Improved Soybean Varieties Recently Introduced

Improved Soybean Varieties Recently Introduced

WASHINGTON--The launch of Qualisoy--a one-of-a-kind agricultural initiative focused on improving the quality and competitiveness of United States soybean varieties--was announced at the annual Soy Symposium held here in October.

A collaborative effort among the soybean industry, Qualisoys goals include developing healthier soybeans and soy oil, reducing environmental impacts of livestock production with improved soybean meal, and improving the overall competitiveness of the U.S. soybean industry. The 22-member board of directors for Qualisoy includes farmers, researchers and representatives from multinational seed and chemical companies, regional agricultural companies, processors, food companies, and food and feed industry associations.

Recently, several technology providers have announced the commercialization of healthier soybean varieties with low-linolenic acid. The new varieties will be inherently more stable without need for hydrogenation, thus reducing or eliminating trans fatty acids in the resulting processed soybean oil.

Recent inclusions are Vistive soybeans, from Monsanto (www.monsanto.com), which will have the Roundup Ready® trait and contains less than 3 percent linolenic acid resulting in a more stable soybean oil with a better flavor profile and less need for hydrogenation. Also, Nutrium Low Lin Soybean Oil, by Bunge Ltd. (www.bunge.com) and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.--a subsidiary of DuPont (www.DuPont.com)--is a new soybean oil designed to eliminate trans fats in foods. Nutrium comes from Pioneer® variety 93M20, a new soybean variety which features oil with a low linolenic acid profile of less than 3 percent and offers a better natural stability and increased shelf life.

I think the food industry will embrace these soy-based products as part of the solution to the trans fat problem, said Robert M. Reeves, president of the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils. These new products will provide quality fats and oils that will help meet the ever-changing needs of the U.S. food industry.

According to David Durham, Qualisoy chairman and immediate past chairman of the United Soybean Board, Qualisoy was created as a means to expedite the development and introduction of enhanced quality soybean traits. Weve long since recognized the value of uniting our industry to share information as we strive toward some common goals, and now were making that a reality, he said. One of those common goals is to change the fatty acid composition of soybeans to make the oil more naturally stable and eliminate the need for hydrogenation.

In cooperation with the Qualisoy initiative, researchers will continue to work on developing soybeans with an improved fatty acid profile and functional characteristics.

Reducing and eliminating trans fats has to be a collective effort involving every industry link, Durham said, and as one of the first links in that chain, farmers have a responsibility to food manufacturers--and ultimately consumers--to provide the healthiest raw materials available.