Protein animal feeds are an essential component of the domestic and global protein supply with a wide range of applications. Due to its high protein content and favourable amino acid composition, soya - as a protein-rich feedstuff (e.g. as soya cake, extraction meal, etc.) - is used primarily in animal nutrition.

Austria is aiming to reduce its demand for soya imports by 50 per cent by 2030. On the one hand, this goal requires an expansion of cultivation areas and an increase in processing capacity. On the other hand, increasing processing quality can also make a contribution. Due to the antinutritive substances they contain (trypsin inhibitors, saponins, lectins), soya beans must undergo heat treatment before being fed to animals. The aim is to preserve the valuable ingredients - above all the proteins - as much as possible.

As part of the SONIA-ProQ project, our task is to advance the characterisation of soybeans from Austrian variety testing and toasted soy products. This includes the implementation of innovative methods, such as the determination of the protein composition (proteome) and thus the support of online NIRS in the creation of the calibration.

The aim of SONIA-ProQ is to develop a suitable and practical solution for recording relevant properties in the treatment process. The detection is to be realised using NIR-based sensor technology in combination with imaging techniques. The main advantage is the contactless and substance-friendly real-time detection of the soya bean. The challenge with SONIA-ProQ is to make defined properties of the untreated bean quantitatively detectable using NIRS and imaging techniques and to make them available for subsequent modelling.

The innovative approach and the unique possibility of predictive process control promote resource-conserving and sustainable production of high-quality Austrian soya products. Successful implementation of SONIA-ProQ makes a valuable contribution to the Austrian goal of reducing soya imports and at the same time enabling an increase in Austrian added value.