Source: QUALISOY e-newsletter
By Richard Galloway, QUALISOY staff
Republished with permission from the author

Researchers are currently developing a number of soybean varieties with enhanced compositional characteristics. One challenge for the QUALISOY Board is to identify the potential enhancements that have the greatest opportunity for successful commercialization. This identification process includes assessing the likeli-hood of

1) the probability of successful research of the enhancement;
2) the ability to develop the trait; and
3) the market potential of the enhanced trait.

The availability of soybean oils that offer an alternative to partially hydrogenated oils is increasing. Unlike some competitive oils that are high in saturated fat and may have an adverse effect in the human diet, these new soy oils provide a healthful alternative to partially hydrogenated soybean oils. Among these is low-linolenic soybean oil, including Advantage® LL brand soy oil processed by Cargill; Vistive™ low-linolenic soy oil processed by ADM, Ag Processing, Cenex Harvest States and Zeeland Farms; NUTRIUM™ brand soy oil, developed in partnership by Bunge and DuPont; and Asoyia™ Ultra Low-Lin soybean oil. These oils are currently available in the marketplace in 2006.

These soybean oils with reduced linolenic fatty acid have greatly improved flavor stability over non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and rival the flavor stability of lightly hydrogenated oil. Applications that do not require a high level of oxidative stability due to high heat processing will benefit from the inclusion of low-linolenic soybean oil. Flavor stability and shelf life of the product will exceed that of non-hydrogenated oil.

The next step in enhanced function-ality will be soybean oil that has improved oxidative stability along with superior flavor stability. Several research programs are developing a soybean with increased levels of oleic fatty acid along with reduced linolenic fatty acid.

Mid-oleic soybean oil will resist oxidative breakdown even under high heat applications. Fried products and other food products that undergo high heat during processing will benefit from this oil. It will have superior resistance to flavor breakdown during processing and will exhibit a significantly improved shelf life. Expect commercial quantities of this oil in three to four years.

Even though soybean oil is not high in saturated fats, there is significant research on varieties with reduced saturates, especially reduced palmitic fatty acid, considered by many scientists to be the fatty acid most detrimental to human health.

Other research is being done to increase the oleic in soybean content as high as 80%. Yet more research is being done on a soybean variety with high stearic fatty acid. Perhaps a soybean oil with a composition that includes a maximum of 3% linolenic fatty acid, a minimum of about 55% oleic fatty acid and total saturates of less than 7% is an almost perfect “commodity” vegetable oil for optimizing human health while producing food products with exceptional flavor characteristics and superior shelf life. At the same time, “specialty” soybean oils with extremely high stability, exceptional baking qualities and others will be researched and some will be developed commercially.

Another issue concerning cardiovascular health is the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids (found primarily in seafood) versus omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. Soybeans and soybean oil are superior sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and at least one research company is working on a soybean even richer in omega-3’s. The goal of this project is to create an affordable, land-based, renewable source of omega-3’s that makes it easier than current alternatives to create great-tasting food products rich in this nutrient.

The QUALISOY Board and industry are also working to enhance the animal feed value of soybean meal. While the soybean is valued for its high quality protein and its healthful and versatile oil, about 25% is composed of various carbohydrates. Most of these are not nutritionally available to poultry and livestock as sources of calories and some even exhibit negative nutritional qualities in non-ruminants.

Research on soybean varieties with reduced “negative” oligosaccharides and increased metabolizable energy
is well under way. The meal made from this soybean would provide greatly increased available calories for poultry and livestock without the negative nutritional effects of some of the carbohydrates currently found in the bean.

Other meal traits being considered include a soybean variety with reduced phytate-phosphorus. Much of the phosphorus found in grains and protein meals is bound in phytate compounds. This phosphorus is not nutritionally available for livestock and poultry to digest and thus contributes to the phosphorus of animal waste, an especially serious problem in concentrated livestock feeding operations.

Additionally, scientists are look-ing into the amino acid structure of soybean protein. This research is to determine if an improved compositional profile with the essential limiting amino acids needed for livestock and poultry can be developed.

Demand for enhanced traits determined by the marketplace will drive some or all of these soybean varieties into commercialization. Varieties with a combination of two or more traits will become commonplace in several years.
One thing is for sure: Scientists know how to produce soybeans with traits different from the commodity soybean that we have known for so long. If the pull of the market is strong enough, many of these enhancements will be commercially available over the next few years, all to the benefit of improved human health and more efficient animal agriculture.