Better Bean Initiative

The Better Bean Initiative from the United Soybean Board of USA is developing the mid-oleic soybean oil, which will not require hydrogenation for industrial frying apphcations. Full commercialization of this oil will take at least six to ten years. In the meantime, the food industry in the United States will have to be very creative to reduce trans-faXs in fried foods as well as in other products. 

The genetically altered oils, 3% linolenic acid, and now 1% linolenic acid soybean oil, may become popular as zero trans-frying fats, as the size of the crop for these seeds advances. These oils would be zero trans- and no hydrogenation. As touted by the Better Bean Initiative, the 3% linolenic variety could become the mainstream variety, requiring no identity preservation. (Note If 3% linolenic acid soybean oil is lightly hydrogenated, less trans-would be produced because of the lower initial linolenic acid content). 

Wilson, R.F. (1999) Alternatives to genetically modified soybean - the Better Bean Initiative. Lipid Technol., 10, 107-110. 

Durham, D. The United Soybean Boards better bean initiative Building United States soybean competitiveness from the inside out. AgBioForum 2003, 6/1 2), 23—26. 

Burton, J. Improving Soybean Oil Quality Through the Better Bean Initiative. 97 AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo Book of Abstracts. Saint Louis, MO, 2006. AOCS Champaign, IL,... 

In the 1990s, the United Soybean Boards Better Bean Initiative proposed that a high-oleic acid soybean be developed. However, they subsequendy recommended that a mid-oleic acid /low linolenic acid soybean oil be developed as a new commodity oilseed. 

One of the outstanding partnerships for the future of soybeans is known as the Better Bean Initiative (BBI). The farmer-directed United Soybean Board (USB) is utilizing its check-off funding to develop a soybean seed with enhanced compositional traits that better meet the needs of the end users and enhance the economic value for U.S. producers. 

The soybean oil described by Wilson (1999) with almost 80% oleic acid is a non-genetically modified oil resulting from the Better Bean Initiative and was expected to be ready for sowing during the 2000 seasoa... 

However, because of the initial concern, researchers sought alternative methods for extracting caffeine from coffee beans. Extraction by CO2 at supercritical temperatures and pressures was found to be a better method because it extracts caffeine without simultaneously extracting some of the flavor compounds, as dichloromethane does. This was one of the first green (environmentally benign) commercial chemical processes to be developed. After the caffeine has been removed, the CO2 can be recycled, whereas dichloromethane is not a substance that should be released into the environment (Section 7.12). 

It will be a challenge to introduce the application of starter cultures in cocoa bean fermentation practices, either to speed up and better control the fermentation process or to target the fermentation process towards predefined end-products. However, to scale up the initiation of cocoa bean fomentation processes with a defined inoculum to the farm level, whether applied to small farm holdings or laige estates, will be an even greater challenge, especially as it relates to starter culture production and maintenance, inoculation and fermentation method, and last but not least farmers training and extra costs. 

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