Can genetically enhanced soybeans create heart-healthy food?
August 24, 2010
Debra Black
STAFF REPORTER
“Will that be Omega-3 enriched bacon with your Omega-3 eggs?” may soon be a question asked at breakfast diners across Canada.
Monsanto, the U.S.-based agrifood business, hopes to have Omega-3 soybeans in the Canadian marketplace within the next two years.
Omega-3 is a fatty acid, typically found in fish, which has been shown to improve heart health. The World Health Organization recommends one to two servings of fish a week. Canada’s Food Guide recommends at least two servings of fish a week.
Researchers at Monsanto have found a way to genetically manipulate genes from Neurospora crassa, a type of bread mold, and Primula juliae, a flower, both of which contain Omega-3, into soybeans, creating an Omega-3 soybean, explained Jennifer Elliott, the Ottawa-based regulatory sales manager for Monsanto.
The company has applied for approval from both Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said Elliott.
One of the reasons Monsanto began researching another form of Omega-3 was because of the dwindling fish stock, Elliott said.
“Our concept was to bridge the gap between the effectiveness of fish oil and the sustainability of regular soybean oil,” said Elliott.
The oil from the Omega3 soybeans will eventually be used in a wide sampling of food products, including snack bars, such as granola bars, and beverages, Elliott said.
Another possible use of the Omega-3 soybeans will be food for livestock and aquaculture.
Monsanto researchers have studied the impact of animals eating feed made from Omega-3 soybeans. They found that levels of Omega-3s in the animals’ systems rose and that the Omega-3s remained in the meat of cows, chickens or pigs, according to information on Monsanto’s website. Those levels of Omega-3s are passed on to consumers who eat the meat, according to the website.
A study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009 suggested oil from Omega-3 soybeans “could be an effective alternative to fish oil as a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids,” according to William Harris, Ph.D., lead author of the study and chief of cardiovascular health research at Sanford Research/USD and professor of medicine at Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D.
A controversy over Monsanto’s original patent applications involving the genetically enhanced soybeans erupted this year when an Australian expert in agricultural intellectual property suggested Monsanto’s patent might be seen as “an attempt by the company to exert control over the food chain.”
Monsanto had applied for patents on the “derived benefits” of feeding animals its proprietary product.
But Monsanto “does not intend to take ownership of livestock or fish or to sell company-branded milk, meat or eggs enriched with omega-3s to consumers,” according to a statement on its website.
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