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Processingconference to

openNovember 12

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

Welcoming remarks from EnriqueGarda-Gamez, president of Asociaci6nNacional de Industriales de Acehes yMantecas Comestibles (ANlAME), willopen the week-long World Conferenceand Exhibition on Oilseed Processingand Utilization in Cancun, Mexico.

ANIAME is the national fats and oilsindustry association in Mexico.

The conference, set for Nov. 12-17,2000, will be held at the Moon PalaceResort. AOes is sponsoring the eventand has organized an opening mixer onSunday, Nov. 12, with a "Taste ofMexico" theme. In addition, a "Nightwith the Mayans" beach dinner isscheduled for Thursday evening, Nov.16. Three tours will be offered foraccompanying persons during the week:archaeological site visits at Chichen Inaand at Tuhim, and a cultural/shoppingexcursion.

Approximately four dozen speakersare scheduled to share their expertise onoilseed processing and utilization(Inform 11 :848-849). Organizersexpect approximately 50 exhibitors toparticipate in the exposition.

Nearly two dozen organizationsfrom five continents are lisred as"participating organizations" for themeeting. Participating organizationshelped distribute information aboutthe event and have an opportunity tomake recommendations on program content.

Participating organizations for theCancun event include: AboissaRepresernacoes SIC Lrda. (Brazil), All-Russia Scientific Research Institute ofFats (ARSRlF; Russia), Asian VegetableResearch and Development Center(Taiwan), Asociaci6n Nacional deIndustriales de Aceires y MantecasComestibles, A.C. (ANlAME; Mexico),Asociaci6n Argentina de Grasas y

Aceires (ASAGA; Argentina ), DeutscheGesellschah fur Fenwissenschaft (DGF;Germany), Food Protein Research andProduct Development (USA), Instituteof Shortening and Edible Oils, Inc.(USA), Institution of AgriculturalEngineers (United Kingdom),International Fishmeal & OilManufacturers Associarion (UnitedKingdom), International Feed IndustryFederation (IFIF; United Kingdom),Latin American Section of the AOes(Chile), Learherhead Food RA (UnitedKingdom), Malaysian Palm Oil Board(MPOB; Malaysia), Meat and FatResearch Institute (Poland), NationalSunflower Association (USA), NationalCOttonseed Products Association(USA), Nigeria Association for FatResearch (NAFR; Nigeria), Pakistan OilTechnologists' Society (Pakistan), pasPilot Plant Corporation (Canada),SBOG~Brazilian Oil and Fats Society(Brazil), Scottish Crop ResearchInstitute (United Kingdom), and theSolvent Extractors' Association of India(India).

Conference registration information anda derailed technical session list are availablefrom me AOCS Meetings Department, P.O.Box 3489, Champaign, n, 61826~3489(phone: 217~359~2344; fax: 217-351-8091;e-mail: meetings@aocs.org; netlink:wwwaocs.org/prcces.hrm].

EXPOSITION

Thirty-three organizations had signedcontracts as of mid-August to parnci-pate in me exposition

The exposition offers an opportunityfor the participating organizations toshowcase their latest products and ser-vices, as well as an opportunity for con-ference participants to ask questionsconcerning diverse aspects of equip-

menr, supplies, and services from aninternational cadre of technical experts.

Those organizations signed on as ofmid-August were:

• ACDUVOCA, 1008 Sth se., SuiteB, Sacramento, CA 95814 (phone: 916-556-1620; fax: 916-556-1630)

• Alfa Laval, 200 S. Park Blvd.,Greenwood, IN 46143 (phone: 317-889-2465; fax: 317-889-2466)

• Andreoni In pi anti S.p.A., ViaPetrosa 8, SestO Fiorentino, Florence50019, Italy (phone: 39-55-449-0764;fax: 39-55-449-1785)

• AOCS Press, 2211 W. BradleyAve., Champaign, IL 61821 (phone:217-359-2344; fax: 217-351-8091)

• Atlas-Stord Denmark NS, FoodDivision, Bjerring Breves 116, Redovre,DK-2610 Denmark (phone: 45-7027-1314; fax: 45-7027-1315)

• Bruker Mexicana SA de CV, Pico deSorata 280, #5 Jardines en la Montana,Mexico OF 14210, Mexico (phone: 52-5-630-5777; fax: 52-5-630-5746)

• Buhler S.A. de C.V., Carr. Mexico-Toluca, KM 62.5, c.P. 50071 Toluca,Esrado de Mexico (phone: 52-72-790·500; fax: 52-72-790-579)

• Chemrech International Lrd., 448Basingsroke Road, Reading BerksRG20LP, United Kingdom (phone: 44-1189-861-222; fax: 44-1 I 89-860·028)

• Coscuzloni Meccaniche BernardiniC.M.B. S.P.A., Via Dei Castelli Romani.2L, Pomezia (Rome), 00040 Italy(phone: 439-6-911-821; fax: 439-6-916-762)

• Crown Iron Works Company,2500 W. County Road C, Roseville,MN 55113 (phone: 651-639-8900; fax:651-639-8051)

• De Smet Group, PrinsBondewijnlaan 265, Edegen, Antwerp2650, Belgium (phone: 32-3-444-0400;

fax: 32-3-444-0444)• Garioni Naval, Viale Dei Cadoe. 3,

Casteltiella Brescia, 25030 Italy (phone:39-30-268-1541; fax: 39-30-268-0910)

• Gianaua Technology S.r.L, VialeCadorna 78, Legnano, 20025 Italy(phone: 39-331-546381; fax: 39-331-546342)

• Grace Davison, Prol. Paseo de laReforma 61-PH PH Col Paseu de lasLomas, Mexico, OF 01210, Mexico(phone: 52-5-267-1411; fax: 52-5-267-1445)

• Industrial Filter & Pump Mfg. Co.,5900 W. Ogden Ave., Cicero, IL 60804(phone: 708-656-7800; fax: 708-656-7806)

• lnsta-Pro International, 10104Douglas Ave., Des Moines, lA 50322(phone: 515-254-1260; fax: 515-276·5749)

• IPH, subsidiary of Ag Processing,12700 W. Dodge Rd., Omaha, NE68103-2047 (phone: 402-430-5284;fax: 402-498-5558)

• LFC North America lnc., 20000Governors Dr., Olympia Fields, IL60461 (phone: 708-481-4432)

• Lurgi PSI tnc., 1790 KirbyParkway, Suite 300, Memphis, TN38138 (phone: 901-756·8250; fax: 901-756-8253)

• Malaysian Palm Oil CouncilAmerica, 875 W. Michigan Ave.,#2644, Chicago, IL 60611 (phone: 312-944-3180; fax: 312-944-1272)

