Quality of Canadian oilseed-type soybeans 2021

Harvest samples

In 2021, the Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program received 333 soybean samples, down from 506 in 2020 (Table 3). The distribution was as follows:

• 7 from the Maritimes (15 in 2020)
• 195 from eastern Canada (265 in 2020)
• 131 from western Canada (220 in 2020)

Canadian Grain Commission inspectors graded the samples according to the Official Grain Grading Guide. In 2021, 98.8% of the submitted samples were graded Soybeans, No. 1 Canada and Soybeans, No. 2 Canada, while the remaining 1.2% were graded Soybeans, No. 3 Canada or lower. The grade distribution was relatively similar between eastern and western Canada, with 99.0% of the samples from the east (Maritimes, Ontario, and Quebec) graded Soybeans, No. 1 Canada and Soybeans, No. 2 Canada compared to 98.5% from the west (Manitoba and Saskatchewan).

Key quality factors for oilseed-type soybeans are oil content, protein content, free fatty acids (FFA), chlorophyll and fatty acid composition. Oil and protein content give quantitative estimates of soybean oil and of the defatted meal used for protein in animal feed. Fatty acid composition provides information about the nutritional, physical and chemical characteristics of the oil extracted from the beans.

Individual samples were analyzed for oil and protein content using a FOSS DS2500 near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer, calibrated and verified against the appropriate samples analysed by reference methods. Grade composite samples were analysed by reference methods for oil, protein, FFA, chlorophyll and fatty acid composition. Oilseed method and test procedures are available on our website.