![\"Researchers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Soyabean-sized-new-Pixabay_2021-03-29-132258_6224396ef1925c09354a4c7cdd5a43f8.jpg\")
\n Researchers in South Korea have produced a soyabean variety with more than 90% oleic acid using gene editing. Image source: Pixabay <\/p>\n
\n Researchers in South Korea have produced a soyabean variety with more than 90% oleic acid using gene editing. Image source: Pixabay <\/p>\n
A research team at Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea, has produced a soyabean variety with more than 90% oleic acid using gene editing, PhysOrg reported.<\/p>\n
Led by Hyun Uk Kim, a professor in the University\u2019s Department of Bio-Industrial Resources Engineering, the team produced the soyabean line containing up to 90.2% oleic acid using CRISPR\/Cas9 gene-editing technology, the 23 September report said.<\/p>\n
The soyabean produced had improved oxidative stability, reduced saturated fat and increased seed fatty acid content, PhysOrg wrote.<\/p>\n
Conventional soyabean oil contains approximately 20% oleic acid and relatively high levels of linoleic and linolenic acids. Although nutritionally important, the polyunsaturated fatty acids\u2019 multiple double bonds make them susceptible to oxidation. As a result, soyabean oil could deteriorate in flavour and quality during high-temperature processing or long-term storage.<\/p>\n
As a monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid is more resistant to heat and oxidation. For this reason, high-oleic soybean oil can improve storage stability, give a longer frying life and reduce oil replacement and disposal. <\/p>\n
In addition, when used to replace saturated fat in the diet, monounsaturated fats such as oleic acid can help lower low\u2011density lipoprotein (LDL) and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. <\/p>\n
In the study, the results of which were first published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal on 14 September, the researchers edited members of the FAD2 and FATB gene families at the same time. <\/p>\n
FAD2 enzymes convert oleic acid into linoleic acid, while FATB enzymes contribute to the production and accumulation of saturated fatty acids. As soyabean has undergone genome duplication, it has several genes with overlapping functions. Editing one or two major genes can generally achieve the desired oil composition.<\/p>\n
To address this, the team edited the major seed-expressed genes GmFAD2-1A and GmFAD2-1B, along with GmFAD2-2B, GmFAD2-2C and GmFATB1a. <\/p>\n
Soyabean lines carrying different combinations of these edits were cultivated and evaluated over multiple generations.<\/p>\n
Removing GmFAD2-1A and GmFAD2-1B increased the oleic acid level to approximately 83%.<\/p>\n
Combining additional FAD2-2 and FATB1a edits raised the level up to 90.2%.<\/p>\n
At the same time, linoleic and linolenic acids each decreased to below 1%, while saturated fatty acids were reduced by more than 40% compared with the wild type.<\/p>\n
Some high-oleic lines also showed a 7%-24% increase in total fatty acid content. An analysis of 805 individual seeds further identified a positive correlation between oleic acid concentration and total fatty acid accumulation.<\/p>\n
The expression of DGAT and PDAT, which directly participate in oil synthesis, did not increase consistently. Instead, the expression of SDP1 \u2013 a major enzyme responsible for breaking down stored oil during seed maturation \u2013 was reduced in the high-oleic lines.<\/p>\n
Genes involved in phosphatidic acid metabolism were also altered. <\/p>\n
Changes in fatty acid composition could suppress lipid breakdown, allowing more oil to remain in mature seeds, according to the researchers.<\/p>\n
However, further studies would be required to verify this mechanism directly, they added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis study identifies an effective combination of FAD2 and FATB genes for simultaneously increasing oleic acid and reducing oxidation-sensitive and saturated fatty acids,\u201d Kim was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing further evaluation of yield and agronomic stability, these materials could support the development of premium edible-oil soyabean cultivars and help establish domestic production of high-oleic raw materials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although gene editing could reproduce genetic changes similar to those produced via natural mutation or conventional breeding, without retaining foreign DNA in the final plant, gene-edited crops remained subject to regulatory review in South Korea, PhysOrg wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers in South Korea have produced a soyabean variety with more than 90% oleic acid using gene editing.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[134,111,139,69,39421,39420],"class_list":["post-631463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-oil-and-fats","tag-oils-and-fats-international"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}