• N. Hunt Moore & Associates Inc.,3951 Senator Sr., Memphis, TN 38118(phone: 901-362-3267)

• Netzsch Inc., 119 Pickering Way,Exton, PA 19341-1393 (phone: 310·363-8010; fax: 610-363-0971)

• Nickelhutte Aue GmbH, Rudolf-Breitscheid-Strasse, Aue Sachsen, D·08280 Germany (phone: 49-3771-505-

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307; fax: 49-3771-505-209)• Noctorom International Co. Ltd.,

50 Lavender Way, London, OntarioN5X 3H9, Canada (phone: 519-642-4777; fax: 519-642-1556)

• Oil Dri Corporation of America,410 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 400,Chicago, IL 60611-1432 (phone: 312-321-9525)

• Pall Corporation, 25 Harbor ParkDr., Port Washington, NY 11050(phone: 516-484-3600; fax: 516-484-3877)

• Panamerican Enterprises lnc., 13Edgewater Pl., Brownsville, TX 78521(phone: 956-546-8297; fax: 956-544-7469)

• R&D Equipment Company Inc.,2428 Gravel Dr., Fort Worth, TX76118 (phone: 817-590-9396; fax: 817·590-9399).

• Riley Equipment Inc., 2205 S. OldDecker Rd., Vincennes, IN 47591-0435(phone: 812-886-5500; fax: 812-886-5515)

• Roskamp Champion, 2975 AirlineCircle, Waterloo, LA 50704 (phone:319-232-8444; fax: 319-232-2773)

• S.A. Fractionnemenr Tirriaux, Ruede Fleurjoux 8, Fleurus B6220, Belgium(phone: 32-7181-3787; fax: 32-7-181-7024)

• Sud-Chemic Group, Av. lnsur-gentes Sur 1971-Torre Sur - Piso 5,Mexico D.E 01020, Mexico (phone:52-5-661-4872; fax: 52-5-661-7286)

• Svnerix, P.O. Box 1, Belesls Ave.,Cleveland T523 ILB, United Kingdom(phone: 44·1642-523-434; fax: 44-1642-522-542)

• Westfalia Separator Food TeeGmbH, Werner-Habig-Strasse I, Oelde,NRW D59302, Germany (phone: 49-252-277-384; fax: 49-252-277-1794).

Volume I I • October 2000 - Inform

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EuropeanSection

meets inHelsinki

Some or the 16Sputiclpanu in the AOeS European Section'l thir'd meeting take abN!ak during the meeting ~ier this year In Hellinkl, Finland. Pardo;ipanu amerrom 11 nadons.

The third meering of the EuropeanSection of AOCS drew 165 participantsfrom 22 nations ro sunny Helsinki June18-21.

The section meeting was organizedin collaboration with Lipidforum-theScandinavian Forum of Lipid Researchand Technology. Therefore, Scan-dinavian research was well representedamong the participants.

As in the previous two meetings ofthe AOCS European Section, the con-gress theme was "From Basic Science toIndustrial Applications" and the pro-gram was planned to combine the inter-ests of academic research and the foodindustry. The six sessions of the two-day meeting were: Functional Foods(Anu Hcpia and Ingmar Wester fromRaisio Beneccl Ltd., Finland, chairper-sons), Fatty Acids During EarlyDevelopment (Marja Mutanen from theUniversity of Helsinki, Finland, chair-person), Conjugated Linoleic Add(Jean-Louis Sebedio from INRA,France, chairperson), Lipid Oxidationand Antioxidants (Marina Heinonen

from University of Helsinki, Finlandand Karin Schwarz from the ChristianAlbrechts University Kiel, Germany,chairpersons), Marketing andConsumer Attitudes (Hasse Vinter fromHavelopmenr, Aarhus, Denmark, chair-person), and Processing and Technology(Etienne Deffense from Crystallizationand Degumming, Charleroi, Belgium,chairperson).

FUNCT10NAL FOODS

The functional foods session startedwith an introduction to a healthy dietby Martijn Karan from WageningenCenter for Food Sciences andWageningen University In TheNetherlands. His lecture on "Evidence-Based Functional Foods" stressed howimportant it is to know how to marketscientifically validated healthful foodsto consumers. Communicarion tools forconsumers include good taste and qual-ity of the product, packaging, price, andlegislation as well as consumer and pro-fessional marketing of [he product.Gerard Hamstra from the University of

This report was preparedby Erling Christiansen of Norway,Marina Heinonen of Finland, and

Ami HO/Jia of Fill/and.

Volume I I - October 2000 • Inform

Wageningen stressed the need forappropriate and science-based clinicalevidence for functional food products.

Bruce German, from the Universityof California-Davis, reviewed foodantioxidants, specifically the limitationsof the currently used biomarkers inantioxidant research. His message wasthat these markers are not powerfulenough tools to provide solid evidenceof a connection between health andanrioxidative nutrients. To get a clearerpicture of this relationship, he suggesteda new approach to antioxidant researchcombining quantitative nutritional dataand genomic research.

Marcel Lie Ken jie from Hong KongUniversity gave a stimulating presenta-tion on the topic "Functional FoodsBeyond Imagination." After introduc-ing a series of novel lipid moleculesfrom his research group to the audience,his challenging request was for func-tional food scientists to use their imagi-nations.

In addition to the aforementionedgeneral lectures, overviews were provid-ed on probiotics by Anur Ouwehandfrom the University of Turku, Finland;isoflavonoids by WitOld Mazur fromUniversity of Helsinki, Finland; andplant sterols by Ronald Mensink fromthe University of Wageningen, TheNetherlands.

CONJUGATED LINOLEIC

ACID (CLA)

The session on CLA was directed byJean-Louis Sebedio and consisted of 10lectures and three posters, which gave agood overview of the starus of the fieldtoday. The session fitted very well intothe main title of the meeting, whichdealt with fats from basic science toindustrial application. eLA also hadbeen emphasized during the functionalfoods session.

