Forecast for availability of high-oleic soybean oil

Here comes high-oleic soy

Supply of high-oleic soybean oil should reach 140 million lbs this year, said Frank Flider, a consultant for Qualisoy, in a July 12 presentation at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food exposition in Chicago. Volume should reach 400 million lbs in 2017, according to Qualisoy, an independent, third-party collaboration in the soybean industry. High-oleic soybean oil potentially could reach 7.5 billion lbs by 2023, which would make it the fourth-largest U.S. row crop behind wheat, corn and traditional soybeans, Mr. Flider said.

Two branded high-oleic soybean oils, Plenish from DuPont Pioneer and Vistive Gold from Monsanto, have received approval from the United States and many international markets. The soybean industry expects China to approve Vistive Gold in 2016.

Also in the I.F.T. session, Joshua Tuinstra, innovations manager at Stratas Foods, L.L.C., gave details on two high-oleic soybean oil studies.

A 24-day controlled french fry study involved high-oleic soybean oil, two sources of mid-oleic canola oil, mid-oleic sunflower oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, and soybean oil. Mr. Tuinstra said high-oleic sunflower was the “gold standard.”

High-oleic soybean oil and high-oleic sunflower oil had the lowest levels of polymerization in the french fry study. High-oleic soybean oil could be a strong competitor to high-oleic sunflower oil based on cost and high-oleic canola oil based on cost and overall performance, Mr. Tuinstra said.

The other study involved 11 different spray oil applications on crackers. Results indicated the crackers became stale prior to perception of spray oil rancidity in most oil options, with noticeable amounts of rancid notes detected in palm olein, pho soybean, mid-oleic sunflower and one of the high-oleic canola samples. Results indicated high-oleic soybean oil performed as well or better than other high-oleic options.

Mr. Tuinstra said future studies should involve high-oleic soybean oil as an oil blend component and as part of structural shortenings for such items as cookies, cakes and icings.

Interesterification is another process that may provide assistance in formulating with high-oleic soybean oil, said Richard Galloway, a consultant at Qualisoy.

Archer Daniels Midland Co., Chicago, is a leader in enzyme interesterification, which the company said is economical, increases processing flexibility and provides numerous functional characteristics. Mr. Flider said interesterification changes melting profiles, which is important for the baking industry because product melts in the mouth differently. Mr. Galloway said fully hydrogenated oils could be interesterified and then blended with high-oleic soybean oil. Mr. Galloway said industry is considering a name change for “interesterification” since it is not a “clean label” term.

While some food companies are switching to non-bioengineered ingredients, Qualisoy will promote the safety of biotechnology, such as through its 12-page brochure called “Biting Into Biotechnology.”

Foods developed through modern biotechnology have been on grocery store shelves for nearly 20 years, according to the brochure. The Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, estimates 70% to 80% of the food eaten in the United States contains bioengineered ingredients, according to the brochure.

“The truth is, society has been manipulating plant genetics throughout the last century,” Qualisoy said in the brochure. “Traditional breeding techniques may select for a more flavorful tomato, a seedless watermelon or a higher-yielding corn variety.

“Transgenic plants, or G.M.O.s, refer to a relatively recent technology that allows the transfer of one or a few specific gene sequences within an organism or closely related organisms. This technique has resulted in cotton varieties that resist insect pressure, soybeans with an improved fatty acid profile and even a disease-resistant papaya developed after a virus outbreak nearly wiped out entire Hawaiian populations.”