The soya bean is native to China, where it was mentioned around the year 2800 BC, during the term of Emperor Chennung. The bean was also established in Japan at first. Here, it was not the oil, but the tofu, a substance similar to the quark (type of fresh white cheese), which became important. With its high content of fat and protein, soy bean has been the favorite food of Eastern Asia in ancient times. The missionaries brought the plant to Europe in 1740, but it was not until the end of the 19th century that the soy bean arrived in America. There, initially it worked with difficulties (the bacterium Rhizobium japoninicum, which is specific to Asian soil, disappeared, as ‘short plant of the day’, the soy bean would not mature in temperate latitudes) but they quickly realized, with extensive cultivation.

The fruit is yellow, green or black. Currently, soybeans are grown not only in America (the main growing center in the world) but also in Canada, Brazil, East Asia and the former Soviet Union. Unbeatable, the soil needs to be loamy and sandy, with a high proportion of nitrogen bacteria, of a duration of 12-16 hours and temperatures of 30-32 ° C, with warm nights.

The content of oil in the seed is about 18%, this oil is collected after the seed has been dried, cleaned, peeled, pulverized and heat treated, by pressing to get an oil rich in palmitic, oleic, linoleic acid and linolenic. However, it is usually obtained from extraction (solvent). The resulting liquid is pale yellow, semi-dry with a weak odor, characteristic odor, it is a typical oil in all senses, and between 55-65% of which consists of multiple unsaturated fatty acids.

Soybean oil is used above all as table oil and in the production of margarine and confectionery. In the pharmaceutical industry, soybean oil is used as an energy source for intravenous nutrition. In dietetic products and in foods for children and the food sector, the oil is used to dress salads and for mayonnaises. In specialized industries, the oil is used for the production of soaps and as a support for paints, oil colors, linoleum, colored prints and alkyd resins.