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Mechanical Extrusion – A Perfect Pairing of Preservation & Stability

Previously, I’ve written about the shelf life of soy ingredients made with Insta-Pro equipment, such as Full-Fat soymeal, ExPress® soymeal, and ExPress® soy flour. As we have learned for many years, the high-shear dry extrusion process does an excellent job of stabilizing soy products, and with only around 5-6% moisture, these products last up to 12 months when stored up to 140°F, which is a higher temperature and longer time than typical storage in a commercial setting.

Beyond shelf life, I also wanted to touch on another key advantage of the ExPress® process that goes hand in hand with shelf life: ingredient identity. This is especially important for niche and premium ingredient producers who need to ensure that their products maintain their distinct nutritional profiles and characteristics. By using a mechanical process without solvents, Insta-Pro’s technology retains the unique qualities of soybeans, like high-protein, high oleic, or non-GMO varieties, making them highly valuable in specialized markets while maintaining ingredient quality for longer before degrading.

Today, I want to remind everyone in an easy-to-reference chart what can come out of the ExPress® process and how long it will last. In this case, we will base everything on 1,000 kg of soybeans:

Let’s think about dry extruded full-fat soy, which has a shelf life of 9 months (in all cases, it will vary depending on local storage conditions). If you are a processor, you will want to be able to produce enough full-fat soy to satisfy the need in your complete feed. Although it is possible, we do not recommend producing more than required because, just like bread, the fresher it is, the better it will taste. If you are a feed mill selling your ingredient or making a complete feed, you and your customers will prefer a product that has been processed recently. For premium ingredient producers, shelf stability is even more critical for maintaining characteristics.

So how much storage do you need for your plant? When designing an ExPress® plant, you will want to cover your monthly needs and perhaps a bit more, just in case. For example, if you have a 4 MTPH plant that runs 24 hours a day for 25 days each month, you will have approximately 1,980 tons of ExPress® Soymeal and 300 tons of ExPress® Soy Oil. If your capacity requirement is 1,500 tons of meal and 250 tons of oil per month, then the 4 MTPH plant is the correct size for you.

Storing any ingredient for 9 months is not practical for storage capacity and financial reasons, but university studies have proven that if needed, any of the above products will remain functional and maintain their nutritional value. This powerful combination of preservation via extrusion allows processors to maintain a consistent, high-quality supply, reduce waste, and serve specialized markets with confidence—ensuring their ingredients meet the demands of high-value feed and food applications over time.

If you have questions regarding shelf life, ingredient identity, or the correct sizing of your ExPress® extrusion plant, please reach out to us to discuss your project in detail.