High oleic soybean oil: More stability, less saturated fat
Firms keen to eliminate trans fats from frying oils have tried a variety of alternatives to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, from high oleic canola and sunflower oil to palm oil, low linolenic soy, corn and other oils.
However, many did not deliver on the flavor or stability front, required changes to recipes or manufacturing processes, or involved an unwelcome increase in saturated fat (eg. in the case of palm) claims Susan Knowlton, research manager at DuPont Agriculture & Nutrition.
To address this problem DuPont’s Pioneer subsidiary has developed Plenish, a high oleic soybean boasting a fry-life two to three times longer than conventional soybean oil, superior stability to high oleic canola or sunflower oil, zero trans fat and less saturated fat.
Commercial quantities should be available from next year.