Most of the remaining residue (soybean meal) is used as animal feed.

The high proportion of oxidation-prone polyunsaturated fatty acid is undesirable for some uses, such as cooking oils.

If the hydrogenation is only partially complete, the oil may contain small amounts of trans fat.

Soybean oil is one of many drying oils, which means that it will slowly harden (due to free-radical-based polymerization) upon exposure to air, forming a flexible, transparent, and waterproof solid.

Because of this property, it is used in some printing ink and oil paint formulations.

Soybean oil is indicated for parenteral nutrition as a source of calories and essential fatty acids.