With harvest season upon us in the United States, soybean processors are preparing to handle a new crop with characteristics that can differ from stored, old-crop soybeans. One of the most important differences is moisture, especially during years like this when some regions are encountering a lot of rainfall during the start of harvest.<\/p>\n
Freshly harvested soybeans typically contain more moisture because they have not had time to fully dry. For high-shear dry extrusion applications, soybeans should be conditioned to approximately 9\u201311% moisture<\/strong> before processing. If moisture is too high, drying may be necessary to achieve consistent processing.<\/p>\n Moisture affects how soybeans move through the processing system and how they respond to heat, pressure, and shear inside the extruder. Excess moisture can make soybeans less free flowing, potentially causing inconsistent feeding, buildup, bridging, or even blockages. When feed flow becomes inconsistent, it can affect extruder load, product temperature, pressure, residence time, and overall throughput.<\/p>\n Too much moisture can also impact cooking consistency. Since high-shear dry extrusion depends on the interaction of heat, pressure, shear, and moisture, changes in moisture can require operators to adjust processing conditions to maintain a consistent finished product.<\/p>\n Moisture management is also important when extrusion is followed by mechanical oil pressing. The characteristics of the extruded material influence how effectively oil can be separated in the press. Excess moisture can change material structure and flow characteristics, potentially affecting oil yield and the consistency of the resulting soy meal.<\/p>\n For processors producing ExPress\u00ae soybean meal, maintaining consistent conditions from the extruder into the press is important for producing a stable finished ingredient with the desired moisture, protein, and residual oil characteristics.<\/p>\n Moisture isn’t the only difference between new and old crop soybeans. New crop beans may have softer hulls and different physical characteristics that influence how they behave during extrusion and pressing. As a result, operators may need to adjust feed rates, temperature, or other processing parameters. Small changes can help maintain throughput and prevent problems such as inconsistent feeding or material buildup.<\/p>\n Equipment condition becomes particularly important when processing characteristics change. Worn extruder or oil press components can reduce performance, increase the risk of equipment damage, contribute to unexpected downtime, and create additional operator-safety concerns.<\/p>\n Before new crop processing begins, inspect critical components and replace worn parts. Maintaining equipment in good condition helps provide:<\/p>\n Keeping essential replacement parts in inventory can also help prevent a minor maintenance issue from becoming a prolonged production interruption. Equipment maintenance is only part of preparing for harvest. Operators should also understand how changes in soybean moisture and physical characteristics can affect processing.<\/p>\n Insta-Pro training can provide practical guidance on equipment operation, moisture management, processing adjustments, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Training can also help operators recognize when seasonal changes require adjustments to processing parameters.<\/p>\n Preparing before the beans arrive allows your team to respond to changing crop conditions instead of reacting to problems after they occur.<\/p>\n Contact us to arrange operator training, discuss new crop processing conditions, or make sure your extruder and oil press are ready for harvest processing.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With harvest season upon us in the United States, soybean processors are preparing to handle a new crop with characteristics that can differ from stored, old-crop soybeans. One of the most important differences is moisture, especially during years like this when some regions are encountering a lot of rainfall during the start of harvest. Freshly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":24174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[86,87,272,256,8093,7838,1450,152,112,211],"class_list":["post-24908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engineeringandextrusionprocess","tag-express-process","tag-express-soybean-meal","tag-extruded-soy","tag-extruder","tag-heat-damage","tag-high-shear-dry-extrusion","tag-nutrition","tag-oil-press","tag-soybean-moisture-level","tag-soybeans"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n