Corn products and methods for their production

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a subgroup of corn lines comprised of plants that produce seeds having low saturated fatty acid content. The plants disclosed herein can be used to produce low saturated corn material predictably, via conventional methods. Further, the plants disclosed herein can be used to produce commercially acceptable hybrids having lower saturated fat content.

1 . An assemblage of corn seeds having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0% by weight relative to the total fatty acid content of said seed.  
   
   
       2 . The assemblage of corn seeds according to  claim 1 , wherein said mean saturate content is less than about 6.7% by weight.  
   
   
       3 . The assemblage of corn seeds according to  claim 1 , wherein said mean saturate content is less than about 6.0% by weight.  
   
   
       4 . The assemblage of corn seeds according to  claim 1 , said seeds being obtained from a plant or plants belonging to a corn line selected from the group consisting of LS0417, LS1498, LS288, or sublines produced therefrom.  
   
   
       5 . The assemblage of corn seeds according to  claim 4 , wherein said seeds are obtained from a plant or plants belonging to the LS 1498 corn line, or sublines produced therefrom.  
   
   
       6 . A corn plant that produces seeds having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0% by weight relative to the total fatty acid content of said seeds.  
   
   
       7 . The corn plant according to  claim 6 , wherein said plant displays a waxy phenotype.  
   
   
       8 . The corn plant according to  claim 6 , wherein said plant is a hybrid.  
   
   
       9 . The corn plant according to  claim 8 , wherein said hybrid displays a waxy phenotype.  
   
   
       10 . The corn plant according to  claim 6 , wherein said corn plant belongs to a corn line selected from the group consisting of LS1498, LS288, and LS0417, or sublines produced therefrom.  
   
   
       11 . The corn plant according to  claim 10 , wherein said corn plant belongs to the LS1498 corn line.  
   
   
       12 . A commercially acceptable hybrid corn plant that produces seeds having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0% by weight relative to the total fatty acid content of said seed, said seeds being the product of a cross between 
 (a) a first parent from a corn line that is true breeding for saturate content; and    (b) a second parent from a second corn line.    
   
   
       13 . A corn oil produced from the assemblage of seeds of  claim 1 , said oil having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0% by weight relative to the total fatty acid content of said oil.  
   
   
       14 . The corn oil according to  claim 13 , wherein the mean saturate content is less than about 6.7%.  
   
   
       15 . The corn oil according to  claim 14 , wherein the mean saturate content is less than about 6.0%.  
   
   
       16 . A method for producing low saturate corn material, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) obtaining a plurality of corn seeds having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0%;    (b) growing out said plurality of corn seeds to obtain a population of corn plants;    (c) intermating plants comprising said population to produce first seeds;    (d) subjecting said first seeds to selection based on saturate content, such that a predetermined saturate percentage of said first seeds is retained and plants grown from said predetermined percentage of seeds are intermated to produce second seeds;    (e) with said second seeds obtained, repeating steps (b), (c), and (d) at least once, whereby plants producing seeds that have a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0% by weight are obtained.    
   
   
       17 . A method for producing corn oil having a saturate content of less than about 7.0% comprising the steps of: 
 obtaining an assemblage of seeds having a mean saturate content of less than about 7.0%; and    extracting the oil from said seeds to yield corn oil having a saturate of less then about 7.0%.