As a by product of more valuable cotton fibre, cottonseed oil (CSO) in its current form is widely used in its current form in various food applications around the world. In order to maintain and expand the market use of CSO, CRDC and CSIRO has co-invested in the genetic modification of CSO in previous years and this has led to the development of MonoCott, the worlds first nutritionally improved and value-added CSO. The distinct feature of the novel germplasm is its radically altered seed oil composition containing a five-fold increase in oxidative stable and heart healthy oleic acid, and concomitant major reductions in nutritionally undesirable fatty acids, including palmitic and cyclopropenoid fatty acids. MonoCott is the ultimate outcome of several previous CRDC, CRC/CSIRO projects on genetic modification of CSO. The radical re-design of fatty acid composition which has been successfully modified to address the consumer concerns over the saturated and trans fatty acids should enable CSO to compete more effectively with rival vegetable oils such as canola and soybean oils.

This project concerns OCTR approved seed increase under field conditions including the evaluation of MonoCott for its physiological and agronomic performance under typical Australian cotton farming conditions. The information and data collected through this project is pivotal for potential commercialisation of this germoplasm. The seeds increased through the trial can also provide necessary raw materials for functional evaluations by various industries including the food, feed and biodiesel industries.