Martha Belury from PurdueUniversity in Indiana introduced thesession with a review of the effect ofCLA on carcinogenesis. She has beenvery active in the field, and also hascontributed to an understanding of themechanism for how CLA exerts itsaction. CLA inhibits multiple types ofcancers in experimental animals. It hasan effect on both the initiation and pro-motion Stages of carcinogenesis, andrecently it also has been found to inhib-it progression of rat mammary carcino-genesis. The leading current hypothesisfor the eLA effect on carcinogenesis isthrough stimulation of the nuclear hor-mone receptor involving the peroxi-some prolifernrcr-acrivared receptor(PPARa.). An elevated level of PPARamRNA and protein has also been foundin rumors of mice compared to normaltissue. The effect of CLA on breast can-cer was discussed by P. Bougnoux fromthe University of Tours, France. Inaddition to animal models where aninhibition or a delayed growth of breasttumors has been found, Bougnoux etof. have Studied 124 breast cancerpatients. They found, however, no rela-tion berween the CLA level in adiposebreast tissue and tumor size, and noassociation of CLA with axillary lymphnode invasion. This suggested that CLAis nor associated with clinical charac-teristics of breast cancer. The mecha-nisms for CLA's inhibitory effect oncancer growth and atherosclerosis werefurther studied by Klaus Wahle fromThe Rowen Research lnsrirure inAberdeen, Scotland. In this context, hefound that CLA increased the expres-sion of several redox enzymes (whichcould explain earlier suggestions rharCLA 3CtS as an antioxidant) andreduced induction of several cytokinesand the synthesis of some eicosanoidsas well as the formation of the second

1117

messenger diacylglycerol (DAG) in can-cer cells.

The influence of CLA supplementa-tion on body composition was presentedby Gerhard Jnhreis from the Universityof Leipzig, Germany. He studied theeffect of a daily six-month supplementa-tion of 7 g CLA-triacylglycerol(TG) to21 bodybuilders who were classified asbeginners or advanced athletes, and amixed group receiving a placebo diet(sunflowerseed oil). In the treatmentgroups, body fat decreased significantly,despite having a higher total energyintake by the end of the intervention.Bodycomposition was measured by bio-electrical impedance assessment.

The commercial synthesis of CLA bychemical means from linoleic acid waspresented by Asgeir Sebe from NaturalASA (Hovedbygda, Norway). He alsoshowed that e11,t13 CLA could beformed almost exclusively by heatingllO,e12. The strange observation is thatin a dt or tic configuration, doublebonds seem to move only in one direc-tion, and at the same time shift from adl to a tic or vice versa.

The synthesis of [1_14q isomers ofCLA was accomplished by Jean-PierreNoel from Gif sur Yvette Cedex,France. Rather t.han using the conven-tional method for labeling the fattyacids, which gave a low yield and isom-erization of the CLA, Noel's groupdeveloped a new procedure usingdichloroethylene as the starting materi-al. Reduction of the triple bond andtransformation of the protected alcoholinto a bromo derivative afforded theprecursor, which was finally labeledwith [14CI-C02' This gave (9c,11t)-and (10t,12c)-[l_14q-CLA of :>99%chemical and 99% isomeric purity. Thesame procedure is in progress for syn-thesis of (1_13q-CLA isomers forhuman studies. Furthermore, the appli-

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

IIl8

Meetings

Amona: the AOCS EuropeAn Sectlon offlc;en and board memben at thesection" 2000 meetlna: In Hel$lnkl _re (from left) Armand Christophe,Bela:ium;Ina:marWester, Finland; Anu Hopia, FinlAnd;CarmenDobva:Anes. Spain; J.L. 5ebedlo, Franc;e;ami SebutiAno Bannl, Italy.

cation of (9',11 1)-11-14q-CLA for syn-thesis of desarorarion and elongationproducts was presented in a poster byOlivier Berdeaux et af. from INRA inDijon, France.

The biological synthesis of CLA inthe lactating cow was presented byMikko Griinary. Feeding the cow withdifferent dietary oil supplements to abasal diet containing grass silage (richin fibers) and barley concentrate had agreat influence on the synthesis of transoctadecenoic acid isomers and CLA.The tested oils were rapeseed oil (oleicacid), soybean oil (linoleic acid), linseedoil (linolenic acid), and marine oil(eiccsapentaenc!c acid and docosa-hexaenoic acid), Both total trans mono-enes and CLA increased considerablywith these fiber-rich diets, in increasingorder respectively, with the marine oilsupplement producing the highest yield.

An improved analysis of CLA iso-mers was suggested by Paivi Perdjokifrom Valio Ltd., Finland. A combina-tion of gas chromatography (GC) andhigh-performance liquid chromamgra-phy (HPlC) proved to be the most suit-able method for idenrificarion of differ-

Volume I I • October 2000 ' Inform

enr isomers of ClA. Good results havebeen obtained with 100-120 m capil-lary GC columns with stationary polarphases, and Ag"-HPLC which can sepa-rate almost all the positional and geo-metric isomers of CLA. Analysis withan AT-2335 capillary GC column aloneseparated rhe 8t, IOc- and 9c,11 t-CLAisomers.

The oxidative stability of CLA wasstudied by Anu Hopia et al, from theUniversity of Helsinki. Results of thecomparison of the oxidative stability ofmethyl esters of farty acids were oleate> CLA > hnoleare. CLA oxidation,however, proceeds through formationof primary and secondary oxidationproducts as hydroperoxides, furan acidmethyl esters, carboxylic acid, andother polar decomposition products inlarger amounts than with oleic andlinoleic acids. Nevertheless, they repre-sent only a minor portion of oxidationproducts, and are formed during thelater State of oxidation.

The group of Sebasuano Banni fromthe University of Cagliari, Italy, hadthree presentations on metabolicaspects of CLA. They studied the influ-

ence of linoleic acid on the CLA desatu-ration and elongation products in ratliver. The metabolites were mostlyincorporated into neutral lipids, withthe exception of conjugated diene (CD)-20:4, which was mostly incorporatedinto phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)and phosphatidylinositol (PI). ClA andits metabolites CD 18:3 and 20:3 werepositively correlated to dietary CLAirrespective of dietary linoleic acid con-cenrrations. CD 20:4, however. wasaffected by linoleic acid. This may bedue to a competition with arachidonicacid (AA) for tissue phospholipid incor-poration. Dietary CLA, on the otherhand, decreased incorporation of AAinto phospholipids irrespective of thetype of fat present in the diet. Banni etal. also studied the incorporation ofvarious ClA isomers into liver lipids,where neutral lipids were the preferredstorage depot.

Incorporation of varius CLA isomersinto liver lipids was studied. Botht8,clO- and ell,tl3-CLA were incorpo-rated in the phospholipid fraction morethan the other isomers, and mostly intophosphatidylcholine (PC) and PI. TheCLA product CD 20:4 was in this studyfound predominantly in phos-pbatidylserine and PI, while AA (20:4)in ccnrrasr was incorporated into PCand PE.

Detection of peroxisomal I}·oxida-rion products of CLA was made withHPLC coupled with a diode array UVdetector. Both CD 16:2 and 16:3 werefound in rat liver and kidney. Thesewere probably derived from CLA andCD 20:4 peroxisomal oxidation.

