Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 3:45 PM
130-6

The Next Generation of Canola Oils; Growing Evidence of Taste, Health, and Functionality.

David Dzisiak, Dow AgroSciences, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268

Food manufacturers and foodservice operations are facing increasing pressure to eliminate trans fats and sat fats (i.e., “bad fats”) from the foods they market or serve. A new generation of canola oils with a unique high oleic, low linolenic fatty acid profile offers the promise of improved taste, health, and performance. But how do these oils hold up under real life conditions of demanding foodservice operations or to the palates of discriminating consumers? Two recent studies add to the growing body of evidence on the role of these oils in meeting future food industry needs. A recent sensory study conducted by Jeff Gross & Associates compared consumer taste preference for high oleic/low linolenic canola oil, partially hydrogenated soy oil, and low linolenic soy oil. A second rotational fry study conducted by the University of Lethbridge Food Science Department compared fry life, oil economics, and the nutritional characteristics of foods fried in nine different oils—high oleic/low linolenic canola oils and eight other oils—for eight hours a day over the course of 11 days. The new evidence suggests that these oils offer a healthier alternative to food industry leaders but must be managed and marketed properly to achieve the full benefits.