USDA Scientists Breed Healthier Soybean Lines
September 24, 2010| |
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university scientists have discovered and used gene copies of FAD2 to improve soybean's oleic-acid content. The team led by Kristin Bilyeu, a molecular biologist of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), said that having high levels of oleic acid would mean more monosaturated fat, thus avoiding resorting to hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process of converting oil from liquid to solid, which also improves shelf life and product quality. However, this process also produces trans-fats which worsen the body's blood cholesterol levels.
Soy oil would normally contain 20 percent oleic acid, but the new beans produced with the gene copies could produce up to more than 80 percent oleic acid. Field trials in Missouri and Costa Rica showed that these new soy lines' oleic content remains stable even if exposed to different growing conditions.
For more information, visit http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100916.htm.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Governments Draft Aichi Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing
- Global Initiative to Preserve Yam Biodiversity
- DuPont Leader: Agriculture is a Key Driver to Meet UN MDG
- Strengthening Capacity to Implement Biosafety Protocol in Africa
- COMESA Undertakes National Consultations on Draft Biosafety Guidelines
- SABIMA Stewardship Awareness Creation Workshop in Ghana
- Scientists Release Disease Free Sweet Potato Varieties
- USDA Scientists Breed Healthier Soybean Lines
- Purdue Gets Nearly $1.6 M for Biofuels Crop Research
- Researchers Work Together to Battle Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus
- Monsanto and Illumina Reach Key Milestones in Cotton Genome Sequencing
- Swaminathan Foundation Lauds Rural Knowledge Movement in India
- Indian Scientists Develop Protein Rich GM Potato
- Inter-Academy Report Endorses Commercial Approval of Bt Brinjal
- Chinese Scientists and Educators Dialogue on GM
- Australia OKs GM Crops in Two States
- Asian Preparatory Workshop on COP/MOP 5 in Hanoi
- Vietnam's Focus on Coping with Climate Change
- UK Ministers Order Temporary Halt to GM Dialogue Project
- Fighting to Save the 'Tree of Life'
- Human Medicine from Moss
-
Research Highlights
- Phosphorus and Moderate Climatic Changes Do Not Affect Genome Size, Study Says
- Molecular Mapping of Leaf Rust Resistance Gene LrBi16 in Chinese Wheat Cultivar Bimai 16
- Bt Protein Vip3A Does Not Affect Non-target Organisms
-
Announcements
- MSSRF & Telecenter Offer Certificate Course on Telecentre Management
- Third South Africa – EU Science Summit in Brussels, Belgium
- Genome Informatics Workshop in Hangzhou, China
-
Resources
- JRC Publication
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (December 4, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (December 11, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet