Dow AgroSciences’ Nexera Omega-9 canola oil expands markets

The increasing focus on healthy eating is a large part of canola’s success. Canola oil has one of the lowest saturated fat levels of all vegetable oils.

So, what makes Dow AgroSciences’ Nexera Omega-9 Canola Oil different from the heart-healthy canola oil already available?

Omega-9 genetics has a unique fatty acid profile. Omega-9 Oil has a higher percentage of oleic acid and a lower percentage of linolenic acid than commodity canola oil. This makes it a much more stable oil for some applications such as frying at high temperatures. In just over 10 years, Omega-9 Oils have replaced over 1.5 billion pounds of trans and saturated fats from the North American food supply.

“Omega-9 Canola Oil brings an extra level of value to canola oil which is already a premium product,” says Greg Gingera, North American canola-breeding leader, Dow AgroSciences. “Omega-9 Canola Oil allows access to markets that canola growers can’t currently access with commodity canola oil. Growing the Omega-9 segment will continue to grow greater value for the entire canola industry.”

Omega-9 Canola Oil was developed using non-GMO methods. It was bred by traditional plant breeding.

“The Omega-9 Canola Oil fatty acid profile on its own is fine but when you add Roundup Ready that is when it “becomes” a GMO,” says Gingera.

However, there’s another option. Clearfield herbicide tolerance was also developed using traditional plant breeding and combined with Omega-9, this product can be sold into non-GMO markets.

And the genetics in the Omega-9 profile are consistent enough that it can be grown across the Prairies.

Hybrids are now available with yields which are competitive to other canola hybrids. Nexera hybrids offer similar traits such as clubroot and strong blackleg resistance, pod-shatter resistance and a range of maturities, which provide growers options when making decisions.

“I’m encouraging growers to think about using Nexera hybrids in rotation on their farms to help with things like the evolution of blackleg resistance,” says Gingera.

There has been a pretty rapid change in the last few years with blackleg, particularly in southern Manitoba. It’s important to manage this closely as hybrids that were resistant four to six years ago, are now quite susceptible to disease.

Dow AgroSciences is working on developing more Nexera hybrids with shatter resistance.

“We’re looking at specific hybrids that we have evaluated internally that are suitable for direct harvest and some have much better pod shatter resistance than others,” says Gingera. “There are some shatter-resistant hybrids now on the market and we’re definitely shifting our breeding portfolio to have more of the pod shatter-resistant hybrids going forward. Growers are saying pretty loudly that they want that economic advantage.”

Can you grow both?

Growers who are using both GM (whether that’s GM commodity canola or GM speciality canola) and non-GMO speciality canola don’t need to have geographic isolation between fields as seed growers do. They do need to clean their seeding equipment before seeding Nexera hybrids and the crop must be harvested and stored separately. So farmers may grow both on their farms. “I’ve had growers ask me if they could grow Nexera canola across the road from their commodity canola. Absolutely, as long as you can maintain the physical isolation with seeding and harvest equipment as well as storing the crop separately,” says Gingera.

It does take more planning to keep anything “identity preserved.” Good records are key.

For example, it’s very important to keep separate bins for Nexera because if it gets mixed with other canola, the profiles aren’t compatible and it won’t make specification requirements for the contract.

The meal could have extra value too

As well, the meal that’s produced from Nexera canola (called ProPound) is another diversified product Dow hopes will provide additional value. “What we’re attempting to do with ProPound meal is what we did with Omega-9 Canola Oil, which is to take a good value product like canola meal, and increase its utilization into some new markets,” says Gingera. “This ultimately drives additional value for the canola industry. It allows expansion into markets where canola meal is not seen as a desirable meal type.”

The main competitor to ProPound canola meal is soymeal.

Gingera commented that after being in canola breeding for about 20 years, he sees this transition as the second evolution of canola oil. The first time was when researchers changed the fatty acid profile from rapeseed oil to canola oil and made it a highly sought-after vegetable oil.

“And I look at Omega-9 Canola Oil as the next evolution in canola value,” says Gingera. “To take canola oil and to grow a market that will use a unique fatty acid profile that will continue to drive additional acres and value. ProPound is the third evolution of canola where meal is being enhanced to drive even more value in canola.”

Overall Gingera says 2016 was a good year with new end-users and increased demand from existing customers. He expects end-use demand for Nexera canola and Omega-9 Oil to continue to grow.