
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 2, 1994                   TAG: 9411020064
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                  LENGTH: Short

HYBRID CANOLA APPROVED

Calgene Inc., the company that genetically engineered a tomato to stay ripe longer, has won approval to grow and ship a hybrid plant full of the fats used to make shampoos and detergents.

Oddly enough, the Davis, Calif., company will use genetic engineering on canola, known for producing a cooking oil low in saturated fats, to make the seeds that produce laurate.

Laurate is a fatty acid found in palm kernel and coconut oils, on the forbidden list for health-conscious diners but prized for making soaps, detergents and shampoos. Laurate oils also are used for non-dairy coffee ``whiteners'' and whipped toppings.

The approval was announced Tuesday by the Agriculture Department.

``The commercial production of laurate canola will offer, for the first time, a stable domestic supply of laurate to be used in products ranging from laundry detergent to shampoo,'' said Andrew Baum, president of Calgene's oils division.

``Development of a dependable supply of a key raw material used by a range of industries further demonstrates the benefits of agricultural biotechnology to American farmers and consumers,'' he said.

Canola is a minor U.S. crop, although production has steadily increased, according to Agriculture Department figures. Europe and Canada are the major world suppliers.

Canola is a form of rapeseed developed in Canada during the 1960s. The name is a shortened version of the descriptive ``Canada oil-low acid.''

by CNB