For those interested in following theexplosion of later articles concernedwith CLA, the University of Wisconsinhas an updated database available onthe Internet (netlink: www.wisc.edulfrildarefs.htm).

FATTY ACIDS DURING EARLY

DEVELOPMENT

Gerard Hornstra from the Nutritionand Toxicology Research InstituteMaastricht, Maastricht University, TheNetherlands, discussed the significanceof maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA) intake for the neonatal PUFAstatus. Although it needs to be proventhat the biochemical PUFA status hasfunctional implications, Hornstra's datasuggest that increasing the maternalintake of essential fatty acids (EFA)andtheir desaruraticn and elongation prod-ucts (long-chain polyenes-LCP) duringpregnancy and lactation may be benefi-cial to both mother and child. Pilotstudies already have confirmed sugges-tions from correlation studies that theneonatal PUFA status can be increasedby increasing the EFAlLCP intake ofpregnant women. Since n-6 and n-SPUFAcompete for the same enzyme sys-tems, improvement of the neonatalPUFA status requires maternal supple-mentation with both PUFAfamilies.

Growth and development of terminfants: influencesof dietary PUFA,peri-natal and social characteristics was fur-ther discussed by Maria Makrides fromthe Child Nutrition Research Ceneer,Child Health Research Institute inAustralia. In order to assess the effect ofn-3 PUFA supplementation on growth,her research group has separately exam-ined the effectof altering the n-6/n-3 pre-cursor ratio and the effect of supplemen-tation with docosahexaenoic acid withand without AA in term infants. Theirdata support the conclusion that varia-tions in dietary PUFA or long-chainPUFAdo not influencegrowth of healthyterm infants to a clinically significantdegree. Furthermore, there was no evi-dence for safety concerns regarding sup-plementation of infant foods with long-chain PUFA.

Individualized dietary counselingaimed at reducing intake of saturatedfat and cholesterol led to lower serumcholesterol levelsduring a four-year fol-low-up of STRIP (Special Turku coro-nary Risk factor Intervention Project)children. The results of this Finnish pro-ject was presented by Pia 5alo from theDepartment of Pediatrics, UniversityCentral Hospital of Turku, Finland. Theintake of saturated fat was lower andthat of PUFA was higher in the inter-vention than in the control children atand after the age of 13 months. Duringinfancy, breasrrnilk or formula feedinghad a Strong impact on the fatty acidcomposition of serum cholesterol esters,whereas during intervention, between13 months and 5 years of age, the fattyacid composition of serum cholesterolesters did not differ between interven-don and control groups. The fatty acidcomposition of [he triglyceride fractionof 5-year-old STRIP children was moresensitive in detecting the difference indietary fat quality between interventionand control groups than cholesterolester and phospholipid fractions; thetriglyceride Fraction showed differencesbetween the rwo groups that were par-allel with the calculated fatty acidintakes from the food records. Theintake of linoleic and of trans 18:1 fattyacids correlated well with the respectivepercentages in serum lipid fractions.

The session also included presenra-rions about fatty acids in [he diet ofyoung diabetic children (Suvi Virtanen,University of Tampere, Finland) andabsorption of structured rriacylglycerols(Huiling Mu from the Departmenr ofBiochemistry & Nutrition, TechnicalUniversity of Denmark).

LIPID OXIDATION-

FROM FOOO TO COSMETICS

The session on lipid oxidation and

1139

antioxidants opened with an invited lec-ture by Nedyalka V. Yanishlieva-Maslarova from [he Institute of OrganicChemistry, Bulgarian Academy ofSciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. She presentedresults from many experiments designedto understand the activity and mecha-nism of action of natural antioxidantssuch as p-hydrobenzoic, vanillic, syring-ic, 3,4-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric,ferulic, sinapic and caffeic acids; (1-

tocopherol, carnosol, esculetin, esculin,fraxetin, fraxin, quercetin, morin, thy-mol, carvacrol and beta-carotene. It wasestablished that the antioxidant activitydepended strongly on the oxidationconditions, and that their kinetic behav-ior during bulk phase oxidation differedfrom that during liposome oxidation.Moreover, in an antioxidant-free lipidsystem j!-carotene did not show anyanrioxidarive protection, whereas in thepresence of tocopherols it worked as asynergist. Contradictory to the latterresult. in vitro antioxidant effect of nat-ural carotenoid extracts on the oxida-tion of 10% sunflower-oil-in wateremulsions initiated by AAPH [2,2 azo-bis(2-amidinopropane )dihydrochloride1was presented as a poster (S.N. Kiokiasand M.H. Gordon, Department of FoodScience and Technology, University ofReading, United Kingdom).

The significance of lipid oxidationand action of natural antioxidants wasdiscussed from the point of view of dif-ferenr raw materials such as meat, dairyproducts, olive oil, mayonnaise and petfoods. In meat products ascorbate,spices, and nitrate can be added asantioxidants to diminish the rare of oxi-dation. According [0 Karl-Otto Honikelfrom the Federal Center for MeatResearch in Kulmbach, Germany, feedsupplemenration also may double theconcentration of vitamin E and retardoxidative processes.

Volume I I • October 2000 • In'o""

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Effecr of lactoferrin on oxidation ofinfant formulas was presented by EdwinN. Frankel from the Department ofFood Science and Technology,University of California-Davis.Lactaferrin is an iron-transport proteinpresent in human milk at an averageconcentration of 1.4 mglmL.Commercially modified infant formulasbased on cow's milk contain muchlower amounts of lactoferrin (0.1mgfmL lactoferrin) and soy-based for-mulas have none. In addition to its rolein iron transport, lacroferrin has bacte-riostatic and bactericidal activities.Infant formulas are supplemented withrelatively large amounts of iron (up to12 mglmL). Lacrofernn was shown toinhibit oxidation in a concentration-dependent manner, even at concentra-tions beyond its capacity to selectivelybind iron at its two high-affinity bind-ing sites. Thus, lacrcferrin can be usedas a dual-purpose additive in infant for-mulas and similar food products for irsantioxidant and antimicrobial proper-ties.

