Oil of the future: Nutritionally Enhanced Soybean Oil with Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Abbreviations: EPA (Eicosopentaenoic acid); DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid); ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid); SDA (Stearidonic acid)

Rarely do you get a chance to try a product which has not yet been released in the market. At the media breakfast sponsored by Solae, we got just that - Soymega^TM Muffins! This blog covers the highlights of ASN’s pre-conference satellite symposium: ‘Heart Healthy Omega-3s for Food: Stearidonic Acid as a Sustainable Choice’. The conference was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Solae and Monsanto.

Omega-3s are long chain fatty acid which allow efficient working of fishes in cold environments. However, they are of many different types and their functionality greatly varies. Main source of animal based omega-3s is seafoods (tuna & salmon being most common in US) which provide EPA and DHA, and that of plant origin is flaxseed, walnuts etc. The problem with plant-based sources is that they provide ALA, which is not efficiently converted to EPA & DHA (more useful forms of omega-3s) in the body. Solae's SDA-soybean has been nutritionally enhanced to provide higher omega-3 in food. It has already been given GRAS status and will be commercially available by 2012, pending regulatory approval.

The symposium started with Dr. Richard J. Deckelbaum’s presentation explaining the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids which include promoting infant growth (brain and eye development) during pregnancy, delaying onset of neurological depression in elders and preventing cardiovascular diseases by reducing aortic lipid deposition. He also gave a brief overview of how the SDA enriched soybean was engineered by adding two genes (from primrose and bread mold) to express SDA, which bypasses the rate limiting step in the body and converts more efficiently to EPA.

Dr. Eileen Kennedy focussed on the environmental aspects and RDA guidelines by pointing out how Americans in general were getting just 25% of the requirements and that seafood consumption had been recommended to be increased from 3 ounces to 8 ounces per week, replacing the meat and poultry sources. The recommended daily intake of omega-3s in US is 250 mg/day as compared to 400 mg/day in the UK. She also said, “SDA soybeans are a viable plant-based solution to increasing dietary omega-3 intakes”.

The mechanisms of action of omega-3s are still largely unexplored. Studies indicate that there could be a direct function by activating a transcription factor or by a much indirect action of changes in cell membrane phospholipids composition. Dr. William Harris spoke about the challenges of having 'nutrition biased' foods comparing SDA-soybean to iodine salt and other fortified foods.

Usually, omega-3 index is used to estimate its levels in the body which is a ratio of amount of EPA & DHA to total fatty acids. Current levels in the American population are 3.5-4 as compared to a target level of 8-10. SDA-soybean has been shown to significantly increase the omega-3 index in humans.

Other advantages of SDA-soybean were also highlighted as it has a better oxidative stability as compared to EPA/DHA and soybeans in general have a good anti-oxidant protection leading to better shelf-life. It also does not significantly impact flavor or taste, which could be an upper hand given the formulation difficulties with seafoods.

Overall, the symposium was quite enlightening and the speakers included some of the world’s best experts in omega-3 research.

[This blog was originally meant for submission to American Society for Nutrition following on Experimental Biology meeting in April 2011]