New GMO Soybeans Bring Improved Nutrition to Vegetable Oil

When you enjoy a tasty treat like cookies, cakes or crackers, chances are good those foods were cooked with soybean oil. Soybean oil’s neutral taste, abundant supply and nutritional profile make it a great fit for the food industry, and now new GMO soybeans are giving the food industry a more nutritious option with high oleic soybean oil

High oleic soybeans are a GMO crop that deliver oil with lower saturated fat than conventional soybean oil and contribute no trans fats to products. High oleic soybean oil also delivers three times the amount of beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids as regular soybean oil.

In the mid-1990s, when trans fat labeling was first required on the Nutrition Facts panel of food products, consumers started to demand healthier choices and companies looked for alternatives. Farmers recognized the need to deliver a better option that consumers and the food industry wanted, and worked with researchers and scientists to develop an innovative option called high oleic soybeans. High oleic soybean oil comes from specialty soybean varieties that have a better balance of healthy fats and don’t require partial hydrogenation.

While high oleic soybean oil is only available for the food industry at the moment, as demand increases and a shift to healthier eating becomes a bigger priority, more and more oil will be available. We all want to eat healthier and to make good food choices. High oleic soybean oil is one example of how GMOs are helping us get there. It’s another example of how biotechnology can have direct benefits to consumers, just like the new arctic apples, which are bred to resist browning.

If you’re interested in learning more about high oleic soybean oil, check out www.qualisoy.com for current nutritional information and research. Learn more about high oleic soybean oil from Morgan, in our latest episode of Across the Table.