Maria Tsimidou from AristotleUniversity of Thessalcniki, Departmentof Chemistry, Laboratory of FoodChemistry and Technology in Greecemaintained that the long shelf life of vir-gin olive oil is widely accepted almost asan axiom. Past experience of producers,traders, and traditional consumers indi-cated that, if properly stored in darkcool places, the oil might resist autoxi-dation for over 24 months. The stabili-ty of virgin olive oil is related to thepresence of polar phenols, mainlyhydroxyryrosol and derivatives.However, virgin olive oil is a pool ofnaturally encountered antioxidants andpro-oxidants. Among them tocoph-erols, sterols, chlcrophylls, carorenoids,hydrocarbons, free fany acids, and traceamounts of metals also may contribute

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

to the overall stability of the oil in thedark or under exposure to light. Thelevels of these compounds depend onthe characteristics and maturity stage ofthe olive, the extraction technology, andthe means of storage. Olive oil was alsoa subject of many posters, such as com-parison of the oxidative stabilities ofvirgin olive oil and cold-pressed rape-seed oil (A, Koski et 01., Division ofFood Chemistry, Department ofApplied Chemistry and Microbiology,University of Helsinki, Finland) andoxidative decomposition of virgin oliveoil using electron paramagnetic reso-nance spectroscopy (0, Skouras et 01.,Industrial Enzymology Unit, Institute ofBiological Research and Biotechnology,The National Hellenic ResearchFoundation, Athens, Greece).

Charlotte Jacobsen from theDepartment of Seafood Research,Danish Institute for FisheriesResearch, Technical University ofDenmark, showed that increasing con-centrations of ascorbic acid increasedthe formation of fishy off-flavors inmayonnaise.

Furthermore, ascorbic acid addi-tion increased the concentration ofiron in the aqueous phase of mayon-naise, white it decreased in the oil-water interphase, This finding suggeststhat ascorbic acid was able to releaseiron from the egg yolk proteins at theoil-water interphase of mayonnaise,and that the released iron subsequent-ly decomposed preexisting lipidhydroperoxides to secondary oxida-rion products (off-flavors).

According to Koen Schwarzer fromKemin Europe N.V., Belgium, in petfood and extruded product manufac-ture programs, one goal is to avoidquality losses due to autoxidation.Many different raw materials are usedparticularly in pet food manufactur-

ing. Some raw materials, such as fish,poultry and lamb protein meals, areproduced at sites remote from theireventual use. This results in aninevitable delay between productionof a raw material and its eventual con-sumption by the animal. The extrusionprocess has become popular since thismakes the nutrients more digestiblefor the animal. However the physicalstructure of many raw materials, suchas cereals, is altered. Cell walls of cere-als are disrupted and starches are gela-tinized. These modifications, togetherwith the high inclusion level of pro-teins and lipids in the diets and thetime interval between production andconsumption, encourage spoilage.Water activity and its relationshiptoward shelf life are important issues,The use of extruders or expanders forthe manufacture of high-quality prod-UCtSrequires great care in the selectionof the raw materials. The processingsteps and interaction of different rawmaterials influence the shelf life of thefinal products,

Klaus R. Schroder from HenkelKGaA, Dusseldorf, Germany, dis-cussed the significance of oxidationand antioxidants in cosmetics. In for-mer times, antioxidants in cosmeticswere added as formulation aids toinhibit fatty acid rancidiry in creamformulations owing [0 ambient oxy-gen and UV irradiation. Since then,increased attention has been drawn tobeneficial effects of antioxidants [0

human skin. Nowadays an increasingnumber of ingredients are arriving inthe market from various sources, i.e.plant extracts or derivatives, Thequestion arises how to detect and eval-uate efficient antioxidarive ingredientsable to protect the skin from internalor external oxidative stress. Oxidativestress induces several adverse reac-

[ions on a cell, affecting either itsintegrity or its redox status. This pre-sentation also included discussionsabout toxicological aspects regardingthe safery in use of antioxidants aswell as the requirements that antioxi-dant sources and formulated ingredi-ents have to fulfill with respect toacceptability in the market.

The session also included presenta-tions about singlet oxygen lipid oxida-tion in foods (David B. Min,Department of Food Science andTechnology, Ohio State University,Columbus, Ohio) and about new dataon oxidant stress, oxidized lipids andcholesterol homeostasis (D. Blachefrom INSERM U498, Biochimie desLipoproteioes, Universire deBourgogne, Dijon, France).

The besr poster award was presentedto Margree Bragad6ttir from IcelandicFisheries Laboratories, Reykjavik,Iceland, for her poster "Effect of FishMeal Processing on Endogenous Anti-and Pro-oxidants in Capelin (Ma/Jotlfs

villosus)." The best poster was selectedfrom 22 posters.

MARKETING AND CONSUMER

ATTITUDES

In the session on marketing and con-sumer attitudes, Lars Lindmark fromLipidcc Development Hb, Sweden, dis-cussed a successful marketing strategyfor functional foods, including: Claimsand Supportable Evidence; ProductProposition and Positioning; EffectiveCommunication Strategy.

Fish oils have been marketed inmany ways over the years. For example,cod liver oil is available in capsules,concentrates, aluminum rubes, and sin-gle-dosage forms, among others. Theseoils also have been marketed as a foodenrichment ingredient. Many studies,including the recent GISSY study fromitaly, have been made showing thenutritional benefits to be derived frompackaging of fish oil for sale. Regardingquality, it has generally improved dur-ing the years, but bad-tasting fish oil

11 .. 1

causing "fish burps" is still produced,according to Hasse Vinter fromHavelopment, Food Business Center,Aarhus, Denmark. Vinter said manythings are still missing regarding com-munication to consumers, such as "sim-ple messages" as to what is the recom-mended dosage. He added that recom-mendations for the fish oil industrymust include "to work much closertogether to prepare convincing data andsimple agreed messages for the educa-tion of health authorities (to acceptnutritional claims) and the consumers."

Ignace Debruyne from the AmericanSoybean Association Europe, Brussels,Belgium, talked about new develop-ments in soybean and soybean oil :IS

new soybean varieties with improvedprotein, oil, carbohydrate, and/or phy-rochemical composition are in develop-memo lnrroduction and valorizationwill require well-controlled identitypreservation systems. "Advances inCrop Biotechnology: Something Old,Something New" was the topic for

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Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

11-42

'How can we extractand utilize untapped

genetic diverstiyin soybean

(or any other crop)?'

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

Richard F. Wilson from the U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA)Agricultural Research Service inRaleigh, North Carolina. He nored thatalthough biotechnology often is regard-ed strictly as transgenic research, genet-ic improvement of soybean (Glyd"emax) began over 5,000 years ago withthe introduction of wild soybeans(Glycine soia) into China. These ances-tors of cultivated soybean exhibited awide range of generic diversity for traitsthat range from leaf shape to [he genesthat govern oil composition. The ques-tion becomes, how can we extract andutilize untapped genetic diversity in soy-bean (or any other crop)? The answer isthrough biotechnology, with the under-standing that this science involves inte-gration of genetic knowledge gainedfrom conventional breeding, genomics,transgenic and future methods, such aschimeraplasry.

