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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

USDA set to approve soybean variety genetically engineered to improve healthfulness

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to approve a genetically modified soybean engineered to contain healthier oils, expanding seed engineering into the realm of public health. "The high-oleic soybean, developed by DuPont and pending deregulation since 2006, is one of the first in a wave of bioengineered cash crops that are being altered for nutritional purposes," Paul Voosen of Greenwire reports for The New York Times. "Currently, nearly all biotech crops grown in the United States have been altered for resistance to weedkiller or insects, traits that are rarely felt by consumers or commercial businesses."

The USDA deregulation is the final step in the approval process for the soybean, which is already approved in Mexico and Canada. A spokeswoman for Pioneer Hi-Bred, DuPont's biotech seed business, said the soybean will continue commercial testing this year and should be ready for global use by 2012. "DuPont's biotech soybean could be welcome news for soy farmers, who have seen food companies move away from standard soybean oil as they work to eliminate trans fats, which are linked to coronary health risks, from their ingredient," Voosen writes.

The USDA deregulation is also seen as the first play in the ongoing battle between DuPont and seed giant Monsanto for market supremacy. Monsanto "has two varieties of biotech soybeans pending approval with USDA that also seek to modify the nutritional value of soybean oil, promising to eliminate trans fats and produce oil with omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) for use in yogurt, granola bars and spreads," Voosen writes. Rob Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer, told Voosen with advances like this companies like Monsanto "can start to take on some of the most complex physiological traits in terms of crop quality and health and nutrition." (Read more)

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