There are two major types of soybeans grown in Canada, commonly referred to as oil beans and food beans. A listing of Canadian soybean varieties is provided in List of Varieties which are Registered in Canada , Variety Registration Office, Variety Section, Plant Health and Production Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency . Oil beans make up the majority of soybeans grown for producing oil and high-protein meal.
Soybean oil is used in salad oil, shortening and margarine products.
Defatted soybean meal is used as a protein supplement in livestock rations. Key quality factors for oil beans are oil content, protein content, and the fatty acid composition. Oil and protein content give quantitative estimates of the beans as a source of oil, and of the defatted meal as a source of protein for animal feed. The fatty acid composition provides information about the nutritional, physical and chemical characteristics of the oil extracted from the beans. The quality of these beans is measured by such attributes as a clear or white hilum, larger seed size, and a higher protein content.