Numerous factors affect the chemical composition and protein quality of soybean meals (SBM), including latitude, area of production, type of soil, agronomic practices, and weather conditions, which result in significant annual fluctuations of the nutritional value of SBM. The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of crop year period and country of origin of the beans on the chemical composition, amino acid (AA) profile, and protein quality indicators (PQI) of commercial SBM. Samples originated from Argentina (ARG; n = 291), Brazil (BRA; n = 308), and United States of America (USA; n = 315) were randomly collected from EU crushing plants and feed mills between 2006 and 2024. The meals were classified in two time periods: old (from 2006 to 2014; n = 477) and recent (from 2015 to 2024; n = 437). The abundance of AA of the SBM were determined by NIRS whereas all the other variables were analyzed by wet chemistry. All the analysis were conducted in the same official laboratory. The data were analyzed as a completely randomized design with 6 treatments arranged as a 3 x 2 factorial with country of origin of the beans and crop year period as main effects, using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Both country of origin of the soybeans and crop year period affected most of the variables studied. On 88% DM bases, CP (47.0 vs. 46.5 vs. 45.8%), CF (4.99 vs. 4.09 vs. 4.31%), NDF (10.2 vs. 8.63 vs. 9.04%), and raffinose (1.35 vs. 1.05 vs. 1.22%) were higher (P < 0.001) but sucrose (5.75 vs. 7.23 vs. 6.84%) and stachyose (4.38 vs. 5.31 vs. 4.79%), were lower (P < 0.001) for the BRA meals than for the USA and ARG meals. Also, in % CP, Lys (6.07 vs. 6.15 vs. 6.10%), Thr (3.88 vs. 3.90 vs. 3.92%), Arg (7.27 vs. 7.30 vs. 7.23%), and TSAA (2.77 vs. 2.83 vs. 2.82%) were lower (P < 0.001) for the BRA meals than for the USA and ARG meals. In addition, Ca, P, and K were lower but Mg and Fe contents were higher (P < 0.001) for the BRA than for USA and ARG meals. Most of the PQI studied (PDI, KOH, TIA, and Reactive Lys presented as a percentage of Lys) were higher for the USA meals than for the South American meals (P < 0.001). Crop year period affected most of the variables studied, with oligosaccharides content, TSAA profile (%CP), and all PQI values (UA, PDI, KOH, and TIA) being lower (P < 0.001) and CF, NDF, Ca, and P, higher (P < 0.05) for the SBM collected from 2015 to 2024 than for meals collected from 2006 to 2014. It is concluded that both, crop year period and country of origin of the beans affect significantly the chemical composition, AA profile, and the protein quality of the SBM.

Corrales, N., L. Cámara, N. Souid, M.Lucio and G. Mateos. 2025. Chemical composition, amino acid profile, and protein quality indicators of soybean meals from different origins collected from 2006 to 2024. 2025 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Abstract 96.