Monsanto Collaborates with FOSS to Develop Analytical Tools for Soybeans

25/09/07 Monsanto Company announced an ongoing collaboration with FOSS A/S to develop more consistent tools to measure specific components in soybean grain. The first product of this collaboration is a calibration system used in near infrared grain analyzers. This system is used to measure the linolenic acid content of soybeans in order to distinguish grain that, when processed, will provide food companies an oil that does not require hydrogenation.

This new calibration system includes software for near infrared technology that will be used this harvest season. The software has been developed over two years, by accumulating data from commercialized industry low linolenic soybean products, such as Vistive soybeans.

"Analytical tools like those being developed through our relationship with FOSS have the potential to benefit a wide range of users from growers to grain processors to food and feed companies," said Pradip Das, Monsanto Crop Analytics. "Industry standards for measuring low-linolenic content help make products available which can reduce trans-fat in consumer diets without burdensome time and cost constraints for the industry."

"Our collaboration with FOSS reinforces Monsanto's commitment to the agricultural, food and feed industries to provide the highest quality of seed, thereby generating the highest quality of grain and subsequent products to enhance overall value of the crops."

The recently developed low-linolenic calibration system will allow grain elevators to more easily distinguish low-linolenic soybeans from commodity soybeans. This distinction benefits farmers who receive a premium for growing the low-linolenic soybeans. Low-linolenic soybeans provide soybean processors an opportunity to supply a modified soybean oil to help meet the demand for trans-fat free vegetable oil among food companies and restaurants. The new calibration assures that soybean processors receive only soybean grain meeting the linolenic acid level specifications that, when processed, yield a trans-fat free vegetable oil.

"FOSS is very pleased to collaborate with Monsanto in developing solutions that help processors and producers improve food and feed production. We share the goal of producing solutions that benefit the industry," said Peter Foss, President of FOSS A/S.

"We applaud Monsanto and FOSS for developing an analytical standard for the industry to help bring healthier soybean oil to the market," said John Becherer, CEO of QUALISOY. "Creating an industry standard for measuring soybean components is important to accurately measure the increasing component value of soybeans."

This new calibration software for near infrared technology will be used both at the processor level and in Monsanto's new Crop Analytics Mobile Labs (CAML). The new mobile labs will serve as a supplementary tool where processors need additional analytical support. The mobile unit houses a gas chromatography technology developed by Monsanto and the near infrared technology using the calibration system developed through the Monsanto-FOSS collaboration. The two systems together offer the fastest and most robust system available to ensure accuracy.

The next steps of the ongoing collaboration will be to identify analytical tools needed to measure other grain metrics or grain characteristics which are in demand for the food, feed and fuel industries.