Soybean Heat Damage: Assessing Losses and Impact on Processing

Regarding losses, we have identified heat loss as the primary issue with the goods. The imported soybeans are primarily used for producing soybean oil, with soybean meal and a small amount of other products such as lecithin and soap nuts being the by-products. However, it is challenging to directly determine the loss through the test index of the goods because the crude fat content index of heat-damaged soybeans is almost identical to that of normal soybeans.

Research studies such as 'Evaluation of Processing Losses of Microbial Spoilage Brazilian Soybeans' and 'Analysis of Factors Affecting the Depreciation of Imported Bulk Soybean Residues' indicate that the loss of heat-damaged soybeans is primarily reflected in production and products. Processing this type of damaged soybeans may result in product quality issues, reduced yields, and increased consumption. The final calculated loss may vary significantly depending on the processing techniques and handling methods, such as whether to mix with normal soybeans for processing and the mixing ratio. To calculate this type of cargo loss, it is typical to collect processing data of damaged goods and compare it with that of normal goods to determine product yield loss and processing cost loss.

As we do not know the consignee's next steps for handling the goods or the extent of the heat damage, we cannot estimate the losses at this time.