ST. LOUIS, June 16, 2015 – America’s soybean farmers are well positioned to help food companies eliminate partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in food products, the primary source of artificial trans fat in the American diet. This need is dictated by the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement today to revoke “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) status from PHOs. The food industry reduced the amount of trans fat in food products by 75 percent over the last decade. While most partially hydrogenated soybean oils have been eliminated from the food supply, approximately 2 billion pounds are still being used, primarily in foods like baked goods that require increased stability.

“Soybean farmers and industry anticipated the need for more stable soybean oils in 1998 when we began developing new soybean traits to eliminate the need for partial hydrogenation,” said Bob Haselwood, Chairman of the United Soybean Board. “Our focus has always been on meeting our customers’ needs with soybean products that are functional and improve the health profile of finished foods. Today, we have a variety of immediate solutions to help food companies eliminate remaining trans fat from products without increasing saturated fat.”

High Oleic Soybean Oil Blends Replace Partially Hydrogenated Oils

High oleic soybean oil is a functionally superior liquid oil that offers high stability, increased fry life, longer shelf life and a neutral flavor profile without contributing trans fats. The oil also boasts an improved nutritional profile with 20-60 percent less saturated fat compared to commodity soybean oil. High oleic soybean oil is available now, with increasing quantities each year.

“I fully expect that high oleic soybean oil will be the most functional and economical high stability liquid oil within five years,” said Richard Galloway, a consultant to the United Soybean Board and QUALISOY. “In fact, we expect that high oleic soybeans will be the fourth largest U.S. crop in acreage by 2023. High oleic soybean oil is a perfect solution for frying. It’s also an excellent choice for blending with solid fats to make high stability shortenings used by the bakery industry. High oleic soybean oil blends can be used in nearly all applications that previously included PHOs,” he added.

Interesterified Soybean Oil Creates Ideal Melt Points and Melt Curves

Interesterification is another solution that can eliminate trans fat from food products. Interesterification is a processing technique that rearranges the fatty acids within and among triglyceride molecules. Unlike the partial hydrogenation process, interesterification does not cause isomerization, and no trans fatty acids are formed by the process. Using interesterification, domestically produced, sustainable soybean oil can provide a more stable fat with structure and customizable melt points. This economical solution is also an excellent choice for replacing PHOs in the bakery industry. 

Blending Fully Hydrogenated Soy Oil with Commodity or High Oleic Soybean Oil

Fully hydrogenated soybean oil (a hard stock that contributes no trans fat) can also replace PHOs in baked goods. It can be blended with traditional liquid soybean oil, high oleic soybean oil or alternative vegetable oils to create high stability shortenings. Blending with fully hydrogenated soybean oil is primarily used to formulate products for bakery applications.

“Many food companies prefer soy-based solutions,” said Galloway. “In addition to excellent functionality, soy solutions can offer several important commercial advantages, such as supply security due to soybean’s large acreage footprint compared to other North American high stability oilseeds, a short supply chain due to domestic production and more transparent pricing thanks to soybean oil being traded on the Chicago Board of Trade.”

About the United Soybean Board (USB)

The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and meet the needs of U.S. soy’s customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff. For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.soyconnection.com.

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