Plenish™ High Oleic Soybeans

• Conventional soy oil requires hydrogenation to increase its stability for many food uses. This results in formation of trans fatty acids, which have known coronary health risks.
• By modifying the fatty acid profiles of oilseeds through breeding, researchers have developed healthier oils. Their goal is to replace hydrogenated oils with oils that remain stable but do not include trans fats.
• DuPont researchers developed a high oleic soybean oil trait using biotechnology tools. The resulting soybean oil has one of the highest oleic contents among oilseed crops, and lower total saturated fats than conventional soybeans.
• Application testing has shown that high oleic soybean oil can replace regular canola, soy, and partially hydrogenated oils in edible applications where increased stability is required. The oil also has industrial uses.
• Plenish high oleic soybeans will be grown under contract for ongoing field and oil testing in 2010 and 2011. Commercialization of this product is anticipated in 2012, upon full regulatory approval and field testing.
• Plenish™ high oleic soybeans have received regulatory approval in Canada and Mexico, and have been submitted to key importing countries, including the EU, China, Japan and Korea.

Figure 1. Percent U.S. edible oil consumption by source for 2008-2009. Total oil usage is over 33 billion pounds. Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau and HQP.

Soybean oil is the most abundant vegetable oil in the world. In the U.S., more soybean oil is used than all other sources of vegetable oil combined, comprising about two-thirds of the edible oil usage (Figure 1). Common soybean varieties produce an oil high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Although this property has known health benefits, it makes the oil unstable, easily oxidized and subject to rancidity. When heated extensively, soybean oil develops objectionable flavors and odors, making it unsuitable for many applications.

The traditional solution to soybean oil instability has been to partially hydrogenate the oil. Hydrogenation is the addition of hydrogen atoms across the double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids. However, this chemical process introduces side reactions including conversion of double bonds from the cis to the trans molecular configuration, resulting in trans fatty acids.

Because trans fats have been associated with coronary health risks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated the labeling of foods containing these fats. As a consequence, food manufacturers are sourcing new oils to eliminate trans fats from their ingredient lists. This is a tall order, given that the food industry had been using over 8 billion pounds of partially hydrogenated soybean oil per year, all of which contained trans fats.

One solution to meeting food processor and industrial needs for more stable vegetable oils has been to change the oil composition of crop plants through the use of molecular biology techniques and/or breeding. Researchers have successfully increased the proportion of oleic acid vs. linoleic and linolenic acids in several oilseeds. This results in an overall reduction of double bonds in the oil, which mimics the process of hydrogenation and results in higher oxidative stability similar to partially hydrogenated oils. A list of the major vegetable oils currently or soon-to-be available to food processors and other manufacturers is shown in Table 1.

High oleic soybeans with greater than 75% oleic acid have one of the highest oleic contents among the oilseed crops. To develop this product, scientists "silenced" a gene in the endogenous fatty acid pathway of soybean seeds using biotechnology tools. Suppression of this gene prevents the addition of a second double bond to oleic acid to form linoleic acid. The end result is greatly increased levels of oleic acid, and decreased levels of linoleic and linolenic acid in the seeds. High oleic soybeans also have a lower saturated fatty acid content than commodity soybean oil, making it attractive from a nutritional standpoint.

Because the high oleic soybean was developed using biotechnology tools, it is subject to a registration process by the FDA and USDA. The FDA completed its review of Plenish™ high oleic soybeans in January 2009 and concurred with Pioneer that the high oleic soybeans are not materially different in any respect relevant to food or feed safety compared to soybean varieties currently on the market. Two key steps in the USDA approval process have been completed, the preliminary risk assessment and the environmental assessment. In addition, Plenish high oleic soybeans have been submitted for registration in the key soybean-importing countries. Rigorous testing of the product was required during the registration process to document efficacy and safety. In this testing, the high oleic soybean was found to be no different than the conventional soybean for:

• Nutrient content (other than oil profile), including proteins and isoflavones
• Allergenicity
• Yield
• Agronomic and other relevant characteristics

High oleic soybean variety plot. Extensive studies found that high oleic varieties yield similarly to conventional varieties.

