body panels.
30. In 1941, Henry Ford created a prototype vehicle known as the “Soybean Car,” which was the world’s first plastic car.
Soybean Facts 31-40
31. Soybeans are one of the few plants that contain all eight necessary amino acids for human health, making them a complete protein.
32. During the American Civil War, soybeans were substituted for coffee due to their scarcity.
33. 98 percent of the nation’s soybean and cattle farms are still family-owned.
34. Initially, U.S. farmers planted soybeans as livestock fodder.
35. The United States accounts for 45 percent of the world’s soybean acreage and 55 percent of its production.
36. Using soy ink, newspapers and textbooks are printed.
37. Additionally, candles, cleaning goods, and hair-care products contain soybeans.
38. Farmers in the United States cultivate soybeans that are harvested annually for yields of around 2 billion bushels.
39. Approximately fifty percent of U.S. soybeans are shipped to major markets, such as Europe, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
40. The United States is the largest producer of soybeans in the world.
Soybean Facts 41-50
41. China initially domesticated soybeans circa 7000 BCE.
42. The legume was brought to the United States for the first time in 1804.
43. The crop is mostly farmed in the states of the Midwest.
44. Brazil and Argentina are also significant producers of soybeans.
45. Although the legume may grow in a variety of soils, it thrives in warm, rich, well-drained sandy loam.
46. About 25 percent of autos in Brazil operate on biofuels (mostly sugar and soybeans).
In comparison to organic dairy protein, soy protein has been found to be 13 times more energy-efficient, according to research.
47. In recent research, women with breast cancer who consumed around two servings of soy protein per day had a 7.4% death rate and an 8.0% cancer recurrence risk.
In contrast, women with breast cancer who consumed less soy had a death rate of 10.3% and a recurrence rate of 11.2%, representing a 30% reduction in the risk of death and recurrence in breast cancer patients.
48. Soybean-based candle wax offers an alternative to petroleum-paraffin waxes with added benefits such as greater aroma retention, improved pouring qualities, and simpler application in current candle production plants.
49. In the United States, almost ninety percent of all daily newspapers employ soy-based ink.
50. 25% of the soybean oil produced in the United States is used to produce biodiesel.