USDA Agricultural research program

[Guest guest]

I came across this site.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?ACCN_NO=402579 & showpa

rs=true & fy=2003

I enjoyed the part about a possible new interest in tropical oils after the

new labeling of the trans fat content, but I also had another scarier

thought when reading this. They will ever keep looking for ways to defile

the food supply and not until years later when people discover the damage

that is being done to them does the law change to warn people of the

defilement. After all of the mass poisonings, untold deaths and shortened

life spans, they simply find a different way to defile the food that won't

have to have a label on it! Nice to see where our tax dollars are going.

Why the hell are we having to pay for this? Are those vegetable oil

companies somehow in bed with the USDA?

Helen

Here is the article:

    Research >

Research Project: Optimizing Flavor Quality and Oxidative Stability of

Commodity Vegetable Oils

Location: Food and Industrial Oil Research

2003 Annual Report

1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving

it?

Commodity vegetable oils such as soybean, sunflower, corn and canola need

additional processing and chemical additives to be suitable for the 8

billion pound/per year frying oil industry. Plant geneticists now have the

capabilities to alter oilseed compositions with a great potential to provide

oils that have improved quality, better oxidative stability and enhanced

end-use performance compared to oils from unmodified oilseeds. However, not

enough basic information is available on the genetic factors that affect

product quality, stability, and end use performance. Our fundamental

research determines the relationship between product composition/structure

and desired flavor quality and stability attributes in soybean, sunflower,

corn and other oilseeds. Vegetable oils with varying compositions are

investigated using sensory, instrumental and chemical analyses. Positive

quality attributes in the oils and foods prepared with the modified oils are

correlated to the compositions and structures of the oils. Based on these

relationships between oilseed composition and oil quality factors,

recommendations can be made not only to plant geneticists as to the

compositions of oilseeds that they should breed but also to food

manufacturers on the compositions of oils appropriate for various high

stability food uses.

2. How serious is the problem? Why does it matter?

Approximately 50% (8 billion pounds) of the U.S. edible vegetable oil

production is used each year as frying oil. Food manufacturers and

commercial oil users rely on hydrogenated oils to provide the oil stability

they need during frying. This dependence will diminish with the initiation

of labeling of foods with their trans fatty acid content. As food

manufacturers and oil processors seek alternatives to hydrogenated oil for

frying by looking toward modified composition oils, new knowledge is needed

about how oil composition affects the quality and stability of oils. If not

enough appropriate edible oils for high stability applications can be

produced in the U.S., food manufacturers may look to imported tropical fats

as alternatives.

3. How does it relate to the National Program(s) and National Program

Component(s) to which it has been assigned?

National Program 306, Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products

(100%) This research contributes to new knowledge to understand the roles of

product composition, molecular structure and physical state for optimum

end-use performance and quality of edible vegetable oils. The research also

contributes to meeting the ARS goal for genetic improvement of oilseeds for

improved attributes for good quality products.

4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year?

A. Single most significant accomplishment during FY2003: We conducted

studies on vegetable oils with the addition of phenolic compounds to

determine the abilities of the phytochemicals to inhibit deterioration of

oil during frying and of fried food during storage. Soybean oils with three

phenolic additives--feruloyated monoacyl- and diacylglycerols, soy

distillate and ferulic acid--were evaluated for antioxidative potential in

comparison to a control and to tert-butylhydroquinone(TBHQ). Oils were

evaluated as salad oils at 60 degrees C and in frying tests with potato

chips.

Soy distillate and ferulic acid inhibited oxidation in aged salad better

than the feruloyated monoacyl- and diacylglycerols, but the feruloyated

monoacyl- and diacylglycerols were better in frying oils. These studies

provided new knowledge about the role of minor constituents during frying,

which is one of the most deteriorative food processes. Frying tests were

conducted with 2% (low) linolenic acid soybean oil (LLSBO) and 0.8% (ultra

low) linolenic acid soybean oil (ULLSBO) as well as high oleic soybean oil

(HOSBO) in comparison with cottonseed oil (CSO) which is an industry

standard for a frying oil. The fishy flavor caused by linolenic acid was

significantly reduced in potato chips fried in ULLSBO with only 0.8%

linolenic acid compared to potato chips fried in soybean oil with 2%

linolenic acid. The decrease in linolenic acid from 2% to 0.8% in the oils

improved the overall flavor quality and oxidative stability of some of the

potato chip samples. Potato chips fried in cottonseed oil or LLSBO were

rated significantly higher in overall flavor quality than the chips fried in

HOSBO. HOSBO did not have enough linoleic acid to produce a good level of

deep fried flavor intensity. Blending HOSBO with LLSBO increased the flavor

quality of potato chips compared to potato chips fried in HOSBO. The blend

produced potato chips with good oxidative stability because of the moderate

level of oleic acid and with good deep fried flavor intensity because of the

moderate amount of linoleic acid.

B. Other significant accomplishment(s), if any: None.

C. Significant activities that support special target populations: None.

5. Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project,

including their predicted or actual impact.

We determined the effects of gamma tocopherol, ferulic acid and oryzanol in

frying oils and found that they each inhibited deterioration of both the

fried food during storage and the frying oil. Even when the gamma tocopherol

was at very low levels or not detectable, we still saw a positive effect of

the addition of gamma tocopherol, primarily because of the tocopherol

oxidation products that have antioxidant activity.

These results are of interest to oil processors and food manufacturers in

determining the appropriate antioxidant composition of oils such as soybean,

sunflower, cottonseed, canola, and corn oils to maximize their quality for

the 8 billion pound/year frying oil industry.

6. What do you expect to accomplish, year by year, over the next 3 years?

During the next year we plan to determine the effects of various types and

ratios of the three major tocopherols (alpha, gamma and delta) in purified

sunflower oils. Fried food products will be analyzed for retention of minor

oil constituents and for storage stability by oxidation tests and sensory

tests. New knowledge about the role of these naturally occurring minor oil

components will help the vegetable oil and food manufacturing industries to

optimize oil and oil-containing food quality and stability and to improve

consumer acceptance of their products, resulting in increased edible oil

usage and more value-added oilseeds for farmers.

7. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When

is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user

(industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to

the adoption and durability of the technology products?

New knowledge about the role of antioxidants during frying and during

storage has been developed and transferred to oil processors and food

manufacturers such as Archer s Midland, Cargill, Frito-Lay and Procter

& Gamble as well as many other smaller companies. They can use this

information to develop new oils that will provide healthful, better tasting

foods. In addition, plant breeders can use this information to develop new

cultivars of oilseeds with enhanced profiles of tocopherols. ARS sunflower

researchers have developed a sunflower with high levels of gamma tocopherol

that will be ready for initial testing for stability in 2004. If the oil

from this high gamma tocopherol sunflower oil has improved stability, then

the cultivar could be released as a value-added product within the next

several years.

8. List your most important publications in the popular press and

presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE:

This does not replace your peer-reviewed publications listed in Question 9).

Warner, K., Vick, B., Kleingartner, L., Isaak, R., Doroff, K. Compositions

of Sunflower, Mid-Oleic Sunflower, and High Oleic Sunflower Oils.

Proceedings of the 25th Sunflower Research Workshop. 2003. p. 25-28.

Warner, K. Functionality and Performance of Mid-Oleic Sunflower Oil.

Institute of Food Technologists. 2003.

RENNICK, K.A., ABIDI, S.L. TOCOPHEROL AND TOCOTRIENOL CONTENT IN CRUDE AND

PROCESSED RICE BRAN OILS. OSF Health Summit. 2002.