Performance Food Group Company is introducing a new high-performance soybean oil and the primary ingredient — Pioneer brand Plenish high oleic soybean oil. Plenish has been shown to maintain its quality longer in fryers and has an oil profile similar to that of olive oil without impacting taste.
Brilliance High Performance Soybean Clear Fry Oil 35-pound containers from PFG will carry the Plenish high oleic oil brand name and logo to help identify the improved oil.
“We selected Plenish high oleic soybean oil to be the primary component in our Brilliance Premium Oils brand because it offers superior stability under high temperatures, which improves fry life and reduces polymer buildup on cooking equipment,” said Scott Barnewolt, vice president of Procurement for Performance Foodservice. “In addition to providing our customers with a high-performance cooking oil with a healthier oil profile, we are pleased to help build a new market for U.S. soybean farmers with this exciting product innovation. We look forward to developing additional applications for Plenish high oleic soybean oil in other PFG products.”
Plenish high oleic soybean oil is 20 percent lower in saturated fats than commodity soybean oil, contains approximately 75 percent heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and has zero transfats per serving. The unique oil profile of Plenish high oleic soybean oil has a fry life 2-3 times longer than commodity soybean oil and allows the product to be used in high-temperature applications where commodity soybean oil is not an option.
“The marketing collaboration between PFG and Pioneer will enable much greater distribution of Plenish high oleic soybean oil to the nation’s restaurants,” said Russ Sanders, Food & Industry Markets director, DuPont Pioneer. “We’re especially excited that the thousands of farmers in 13 states who grow Plenish high oleic soybeans could encounter their products in restaurants in major population centers and their local communities.”
Plenish high oleic soybeans were developed by Pioneer to bring food companies and consumers a cooking oil with improved stability with a healthier oil profile, and to provide new markets for soybean farmers. They are grown under contract by U.S. soybean growers for a premium. End-user and processor demand has been expanding annually for the new soybeans as they have realized the value-added benefits Plenish high oleic soybeans bring.
Demand for U.S. soybean oil in the food industry has decreased over 30 percent since 2002 when the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced a mandate to label trans fats. At that time about 50 percent of U.S. soybean oil was partially hydrogenated to make it a more stable but created trans fats. Since then, restaurants and food services have switched to alternative oil products to replace partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
In 2018 the U.S. FDA intends to eliminate the GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) status of trans fats, thereby eliminating the use of partially hydrogenated soybean oil in food products. The very high stability of Plenish high oleic soybean oil does not require hydrogenation while delivering enhanced functionality and a healthier oil profile.
