Cargill has announced a collaboration with Precision BioSciences. Together, the partners are using Precision’s ARCUS genome-editing technology to further reduce saturated fat in canola oil, putting Cargill, according to the company, at the forefront of a next-generation innovation.

The new oil is intended for the quick-service restaurants and food ingredients industries, and products made with it – particularly fried foods – may be able to use front-of-package nutrient content claims on saturated fat levels, such as “Low in Saturated Fat” or “No Saturated Fat,” depending on their overall nutritional profile. The company says that this continued innovation demonstrates Cargill’s ongoing efforts to remain focused on consumer health benefits, especially as the USDA and Health and Human Services 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines encourage Americans to limit saturated fat intake to 10%of their daily calories.

Cargill notes that it has a solid track record of gathering market insights to deliver first-to-market specialty canola oils, recently adding a lower saturate variety and another with long-chain omega-3s to its portfolio. This next generation of canola oil demonstrates, claims Cargill, its ongoing leadership in specialty oils, as it now aims to offer the lowest saturate level on the market – surpassing its latest high oleic canola oil, recently announced under the Clear Valley® brand at 4.5% saturate levels.

“The partnership demonstrates our ongoing commitment to developing nutritious products for consumers, with the superior performance and sensory attributes that our customers have come to expect from Cargill’s edible oils portfolio,” said Lorin Debonte, Cargill research and development. “We continue to look for new ways to build upon our capabilities and innovate in a responsible way, and this collaboration was essential to making this discovery.”

This commitment to saturated fat reduction led to Cargill’s partnership with Precision BioSciences in 2014. Since then, the two companies have worked together to lower saturate levels in canola oil, leveraging Cargill’s expertise in gene identification, and Precision BioSciences’ technology that edits the targeted genes. The partnership is said to strengthen Cargill’s technical portfolio, allowing it to further innovate on behalf of its customers.

“Partnerships that enable innovation across the supply chain are absolutely essential to bridge the gap between agriculture and human health,” said Fayaz Khazi, President, Precision PlantSciences. “This collaboration exemplifies the dedication of both companies toward making a health-centric global impact.”