Hdkan Chnsrensscn fromKarlshamns AB, Sweden, talked aboutorganic oils constituting a new demandfrom the consumer marker. Consumers'increasing concern about the environ-ment is the main reason for choosingorganic products over traditional prod-ucts. The environmental concern isbacked up by some retailers, who havea clear goal to have an organic profileand want to achieve a certain level oforganic products sales. A second impor-tant factor for the rise in demand fororganic products is the various foodsafety issues discussed in the media,including the BSE (bovine spongiformencephalopathy) and dioxin-contami-nared food episodes. Genetic modjfica-rion (GM) of, for instance, soybeansalso has raised consumers' awareness offood safety questions. Organic productscould be one way to ensure that the rawmaterial is of non-GM origin.

PROCESSING AND

TECHNOLOGY

In the session on processing and technol-ogy, Wim De Greyt from De SmetGroup, Edegem, Belgium discussed cont-aminants and valuable minor compo-nents in edible oils with respect towhether they should be removed orrecovered. Edible oils and fats are knownsources of valuable minor components(sterols, tocopherols, hydrocarbons, phe-nolic antioxidants) with apparent posi-tive nutritional aspects. Today, some ofthem are used as "active" ingredients infunctional foods (e.g., plant sterols inmargarines) or as nurraceuricals (e.g.,vitamin E capsules). Consequently, edibleoil refiners have an increased interest toremove these components during therefining process and to recover them inthe deodorizer distillate. In this way, theadded value of the distillate can beincreased considerably.

On the other hand, some crude oils(e.g., coconut oil, fish oils, etc.) may alsocontain unwanted contaminants such aspesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocar-bons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and, inthe worst case, dioxins and furans. Thesecomponents are classified as persistentorganic pollutants. They are of concernbecause of their toxicity and their persis-tence in [he environment. Due to theirlipophilicity, they accumulate in oils andfars. These components can be removedduring [he edible oil refining process byadsorption on specific lipophilic adsor-bents (activated carbon) or by distillation.

Sefa S. Koseoglu from Food ProteinResearch and Development Center,Texas A&M University System, present-ed new technologies in oils and fats bydiscussing membrane refining of oilsand fats. Use of membrane separationsin the edible oil industry has nor mate-rialized due to the lower stability of

commercial membranes. Also, recentlower overall profit margins of the edi-ble oil industry have prevented theprocessors from looking at more riskybut promising technologies such asmembranes. In recenr years, the majcrl-ry of membrane-based applications inthe oilseed extraction and edible oilrefining industry have been evaluated atthe laboratory scale. Only a few havereached pilot plant-scale testing levels,which could be commercialized withinthe next five years.

Applicability of chemically modifiedvegetable oils for printing inks endlubricants was discussed by Sevim Z.Erhan from Oil Chemical Research,USDA National Center for AgriculturalUtilization Research, Peoria, Illinois. Atthe Oil Chemical Research Unit, theprincipal efforts focus on modifying thechemical and physical properties of veg-etable oils (emphasizing soybean oil) toenhance their use as an additive or as amajor component of value-added indus-trial products. One area is the prepara-tion of 100% vegetable oil-based inkvehicles and formulations. They arecosr-competirive with petroleum-basedinks and have better quality factors andenvironmental properties, such asbiodegradability, lower content ofvolatile organic compounds and gooddeinkabiliry, A second area is the chem-ical modification of vegetable oils togive properties necessary for biodegrad-able lubricant baseseocks.Improvements in oxidative stability andlow-temperature performance are thekey focus areas. A laboratory test pro--tocol to evaluate lubricant properties isbeing developed to avoid costly fieldtesting.

The session also included a presenta-tion by Paavo Kalo from the UniversityofHelsinki, Department of Applied

Chemistryand Microbiology,Finland, OD

the chromatographic and mass spectro-metric srudy of lipase-modifiedbutteroil.

New conceptsin lipid researchThis report is by KIm Berger. a consul-tant based in London, England.On July 11, the Oils & Fats Group ofthe Society of Chemical Industry held ahalf-day meeting to give research stu-dents and graduates recently employedin the industry an opportunity to dis-cuss their work. As on previous occa-sions, the program proved varied andstimulating.

Eleni Papanronidu from theUniversity of Reading, England, isstudying the significance of [he endoge-nous lipids of flour on the quality ofshort-dough biscuits (cookies). Thesebiscuits contain up to 30% added short-ening and it would be nutritionallydesirable to reduce the fat cement with-out a loss of quality. Basic informationabout the role of the flour lipids wasneeded. The flour was defatted and theextracted lipids (1.5-2.5% of the flour)were fractionated into their nonpolar(rrtecvlglvcerol) and polar (phospho-and glycolipid) parts. Biscuits madewith the usual level of shortening andthe defatted flour were compared withthe standard product before and afteradding back the extracted fractions.The defarred flour produced biscuits ofsmaller diameter and reduced height,resulting in a higher density and hardertexture. Their color was darker, Qualitywas restored when the total extract wasadded back. When only the polar lipids(35% of the extract) were added back,there was a big improvement in quality,whereas the nonpolar extract had littleeffect on quality. Future work will

lloil

examine the function of individualpolar compounds.

S.N. Kiokias, a second Reading Stu-dent, is comparing the antioxidanteffects of various carorencids in naturalextracts. The subsrrare chosen was a10% emulsion of sunflower seed oil inwater. Oxidation was initiated by AAPH[2,2 azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) dihy-drochlcride]. Experiments were carriedout at 60°C in a 5% oxygen atmosphere.

The antioxidant activity of ~-carotene was proportional to concen-tration in the range of 2-10 mM,whereas lycopene (tomato extract) waspro-oxidant. The polar carorenoids alsoacted as radical scavengers. Lutein(marigold flowers), buxin and ncbixin(anano) and capsanrhin, and capsoru-bin (from paprika) were studied. Somesynergistic effects were obtained whenthe carorenoids were used together witha-tocopherol.

During the discussion it was pointedout that the Bcarcrene concentrationsbeing studied in the model systemwould impart very strong colors infoods, which would likely be unaccept-able to consumers.

