One of the first products, DuPont's high-oleic soyabean, which yields an oil lower in artery-clogging saturated fats, is now awaiting regulatory approval in Europe.
He searched for years and eventually lighted on a mixture of oleic acid (a fatty acid found in various vegetable oils) and nitrogen-containing compounds called amines.
The extract contains oleic acid, a compound that can bind with the stone and protect it, according to Dr. Karen Wilson of the Cardiff School of Chemistry at Cardiff University in Wales.