To help soybean and soy meal customers better take advantage of this Essential Amino Acid (EAA) benefit, the soybean checkoff boards of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota developed the Critical Amino Acid Value (CAAV) to measure essential amino acids and evaluate soybean quality. Calculating the sum of the five most critical amino acids (lysine, cysteine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan) provides a numerical Critical Amino Acids Value (CAAV).

Working with respected researchers to track the CAAV in northern-grown soybeans, U.S. growers consistently deliver more value to producers, buyers and nutritionists by providing a more accurate picture of soybean protein quality. The five amino acids are required for overall health, fetal development, muscle growth, and production of meat, milk and eggs in monogastric livestock, poultry and farm raised fish.

When these five EAAs are not present in sufficient quantities in feed ingredients, nutritionists must supplement with synthetic amino acids, increasing production costs and often resulting in “hot” rations which potentially lead to excess nitrogen excretion and negative environmental consequences.

Historically, whole soybeans and meal have been valued largely on crude protein quality; an estimate based on its nitrogen content. A higher crude protein (CP) content does not necessarily equate to higher protein quality or better nutritional value in feeding monogastric animals. True protein quality is based on the presence and balance of essential amino acids. Current ingredient purchasing decisions based largely on higher crude protein will not necessarily provide the best value feed ingredient.

To help soybean and soybean meal customers better take advantage of this benefit, the tri-states have helped create an EAA website and CAAV calculator, a tool to calculate the CAAV for a sample of whole soybean or soybean meal.

Click here to visit the website.