Sunantha Chatrattanakuncha fromBristol University is studying the pro-duction of long-chain PUFAin the fun-gus Mortierella atpina. The desarura-tion step involving the .6.5-desaturaserequires the substrate fatty acid to beattached at the 511-2position of phos-phaeidylcholine (PC). This attachmentis promoted by Iysophosphatidylcholineacyl transferase (LPCAT). Chat-rattanakuncha used sesamin, a lignanfrom sesame oil, to inhibit the ASdesar-urase and then found that the ratio ofdihornc-j-linclenic acid (DGHLA) toarachidonic acid increased from 0: 11 inthe absence of sesamin to 1:09. In themicrosomal membrane, a concentration

VOlume I I - October 2000 - Inform

II...

of 20~M sesamin reduced LPCAT activ-ity to zero. It was concluded thatDHGLA was an intermediate in the syn-thesis of long-chain PUFA by the fungus.

Another student from Bristol, SophieAillaud is taking part in the continuingprogram there, that investigates the useof lipid analyses in archaeologicalresearch. Ailiaud has incubated olive oilwith pottery shards for rwo years andextracted the lipids for analysis to deter-mine the type of degradation productsformed. Solvent extraction was fol-lowed by alkali treatment to releaseboth "free" and "bound" lipids.Oxidation resulted in new carboxylgroups at the end of farry acid chainsand in mid-chain hydroxylation. Therewere short-chain farry acid and diacids.The remains of a pottery oil lamp ofA.D. 1100-1500 were extracted.Analysis showed the presence of di-acidand hydroxy compounds, indicatingthat olive oil and castor oil were used asilluminants.

Alasdair Waters, also from BristolUniversity, is exploring the mechanismsof triglyceride synthesis. The acylationof diacylglycerol by the specific enzymediacylglycerol acyl transferase requiresacyl-CoA as the acyl donor. However,Waters' study of microsomal membranepreparations from sunflower indicatesthat macylgtycerol is formed withoutacyl-CoA in this system. Alremarivesynthesis routes are being investigated,using radiolabeled substrates andenzyme inhibitors.

Yuanda Song and Yonghua Li areinvolved in a program at HullUniversity to develop the use of fungifor the synthesis of long-chain PUFA.Song has been studying the malicenzyme involved in fatty acid biosynthe-sis in the fungus Mucor circinefloides.She has found that there are six iso-forms of the enzyme with different elec-

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

trophoretic mobilities. Of the six, fivewere involved in anaerobic growth, butonly three in aerobic growth. One of thelatter was found only in aerobicgrowth, and this form was associatedwith a slow growth rate and lipid accu-mulation.

Li has studied the dynamics of cellgrowth in the same fungus, as related togas concentration. The lipid develop-ment rate increased sharply only whennitrogen was depleted, whereas biomasscontinued to increase at a steady rate,but slowed as dissolved oxygen reacheda maximum. The behavior could beexplained by changes in activity of thekey enzymes involved.

The biology of soils is very difficult tostudy because of its complex composi-tion. The technique of stable carbon iso-tope analysis, used at Bristol Universityin a number of projects, is being appliedto soils by Paul Chamberlin in collabo-ration with the Merlewood ResearchCenter for Ecology and the University ofYork. The Collembola class of anhro-pods is ubiquitous in soil and lineraround the world. They are 3--6 mmlong, and the carbon isotope ratio13a12c can be measured by analyzingall the carbon of the lipids of the insect.This approach has been used to investi-gate the insect's feeding preferences. Thecarbon isotope ratio of the insect isderived from its feed. The carbon iso-tope ratio of plants is different depend-ing on whether the plants use the C3synthetic pathways (as in sugar beet) orthe C4 pathway, as in sugar cane.

The feeding preference ofCollembola between a fungusCladisporium dadisporides and anematode Panagrellus rediuivus wasstudied. The substrates were grown oneither C3 sugar or C4 sugar. The carbonturnover rate in the arthropod wasdetermined. It was then offered a choice

for an appropriate period between"c3n Ctadisporiion and "C,,"Panagrellns. The resultant analysisshowed the arthropod took a mixeddiet, but showed a preference forCladisporium.

The last paper was presented byJoanne Salt from Roche Products. Herproblem was to identify substancesresponsible for "fishy" off-flavors inrefined fish oil, with a view to develop-ing a chemical test that correlated withthe results of a trained sensory-testpanel. An examination of the deodorizerdistillate by GC and the simultaneoussmelling of the eluted peaks showed thatthe strongest smells often showed thesmallest peaks. Attempts to use an elec-tronic nose with metal oxide sensorsshowed that the electronic nose respond-ed to organic volatiles, but theseresponses did not correlate to the senso-ry-test panel verdict. Headspace analysisusing GC-mass spectroscopy was notsensitive enough. When a purging trapwas used, more than 170 peaks wereobtained. They were predominantlyhydrocarbons, but some "fishy" peakswere found at the 10 parts per billion(ppb) level. Eventually a fishy tastemodel was developed which correlatedwell with a trained sensory-test panel.The following formula was used: Fishytaste = 1 + 0.31A + O.l1R + 0.03C,where A represents 2,6-nonadienal, Brepresents 4-heprenal, and C represents2,6-nonadienal (all measured in ppb).

Totals below three were acceptable.The model gave good agreement with asensory-test panel in quality-controltests conducted over 12 months.

At the end of the meeting, all the stu-dents were commended on their presen-tations, in particular those for whomEnglish was not a native tongue.Yonghua Li and Paul Chamberlin werejudged to have given the best presenta-

lions; each was awarded a certificateand a prize of £50.

15th Sunflower Conferencedraws 450 to ToulouseAbout 450 people from 35 countriesattended the joint 15th InternationalSunflower Conference and Spring 2000Information Day, held June 12-15 inToulouse, France.

The International SunflowerAssociation (lSA) and the FrenchAssociation for the Study of Fats andOils (AFECG) sponsored the event,which featured talks on the economy

and technology of sunflower seeds andproducts.

The opening ceremony was moderat-ed by Jean Glavany, the French ministerof agriculrure,and Felicityveer, presidentof the ISA.Four speakers presented theirviews on the economics of sunflowerseedsand products: Henri Rieux, France,"Specificityof SunflowerCrushing;" PaulDymock, Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development,"Ollseeds and Agricultural PoliciesAround the World;" Ruben Devoto,Argentina, and Martin Guilbert, France,"Sunflower in Argentina: State andChallenges;" and Andre Pouzet, France,

"Evolution of Productivity andCharacteristicsfor Sunflower in DifferentCountries."

Four speakers presented papers ontechnology: Katalin Kevan, Hungary,"Physical Refining of Sunflower Oil;"Siegfried Warwel, Germany, "Lipasesand Lipids: Srereoselectiviry of Lipasesin Enzymatic Reactions of UnsaturatedFatty Acids;" Elizabeth Borredon,France, "Some Examples of NonfoodUses for Sunflower;" and BernadetteDeplanque, France, "NutritionalInterest of Sunflower Oils."