Although many uses of high oleic soybean oil will overlap with those of low linolenic soybean oil, there are large differences in performance. For example, the high oleic oil performs better for frying, has an extended shelf-life for industrial uses.

Product application testing is critical to the success of new trans fat alternative oils. So far, extensive testing conducted at both university and commercial pilot facilities has shown that:

• High oleic soy oil is an attractive alternative to partially hydrogenated oils.
  • Foods tested include french fries, fried meats, tortilla chips, crackers, and salad oil.
• High oleic soy typically equaled or outperformed partially hydrogenated soy in industry-standard performance metrics.
  • Polars, polymers, p-anisidine, free fatty acids, and peroxide value were measured.
• High oleic soy generated less objectionable flavors and room odor during frying studies.

Product application testing continues to open up new uses for high oleic oils. Research has shown that they can replace regular canola, soy, and partially hydrogenated oils in edible applications where increased stability is required. For example, oxidative stability testing of high oleic soybean oil has demonstrated that it is two to three times as stable as regular soybean oil and as stable as commonly used partially hydrogenated oils

High oleic vegetable oil has been used successfully in snack food preparation for frying or spraying to enhance mouth feel and palatability. As a pan release oil, high oleic oils form a barrier in pans that allows for a clean release of the cooked product without flavor contribution. The increased oxidative stability of high oleic oil results in lower polymerization and less gummy build-up on equipment. Bakery products such as breads, cakes, muffins and pizza can also benefit from this oil.

In addition to food uses, high oleic oils also have advantages in industrial applications. The industrial oleochemicals business is investigating the use of high oleic vegetable oils to act as feedstock for the production of numerous products. These products not only have the ecological benefit of being biodegradeable and derived from a domestic, renewable resource, but they also can lend different and increased functionality.

High oleic vegetable oil is being tested and utilized in the cosmetics business and as a machine lubricant (e.g., high temperature engine, transmission, hydraulic, gear and grease applications). Independent testing has shown that these new oils may actually perform better than petroleum-based products in some uses.

Long-term projections indicate that continued advancement in industrial applications research could result in an even greater value for high oleic oils in industrial applications than in edible applications.

United States: Plenish high oleic soybeans will be grown under contract for ongoing field and oil testing in 2010 and 2011. Commercialization of this product is anticipated in 2012, upon full regulatory approval and field testing.

Importing Countries: Plenish™ high oleic soybeans have been approved in Canada and Mexico, and have been submitted to key import countries for approval, including the EU, China, Japan, and Korea.

The Pioneer Product Development Group is rapidly advancing varieties with the high oleic soybean oil trait in anticipation of a controlled release in 2010, pending regulatory approvals. Several experimental varieties that contain key defensive traits (soybean cyst nematode, Phytophthora, and sudden death syndrome resistance) in relative maturities ranging from early Group II to late Group III are being increased in Chile winter production. Breeding efforts are ongoing at soybean research centers with the goal of achieving a broader range of maturity groups and more varieties with combined traits.

Pioneer high oleic soybeans will be managed under "identity preserved" or "IP" high oleic soybean contracting programs. All members of the supply chain will have an incentive to keep the high oleic soybeans separate to maintain the identity as special use soybean oil.

Soybean contract production programs are designed to ensure that an appropriate acreage is produced in a given geography to supply the oil demand for the product. Contracts specify the production practices required to keep the high-value soybeans identity-preserved so that the required oil specifications can be achieved.

Contract growers are incented with a premium for producing and delivering high-value soybeans that meet the specifications required. Growers must ensure that planters, combines, trucks, and storage facilities are cleaned prior to handling the high oleic soybeans. Acreage contracts are used to capture 100% of the production needed.

Growers are not required to kernel-clean their planters, combines, trucks, or storage bins after handling the high oleic soybeans, largely because the amount of soybeans that would enter the commodity channels from these sources should be minimal. Processors and elevators participating in the contracting programs work to make the marketing and delivery experience as close to that of commodity soybeans as possible.