Cargill expands trans-fat lowering soyoil production

US agribusiness firm Cargill is to expand its processing of Vistive, a low-linolenic soybean, which claims to reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids in soybean oil.

High demand for the product, which was developed by agricultural products giant Monsanto, has prompted Cargill to expand processing of Vistive to its facility in Lafayette, Indiana.

The company this week announced it is to process around 10,000 acres of Vistive soybeans at this facility in order to serve growers in the area. In addition to Lafayette, Cargill will process the soybeans at four of its Iowa facilities in Des Moines, Iowa Falls, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids. In total, Cargill has identified up to 150,000 acres of Vistive soybean production the 2006 growing season.

According to the company, low-linolenic soybeans reduce the need for partial hydrogenation of soybean oil, helping food companies reduce the presence of cholesterol and heart disease promoting trans fatty acids (trans fats) in their products.

After ten years in development, Monsanto launched the Vistive bean in 2004. According to the company, the beans, which contain less than 3 per cent linolenic acid, compared to 8 per cent for traditional soybeans, have enjoyed significant success on the back of an industry move to slash the trans fat content of foods.

And the pressure has certainly been on since January 1 this year saw the introduction of new Food And Drug Administration (FDA) trans fat labeling rules. These require all food companies to label the amount of trans-fat in their products, allowing consumers to have additional information to make healthier food choices that could lower their intake of trans fat as part of a heart-healthy diet.

According to market researcher ACNeilson, US sales of products already labeled 'no trans fat' increased 12 percent to $6.4 billion for the 52 weeks ended October 2, 2004, compared with the previous 52-week period.

Cargill, which was one of the initial processors of Vistive last year, this week announced it is continuing in that capacity for 2006.

In total, Monsanto expects that Vistive soybeans will be grown on nearly 500,000 acres this year.

The company also has several new varieties of its Vistive soybean in the pipeline, the first of which, Vistive mid-oleic, is due to be developed by 2009. Vistive Omega-3 is due to be ready by 2011-2012, while the company's Vistive low saturates bean, which it claims will provide products with "a heart-healthy combination of lower saturated fats, lower trans fats and improved stability," will be ready by around 2012-2013.

According to Monsanto, its low-linolenic and mid-oleic beans were developed through conventional breeding methods, though cheaper GM versions of the low-linolenic bean are also available on demand.

The low saturates and Omega-3 beans are being developed through biotechnology.