On Aug. 14, farmer leaders attended the High Oleic Soybean Oil event sponsored by the  Agriculture Utilization Research Institute (AURI) and United Soybean Board (USB), which was held at The Good Acre in Falcon Heights. The event was focused on promoting the benefits and uses of high oleic soybean oil.

Holding down booths were companies that have implemented the use of high oleic oil; the organizations gave their testimony touting the oil. Some of the companies offered food samples of items either made with high oleic oil were fried in the oil. Attendees were also able to take home 10 gallon samples of the oil.

Jimmy Gosse of AURI has worked with high oleic oil with a goal of finding different opportunities of the use of the product. Gosse has also has been involved in the utilization of the product, along with finding companies that would benefit from the use of this oil. One of the major projects Gosse has worked on was having a local school food provider fry their food in this oil for a span of time. This trial helped to provide crucial statistics on the oil, which reinforced the health benefits of the product.

“This product has a longer fry life and also helps to extend the shelf life of foods that consumers buy,” says Holden Sasser of Calyxt. “We have seen this as a light, tasteless alternative to using canola or olive oil.”

PaTze Cuisines was asked to use high oleic oil in the frying of their egg rolls. After finding positive results, they were asked to attend the event.

“This oil penetrates less into the egg roll when being fried, along with having a faster fry time,” says PaTze’s PaSee Yang. “The oil also has shown to give a great texture to the egg roll, and in different ways it is improving the product.”

USB Director Lawrence Sukalski attended the event to give more insight on high oleic oil and the benefits from his standpoint as a soybean checkoff leader.

“This is a real sustainable product and has begun to be grown by many farmers across Minnesota,” says Sukalski, a Martin County farmer. “Today there were many good questions on how sustainable this product is along with it being home grown.”

Sukalski highlighted the cost and health advantages of soybean oil over other cooking oils.

“High oleic oil is a great alternative to other oils such as palm oil,” he says. “It will bring more market share to us that we have been missing out on with the use of palm oil.” There have been many farms beginning to plant the soybean variety to make this oil.”

The entire Sukalski clan finds enjoyment from high oleic oil.

“My wife won’t make popcorn without this oil.”