Soybean "king of beans"

Many arable crops are grown on arable land around the world. These include fruits, vegetables, grains and tubers such as potatoes. Cereals that cover crops such as wheat, rice, and corn are the most popular crops in the world, with wheat being the most widely grown crop. Among the arable land used by the food industry, one of the most significant things we are not talking about enough is soybean production, which is the raw material for soybean wax. Demand for soybeans has increased significantly worldwide in recent years. Due to its relatively high protein content, it is one of the most popular substitutes for meat. The range of foods made from soybeans offers a very wide selection. We can mention here soybean oil, soy sauce, soy flour, soy milk, and above all the variety of tofu that can be prepared. Soybean wax cannot, of course, be mentioned along with food, although it is made from one of these, namely soybean oil.

The growing demand for soybeans has encouraged large and small farmers around the world to grow more. Unfortunately, this cultivation creeps into native forests and grasslands, including Cerrado in Brazil and the Northern Great Plain of the United States, endangering wildlife and increasing carbon emissions through land conversion.

Near Future

The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture is an initiative that encourages U.S. farmers, traders, food processors, retailers to pursue sustainable farming, and represents collaboration with conservation organizations to produce the crops they need more sustainably. Members of the initiative, including WWF, are working to improve water quality, conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure farmers ’livelihoods while protecting more natural habitats. Unilever, Waitrose, ARLA Foods and Lantmannen have already committed to procure certified RTRS soybeans.

From soybean oil to soybean wax

After extracting the soybean oil, if the goal is to achieve soybean wax, the next step is hydrogenation. Each of the companies involved in making soy wax has its own little secrets. Hydrogenation is the process by which polyunsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are solidified to increase viscosity, so that soybean oil is so-called soy wax. This is done by reacting hydrogen with the oil at an elevated temperature (140-225 ° C).

Other ingredients of soy wax

Hydrogenation of soybean oil results in a low melting point, medium hardness wax. This type of 100% soy wax may be suitable for crucible candles but not for block candles. Other ingredients such as paraffin or stearic acid must be added to obtain a harder, higher melting wax. Fragrant soy wax, which is very popular, can contain up to 10% fragrance oil that mixes easily with the wax.

There are no regulations in place for the composition of soy wax. If you want to be sure that the soy wax you bought does not contain additives, ask your supplier.