WILMINGTON, DEL. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the Plenish high-oleic soybean trait for cultivation in the United States, DuPont said June 8. The Plenish soybeans from Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, have the highest oleic content (more than 75%) of any soybean product under commercial development, according to DuPont.

The high-oleic content increases the stability of the oil and provides flexibility in food applications, according to DuPont. The soybean yields a product that has 0 grams of trans fat. Plenish high-oleic soybean oil has 20% less saturated fat than commodity soybean oil.

The Plenish soybeans will be grown for ongoing field and oil testing in the United States and Canada in 2010 and 2011. DuPont anticipates full commercialization of the trait in 2012 upon global regulatory approvals and ongoing field testing.

“We continue to see solid results and strong interest from food companies looking for a soybean oil with consumer benefits and functionality,” said Craig F. Binetti, president of DuPont Nutrition & Health. “This announcement allows our partners to move to the next phase of product testing and development with Plenish high-oleic soybean oil.”

Plenish soybeans also may assist in industrial applications. The high heat stability of the oil allows companies to develop renewable, environmentally enhanced alternatives to petroleum-based products such as lubricants, foams and adhesives.

The U.S.D.A. approval of the Plenish trait comes after Monsanto on May 18 and the Food and Drug Administration had no questions about the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status of oil from Monsanto’s Vistive Gold soybeans. The soybean oil is 55% to 85% oleic acid.