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Quality Factors of Green Frosted Soybeans
Every year the question surfaces of what to do about green soybeans and/or green soybean oil. A prediction of an early frost makes the concern greater than usual.
The green color comes from chlorophyll or chlorophyll-like compounds and relates to immaturity of the harvested soybeans. If harvested soybeans are compared to normal soybeans, the greenish color is quite apparent visually.
If the soybeans are only slightly green, there is a good possibility that drying and storage will fade out the green. On the other hand, slightly green soybeans give the refiner the most problems because the green color in the oil may be masked by the red and yellow. During normal processing the red and yellows are reduced and the greens then may become apparent and are, of course, undesirable.
There are discounts for green soybeans and these stem from the refining problems stated above. If soybeans do not lose the green color in storage, then soybeans destined for extraction will inevitably be discounted.
Other alternatives than extraction such as utilization as full-fat soybean meal either by roasting or extrusion should be considered to avoid discounts. The green color should have no impact on feeding values if the soybeans are normal in composition otherwise.
Source: American Soybean Association, August 1992.
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