Joanna Cosgrove06.02.11
With more consumers actively adding fish-origin omega-3 fatty acids to their diets, St. Louis, MO-based agricultural biotech company Monsanto has devised what it believes to be a more sustainable form of stearidonic acid (SDA)—which converts to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—from both a production and formulation point of view. The company’s Soymega SDA is derived from genetically modified (GM) soybeans.
“SDA soybeans offer a land-based, more sustainable and readily renewable source of heart-healthy omega 3 fats as a potential alternative to marine-based omega 3s,” commented Nick Weber, a public affairs representative from Monsanto. “Like soybean oil, SDA soybean oil (Soymega) has a clean flavor and long shelf-life, enabling food companies to use the oil in a variety of products.”
The American Heart Association recommends that healthy individuals consume two fatty fish meals per week, which is equivalent to about 350 mg of EPA and DHA per day. According to Monsanto literature, one acre of SDA soybeans provides EPA omega 3 fatty acids equivalent to about 10,000 three-ounce servings of salmon.
After attaining Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in 2009, Monsanto worked with Solae, LLC, also of St. Louis, MO, to test the abilities of Soymega in the realm of food formulation. At that time the primary sources of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids were fish and algal oils, which tended to be expensive and difficult to incorporate into food products. The companies hoped Soymega would enable food manufacturers to enhance the nutritional benefits of a broad range of food products because of its “preferred sensory qualities and functional performance” in familiar food and beverage applications.
“As the population expands and consumer demand for healthier foods grows, this product could offer farmers and the food industry an opportunity to help meet this growing demand in a sustainable manner,” Roy Fuchs, Monsanto’s global technology lead for oilseeds, said in 2009. “This soybean trait will be one of several value-added traits Monsanto is working hard to launch that will directly benefit consumers and the food industry.”
At last summer’s Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo, Al Gallegos, marketing and business development director for omega 3 at Solae, gave an update on how the testing was panning out. “Food companies have been evaluating this oil, and we are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received,” he said.
“Soymega is the optimal omega 3 for food because you can add it to a broad variety of food products,” Rick Wilkes, Monsanto’s director of food applications, told IFT attendees. “It maintains its flavor and shelf life. It has stearidonic acid (SDA), which readily converts to EPA, one of several omega 3 fatty acids used by the body when consumed. Therefore, it allows everyday foods consumers are looking for now to have a source of omega 3 that converts to heart-healthy types like EPA.”
Philippe Ballet, Monsanto’s food business development director, also acknowledged that the product could help the U.S. soybean oil industry, which is still reeling from diminished soybean oil consumption due to the trend of eliminating trans fats from foods. Food companies continue to look for oils that eliminate trans fat, reduce saturated fat and improve operational efficiency, he said, noting that the potential impact of a product like Soymega offers positive news that could bring more value to soybean farmers in the U.S.
In a more recent interview with Nutraceuticals World, Solae’s Jane Whittinghill, PhD, senior research investigator, said the testing with Soymega is going very well. “Solae has been working over the last year-and-a-half with food and beverage companies to test Soymega in various products, and we have seen some positive results in clinical beverages, nutrition bars, salad dressings, bakery products, and margarines and spreads, both in Solae sensory and functional testing as well as in several food and beverage brand products,” she said. “In shelf-life studies conducted on a variety of products, the oil has shown no significant differences when compared to conventional soybean oil over a given time period.
Dr. Whittinghill went on to talk about the formulation advantages of Soymega. “Soymega has a clean flavor and can be incorporated into a wide range of great-tasting foods while maintaining shelf-life,” she said. “It provides some overall sensory benefits, making for a positive eating experience when formulated into foods. Food and beverage companies have had functional challenges incorporating fish oil into products due to flavor and shelf-life.”
Though she would not speculate on the brand name support that might help usher Soymega to the consumer market, she did say that pending regulatory approvals, commercialization is anticipated in 2012.
And for consumers concerned about the GM nature of the oil, Monsanto’s Mr. Weber tried to allay those fears. “SDA soybean oil was developed using the tools of breeding, biotechnology and modern plant science,” he said. “Food derived from authorized genetically modified (GM) crops is as safe as non-GM food. All GM crops have been assessed for food and feed safety in producing countries, and many more countries have approved the import of food or food ingredients that contain GM products. Similar to conventional soybean oil, SDA soybean oil has been determined by the FDA to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for its intended use.”
Although the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) focuses only on direct sources of EPA and DHA, its executive director, Adcam Ismail, was intrigued by Soymega. “The issue of genetic modification of plants to get EPA and DHA into the diet is an important one,” he said. “If you do the math, there just is not enough fish in the sea to feed every human the minimum 250 mg intake that many countries are recommending, and some scientists are even saying that consumers should be getting more than 2000 mg per day. So in order to provide enough EPA and DHA to support the human population, we will need alternative sources. GMO plants…will have an important role to play in meeting this demand.”
