The Cinderella crop’s ride inside the health food carriage could become crowded if it doesn’t pull ahead of its jealous and advancing rivals, says the fairy godmother of canola.
Researchers have developed soybean oils that are low linolenic and low saturated fat, posing a threat to two of canola’s greatest selling virtues, says research scientist Keith Downey.
None of these soybeans is being grown widely, and some are still being developed, said Downey. That gives the Canadian canola industry some time to protect its place in the market.
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Being able to claim canola oil has very low saturated fat levels “has been one way in which Canadian canola oil has been able to find its place and expand its portion of the U.S. market,” Downey said.
Low saturated fat soy oil “will add some competition in the health food market that we haven’t had before.”
Low saturated fat is a quality almost all canola can claim. Consuming too much saturated fat is generally considered to be a health risk.
To fend off this soybean challenge, canola developers should keep trying to lower the saturated fat in the oil, Downey said. That will keep it ahead of its competitors.
How much of a challenge low saturated fat soy oil makes to canola’s market niche will depend on the consumer, Downey said. American consumers know soy oil very well, and it may be hard to change their perceptions about its properties.
If canola already has a well developed reputation as a healthy oil, it should be able to protect its image.
Having low linolenic fatty acid isn’t common to all canolas, but it is a property of some specially developed breeds, Downey said. The prairie wheat pools have developed good niche markets for this oil with processors who want oil that stays fresh longer than others. Limagrain and Cargill have also developed low-linolenic canola oils, Downey said.
The introduction of low linolenic soy oil might hasten the development of low linolenic canola growing, which Downey hopes becomes the standard of the industry.
“Over time we need to move to the low linolenic oil because consumers will like it even more,” he said.
