Elsewhere in ag utilization

By Joan Olson

Editor’s note: As a service to our readers, we provide news about the work of others in the ag utilization arena. Often, research done elsewhere complements AURI’s work.

The soy oil that could

Soy-based rail lubricants reduced friction and corrosion in trials conducted by International Lubricants, Inc. of Seattle, Wash. The research, funded by checkoff dollars and the United Soybean Board, also showed the lubricants improved trains’ energy efficiency.

Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad estimates switching to soy could save the company $25 million in fuel costs and $52 million in equipment replacement each year.

Source: New Uses Council EverGreen Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1999

No grain, no gain

An FDA-approved health claim can now appear on cereal, bread and other products made from whole grains: “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.”

To use the health claim on packaging, foods must contain 51 percent or more whole grains by weight. Three of the 6 to 11 daily grain food servings should come from whole grains, yet it’s estimated only seven percent of the U.S. population eats the recommended three servings a day.

Meanwhile, preliminary results from a Kansas Wheat Commission-funded project are confirming that whole wheat suppresses colon cancer growth. Wheat varieties express differing degrees of suppression.

Source: Kansas Wheat Commission

Home-grown cures

Rather than traveling to Brazil’s tropical forest or diving into the ocean, a team of University of Illinois scientists are looking for disease-fighting compounds close to home. They harvest potential medical agents from the trash piles of soy processing plants.

Lab tests indicate that an ethanol extract of soybean molasses represses at least one dietary carcinogen capable of damaging cell DNA. The researchers also isolated a soy protein fraction that drastically reduces the growth rate of colon cancer. Funding for research and assay development to find anti-mutagens and anti-carcinogens comes from the U.S. Soybean Board and the Illinois Soybean Operating Board.

Source: Jim Barlow, University of Illinois, (217) 333-5802

Tax breaks put the spur to co-ops

In Missouri, farmers investing in qualified value-added cooperatives can now earn tax credits of up to $15,000. The credit is part of a new program to promote value-added agricultural efforts; the program will also set aside money for a value-added loan and grant fund.

Source: Progressive Farmer, August 1999

Corn acid eats into industry

Researchers at the University of Nebraska have developed a low-cost extrusion process to make levulinic acid from corn. Corn-based levulinic acid has many industrial applications, from antifreeze and biodegradable plastics to textiles, coatings and fuel extenders. Levulinic acid also has potential food and pharmaceutical uses.

The Nebraska Corn Board provided nearly $150,000 in checkoff funding for the research, and USDA contributed $60,000.

Source: Industrial Agricultural Products Center, University of Nebraska.

Soy’s got the jiggles

For those who prefer a vegetarian version of fluorescent dessert, two Purdue University students are serving up “NuSoy Gel,” a soy-based Jell-O alternative.

Gelatin is typically made from collagen, an animal protein, but NuSoy Gel is made from a high-gelling soy protein and carrageenan, a seaweed product. The gelatin dessert contains soy isoflavones, which may lower the risk for some cancers.

The students created the new jello for the fifth annual “Innovative Uses for Soybeans Contest,” sponsored by the Purdue Agronomy Department and the Indiana Soybean Board. They received $4,500 for their effort.