
High-Tech Soybean From
Back-to-Basics BreedingBy Judy McBride March 27, 2000Growers now have the option of
planting a non-transgenically modified soybean called Soyola that yields oil
that doesnt need to be hydrogenated to improve its usefulness for cooking
and extend its shelf life. Thats good news because hydrogenation produces
the bulk of dietary trans fats now recognized as unhealthy for the heart. Soyolas secret: Its the first non-GMO soybean for the southern
U.S. with reduced linolenic acid. This polyunsaturated fatty acid degrades
easily and causes off or rancid flavors in soybean oil, especially
after extended heating. So most soybean oil is now hydrogenated to stabilize it
for cooking and extend its usefulness, as well as to harden it for baking and
margarine. Just released by the Agricultural
Research Service, Soyola would be ideal for frying and salad oil markets.
Its oil has half the linolenic acid found in commercial varieties, according to
developer Joseph W. Burton at the ARS
Soybean and
Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit in Raleigh, N.C. The plants yielded as well as or better than the commercial cultivars Brim
and Dillon during two years of tests at 10 locations. Soyola is suited for
North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, southern
Missouri, northern Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. Seed will be available
from N.C. Foundation Seeds, 8220 Riley Hill Road, Zebulon, NC 27597. Soyola is the first release under the Better Bean Initiative (BBI) launched
in 1998 by the United Soybean Boardto provide alternatives to GMOs. It will help keep market options open and
enhance competitiveness of U.S. soybeans in world trade, according to Richard
F. Wilson, research leader at the Raleigh lab and a BBI coordinator. The
initiative includes 22 scientists working in 11 public soybean-breeding
programs. Future plans include developing non-GMO soybeans with reduced levels of both
linolenic acid and palmitic acid, a saturated fat, and increased levels of
heart-healthy oleic acid, the fatty acid abundant in olive and canola oils. ARS is the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scientific contact: Joseph W. Burton, Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation
Research Unit, Raleigh, NC; phone (919) 515-2734; fax (919) 856-4598;
[email protected].
U.S. Department of Agriculture |