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Monsanto, Solae Cook Up Some Soy for Foods

Posted on: Friday, 28 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Mary Jo Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct. 28--Monsanto and Solae Co. are partnering on a new soy protein, one the companies say will be tastier and easier to blend into foods ranging from energy bars to burgers.

Under the agreement, Monsanto, of Creve Coeur, will develop the new soybean, which has more soluble protein. Better solubility makes soy easier to incorporate into food and removes its gritty aftertaste.

Solae, of St. Louis, will process the soybean and market it to foodmakers. The deal has the potential to be an exclusive for Solae if the company meets sales and market growth expectations.

Solae is owned by a joint venture of Bunge Ltd. and DuPont, which also owns one of Monsanto's top competitors, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

Monsanto and Solae said the competition did not deter their negotiations.

"We're innovators," said Paul Graham, vice president of new business development for Solae. "We don't have a bias as to where that technology comes from."

The partnership could prove important, the companies said, as a growing number of consumers search out healthier, better-tasting foods.

Solae markets soy protein to about 3,000 customers, mostly food and beverage makers.

"From a manufacturers' point of view, ingredients that help us provide consumers with convenient, healthy foods are welcome," said Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for Grocery Manufacturers of America, a Washington, D.C., trade group that represents food makers. "The reality is consumers are demanding products that have healthier nutritional profiles."

Still, the companies said they have work to do before products will be launched. The new beans don't have a name yet, but will be available for planting by spring 2007.

The plants were derived from "advanced breeding," so they won't turn off foreign markets that have resisted Monsanto's genetically engineered crops. Monsanto will also release a separate strain of the new soybean in the United States that will be genetically engineered for immunity to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.

Production of the new soybeans will be small, less than 1 million of the 72 million to 80 million acres of soybeans planted by U.S. farmers each year, said David Stark, vice president, global industry partnership at Monsanto.

American farmers are increasingly looking for ways to grow products with consumers in mind, said David Durham, a Missouri farmer and past president of the United Soybean Board. They also have a unique ability to grow niche crops like this new soybean, Durham said.

"We realize when we can meet consumer needs even more, that makes our product more valuable," Durham said. "In the big picture of things, that's really important in remaining competitive."

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Copyright (c) 2005, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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MON, DD, BG, PHB,

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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