DSM Nutritional Products and Monsanto Company have partnered to deliver the first SDA (stearidonate soybean oil) omega 3 soybean oil for use in foods in North America.

DSM will license the SDA soybean from Monsanto, which will develop SDA soybean varieties and sell the seeds to its farmer customers. DSM will have the exclusive global rights to brand, market, package and sell the SDA soybean oil to the food industry. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“The addition of SDA soybean oil to our growing nutritional lipids portfolio underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality nutritional products that help to support human health,” said Will Black, DSM vice president of marketing human nutrition and health. “We look forward to bringing SDA soybean oil to the industry and working with food manufacturers to deliver innovative products that support heart health to their consumers.”

SDA omega 3 soybean oil is a plant-based source of SDA, which naturally converts in the body to EPA omega 3—one of two main omega-3s that has been clinically shown to promote heart health. This pipeline product would be the first vegetarian SDA derived from soybeans for use in food and beverage products in North America. SDA soybean oil has a clean flavor, maintains shelf life, is stable and can be incorporated into a variety of foods, including dressings, sauces, margarines, spreads, bakery products, soups, snack bars, dairy-based products, among several other food applications. SDA soybean oil could not only provide food and beverage manufacturers and consumers an additional choice to access heart healthy omega 3, but would also represent an additional, sustainable supply of omega 3, according to DSM.

“SDA omega 3 soybean oil would provide a sustainable way for consumers to increase their intake of omega 3 fatty acids that help maintain heart health,” said Federico Tripodi, Monsanto SDA program director. “Food companies are looking for solutions to deliver the benefits of longer chain omega 3s while maintaining flavor over the shelf life of the product. We are excited about the progress we have made with the product and look forward to working with DSM to bring this sustainable plant-based alternative to market.”

FDA issued a positive response letter to Monsanto’s Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notification for the oil from these soybeans. The completion of the FDA consultation process supports the use of oil from SDA soybeans under the intended conditions of use, which enable food companies to develop and evaluate foods that contain this nutritionally improved oil. Monsanto has completed the key regulatory processes in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and has also made submissions for import approval in key export markets.