Soy oil, belonging to the butterfly leaf family, is extracted from the soy bean (Glycine max(L.)). These grow on bushes with a deep stake-root system that dives up to 2 metres down into the earth. The seed has an oil content of only 17-18% but the oil extracted from the bruised grain has a very high carbohydrate value and is particularly suitable as an energy food.
The old cultivation areas, China and Manchuria are no longer of importance in the world market. Almost the whole demand is now met by the USA and increasingly, also by Brazil.
