Replacing Trans Fat

Dow Chemical and DuPont are launching new seeds that promise oilseed crops with improved fatty acid profiles. The companies say the resulting vegetable oils will benefit both food makers and public health. The seeds—soybean from DuPont and canola and sunflower from Dow—yield crops with a higher proportion of mono­unsaturated oleic acid compared with nonenhanced versions. The two companies developed the new oils as alternatives to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which contain unhealthy levels of trans fats. In January 2006, the Food & Drug Administration began requiring food manufacturers to list trans fat contents on product nutrition labels. The rule came after years of mounting evidence that the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils has negative heart-health effects due to the trans-fatty acids formed in their production. Food makers have struggled to replace trans-fat-containing oils and shortenings; if they embrace high-oleic oils from Dow and DuPont, the products will win a ...