November 12, 2003

New Soybean Varieties To Help Reduce Unhealthy Fats

Newly developed soybean varieties created at Iowa State University will make it easier for food manufacturers to remove unhealthy trans fats from their products by using soyoil that does not need to be hydrogenated, said an Iowa State news release.

The soyoil processed from the new varieties - one for early maturity, one for late maturity - passed critical laboratory tests for frying and flavor stability and is being made available this month to major food companies for evaluation in various products, the news release said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given food manufacturers until 2006 to include information about trans fat on package labels, the news release said.

Trans fats may raise blood cholesterol levels and contribute to heart disease, the release said, and most trans fats are created in the hydrogenation process.

Manufacturers hydrogenate soybean oil to reduce its content of unsaturated fatty acids, like linolenic acid, which is responsible for causing food to become stale or rancid. Soybeans typically produce oil with 7% linolenic acid. The new soyoil has only 1% linolenic acid, the release said.

Because the new soybean varieties were developed by conventional breeding practices and are non-GMO, no government approval is needed, said Iowa State press secretary Teddi Barron. The new oil also would not need government approval, Barron said, because its fatty acid make-up is the same as that in other vegetable oils.

The release added that the Iowa State University Research Foundation now holds the patent for the 1% linolenic acid soybean.

Iowa State said that, through contracting with farmers, about 40,000 acres of the new 1%-linolenic-acid soybean varieties will be planted in 2004 to obtain seed for large-scale production in 2005. It is estimated that about one million acres will be needed in 2005 to meet the food industry's demand, the news release said.

Soybeans supply 81% of the U.S. food industry's needs for edible oils and fats, the release said.