A New Soyabean Oil - healthier

Scientists have developed a new soybean that's healthier for the heart because the oil need not go through a process that produces artery-clogging trans fatty acids and it has less than half the saturated fat of conventional soybeans.

Food manufacturers who use soybean oil in everything from margarine to crackers are eager to get the healthier oil because of Food and Drug Administration plans to require the listing of trans fats on food nutrition labels. Consumers won't see the new product before next year at the earliest, however, because the first commercial crop being planted next month in North Carolina will be saved for seed and testing. The new soybean holds ``excellent potential'' for food makers and ``will provide the needed flexibility to be used in a wide variety of products.

The new soybean was developed by Agriculture Department scientists, using conventional breeding methods, not the genetic engineering that has become controversial in Europe and Asia. More than 80 percent of the vegetable oil used in cooking and food manufacturing comes from soybeans because of its relatively low price and wide availability. But soybean oil cannot be used for cooking unless it is hydrogenated to extend its shelf life and improve its flavor. Hydrogenation, which also solidifies the oil, removes linolenic acid that causes the oil to taste rancid when heated. The new soybeans have a third as much linolenic acid as conventional varieties. Hydrogenated oil would still be needed for some products, such as baked goods, to give them the proper texture and body, but manufacturers could blend in oil that isn't hydrogenated to lower the overall content of trans fat.

Health experts say trans fatty acids may be even worse for the heart than saturated fat. Studies indicate that eating trans fat increases LDL-cholesterol, often called ``bad cholesterol,'' which increases the risk of heart disease. At the same time, it reduces levels of HDL, the ``good cholesterol'' that is good for the heart. However, consumers have no way of knowing how much of it is in food. Margarine made from hydrogenated soybean oil now lists only the saturated fat about 2 grams per serving and not the 3 grams of trans fat.