“SDA soybeans offer a land-based, more sustainable and readily renewable source of heart-healthy omega 3 fats as a potential alternative to marine-based omega 3s,” commented Nick Weber, a public affairs representative from Monsanto. “Like soybean oil, SDA soybean oil (Soymega) has a clean flavor and long shelf-life, enabling food companies to use the oil in a variety of products.”
The American Heart Association recommends that healthy individuals consume two fatty fish meals per week, which is equivalent to about 350 mg of EPA and DHA per day. According to Monsanto literature, one acre of SDA soybeans provides EPA omega 3 fatty acids equivalent to about 10,000 three-ounce servings of salmon.
After attaining Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in 2009, Monsanto worked with Solae, LLC, also of St. Louis, MO, to test the abilities of Soymega in the realm of food formulation. At that time the primary sources of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids were fish and algal oils, which tended to be expensive and difficult to incorporate into food products. The companies hoped Soymega would enable food manufacturers to enhance the nutritional benefits of a broad range of food products because of its “preferred sensory qualities and functional performance” in familiar food and beverage applications.
“As the population expands and consumer demand for healthier foods grows, this product could offer farmers and the food industry an opportunity to help meet this growing demand in a sustainable manner,” Roy Fuchs, Monsanto’s global technology lead for oilseeds, said in 2009. “This soybean trait will be one of several value-added traits Monsanto is working hard to launch that will directly benefit consumers and the food industry.”
At last summer’s Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo, Al Gallegos, marketing and business development director for omega 3 at Solae, gave an update on how the testing was panning out. “Food companies have been evaluating this oil, and we are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received,” he said.
“Soymega is the optimal omega 3 for food because you can add it to a broad variety of food products,” Rick Wilkes, Monsanto’s director of food applications, told IFT attendees. “It maintains its flavor and shelf life. It has stearidonic acid (SDA), which readily converts to EPA, one of several omega 3 fatty acids used by the body when consumed. Therefore, it allows everyday foods consumers are looking for now to have a source of omega 3 that converts to heart-healthy types like EPA.”
Philippe Ballet, Monsanto’s food business development director, also acknowledged that the product could help the U.S. soybean oil industry, which is still reeling from diminished soybean oil consumption due to the trend of eliminating trans fats from foods. Food companies continue to look for oils that eliminate trans fat, reduce saturated fat and improve operational efficiency, he said, noting that the potential impact of a product like Soymega offers positive news that could bring more value to soybean farmers in the U.S.
In a more recent interview with Nutraceuticals World, Solae’s Jane Whittinghill, PhD, senior research investigator, said the testing with Soymega is going very well. “Solae has been working over the last year-and-a-half with food and beverage companies to test Soymega in various products, and we have seen some positive results in clinical beverages, nutrition bars, salad dressings, bakery products, and margarines and spreads, both in Solae sensory and functional testing as well as in several food and beverage brand products,” she said. “In shelf-life studies conducted on a variety of products, the oil has shown no significant differences when compared to conventional soybean oil over a given time period.
Dr. Whittinghill went on to talk about the formulation advantages of Soymega. “Soymega has a clean flavor and can be incorporated into a wide range of great-tasting foods while maintaining shelf-life,” she said. “It provides some overall sensory benefits, making for a positive eating experience when formulated into foods. Food and beverage companies have had functional challenges incorporating fish oil into products due to flavor and shelf-life.”
Though she would not speculate on the brand name support that might help usher Soymega to the consumer market, she did say that pending regulatory approvals, commercialization is anticipated in 2012.
And for consumers concerned about the GM nature of the oil, Monsanto’s Mr. Weber tried to allay those fears. “SDA soybean oil was developed using the tools of breeding, biotechnology and modern plant science,” he said. “Food derived from authorized genetically modified (GM) crops is as safe as non-GM food. All GM crops have been assessed for food and feed safety in producing countries, and many more countries have approved the import of food or food ingredients that contain GM products. Similar to conventional soybean oil, SDA soybean oil has been determined by the FDA to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for its intended use.”
Although the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) focuses only on direct sources of EPA and DHA, its executive director, Adcam Ismail, was intrigued by Soymega. “The issue of genetic modification of plants to get EPA and DHA into the diet is an important one,” he said. “If you do the math, there just is not enough fish in the sea to feed every human the minimum 250 mg intake that many countries are recommending, and some scientists are even saying that consumers should be getting more than 2000 mg per day. So in order to provide enough EPA and DHA to support the human population, we will need alternative sources. GMO plants…will have an important role to play in meeting this demand.”