A round table chaired by MichelParmentier, president of AFECG,

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1145

1116

allowed for a detailed discussion oftechnical, nutritional, and scientificmaners. Other topics covered at theconference included agronomy andenvironment, genetics, breeding and theprevention of diseases, biotechnology,and oil composition. In addition, almost100 posters were presented in work-shops and poster sessions.

During the closing ceremony, the ISA2000 award was presented to V.Soldatcv, Russia; G. Fick, USA; C.Ilescu, Romania; and C. Secccmbe,USA, for pioneering the high-oleic sun-flower hybrid.

Conference proceedings are availablethrough Laurencine Lot, the ISA secre-tariat (address: 12 avenue George V,75008 Paris, France; phone: 33-01-56-89-57-05; fax: 33-01-56-89-57-04; e-mail: lot@ceriom.fr).

AIBC 2000-The future of agbiotechThis report is by J.8.M. Rattray. editor-in-chief of inform.

The AgricuJtural BiorechnologyInternationalConference (ABIC) 2000 was held inToronto. Canada.june 5-8, 2000.

This conference was the third in theABIC series, the previous rwo havingbeen held in Saskatoon, Canada, in1996 and 1998.

The ABIC conferences are sponsoredby the ABIC Foundation, a not-for-profit organization composed of mem-bers from academia, commerce, govern-ment, and industry. These meetings areintended to present a forum for the lat-est developments in scientific researchassociated with agricultural biotechnol-ogy and to provide an opportunity forraising the global visibility of this sci-ence and technology.

ABIC 2000 had the theme of "The

Volume II • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

Science of a New Century" and focusedon global perspectives on a range of ag-biotech topics from scientific advancesto patent protection to food safetyissues. The program featured 43 speak-ers and more than 50 trade showexhibitors from some 20 different coun-tries.

The industrial opportunities in ag-biotech were addressed by SanoShimoda, an investment banker andpresident of BioScience Securities,Orinda, California. He indicated thatdevelopments in agricultural biotech-nology are leading to an increasedvalue-creation potential of agricultureand an expansion of its commercialscope. A need exists, however, toremove the present corporate mindserthat fails to recognize that the old per-ceived boundaries between agricultureand a broad diversity of business sectorsare nor valid. He believes that a prolif-eration of new corporate strategies andrecognition of the "power of conver-gence" is going to move the globalindustrial base toward a "carbohydrate-or plant-based economy." A shift ofknowledge-based agriculture is predict-ed to involve less emphasis on com-modities and more on value-addedproduces.

Development of novel plant varietiescannot be accomplished solely in thepublic sector, but requires active partic-ipation by the private sector. A majorconcern of corporate involvement in thefield of agbicrech is the protection ofintellectual property. This topic wasexamined by Barry Oreengrass, vice-secretary general of the InternationalUnion for the Protection of NewVarieties of Plants (UPOV) which hasheadquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

He explained rhar effective parentprotection for plants and animals isavailable and is reasonably secure in the

industrialized world. Further securityfor plant patents is provided by theplant protection system of UPOV.Compliance with the Trade RelatedAspects of Intellectual Property RightsAgreement (TRIPS), however, is notmandatory for the least-developedmember states of the World TradeOrganization (WTO) until 2006. Thusa potential problem exists in the exten-sion of effective intellectual propertyprotection within emerging countries.Access to and transfer of teehnology,and benefit sharing of the advances inbiotechnology are as a consequencecompromised for the time being. Onemajor concern is the common practiceof farmers retaining seeds for futureplanting without due regard to anyrelated parent requirements.

Simon Barber, of the EuropeanBioindustries Association in Brussels,Belgium, stated that he has adopted theposition that there is not biotechnologyas such, but that there are new methodsof harnessing biological systems forhuman benefit. Public perception andbewilderment with the concept ofbiotechnology and the introduction ofvarious national and international legis-lations in an attempt to regulate thetechnology and its products are in hisopinion major factors affecting thetrade of both biological knowledge andproducts so derived. He noted differ-ences in approach where the UnitedStates, Japan, and Canada are introduc-ing regulations focused on the product,while the European Union (EU) is con-cerned with the actual process. This is,in part, the reason for the differences incrops approved as safe by the UnitedStates and the EU. He further believesthat the 2000 Cartegna Protocol, whilenot intended as a trade treaty, is goingto result in complex trade dynamics.

Vincent Hegarty, director of the

Institute for Food Laws andRegulations at Michigan StateUniversity, East Lansing, Michigan,examined global sales trends in ag-biotech foods. He noted that berween1996 and 1999 the global area of landplanted in genetically modified organ-ism (GMO) crops had increased fromrwo million to forty million hectares(about 810,000 to I million acres).Recent changes, however, in interna-tional food laws governing trade inGMOs between different countries arehaving significant effects on trade intransgenic crops. A further complicat-ing factor is the adoption within the EUof the precautionary principle regardingthe benefits and safety of ag-biotechfoods.

He noted that certain countries suchas the United States (which accountedfor 72% of the global production oftransgenic crops in 1999) have a hugestake in these issues. At the same timedeveloping nations do have major con-cerns including the fear that patentinggenetic material may negatively affecttheir subsistence farmers. Hegarty alsosuggested that the introduction of trans-genic foods should be made with all duecare and said that "the last stage of fit-ting a product ro the market is fittingthe market to the product." The needfor a better appreciation of other view-points on the topic, he concluded, isessential.

Terry Medley, director ofBiotechnology-Regulatory Affairs atDupont Agricultural Enterprise,Wilmington, Delaware, examined thetechniques available for dealing withinternational perspectives in which sci-ence should form the basis for regula-tions concerned with safety and publicconfidence. He emphasized that science-based safety standards need to be bothtransparent and credible to everyone.

Regulatory responsibilities reside withindustry and the appropriate govern-ment.

The main reason that the level ofpublic acceptance of bloengtneeredfoods within the United States ishigh, he said, reflects the comprehen-sive assessment provided by threefederal agencies-the USDA, theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA), and the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA). The FDA andthe U.S. National Academy of Scienceshave released separate reports indicat-ing that bioengineered foods are as safeas their non-bioengineered counter-parts-the concept of substantiallyequivalent. Appropriate application ofrisk assessment regarding biosafety inbiotechnology as recommended by theOrganization of Economic Co-opera-tion and Development and its blosaferyprotocol is being followed.

In addition, Medley said thatalthough the general questions regard-ing ag-bicrech food may be similar, theanswers should be customized to meetimmediate local requirements. It isessential rhar alt parties involved should"listen more, engage more, and be moreresponsive."

Andrew Benson, director ofInternational Outreach for theInternational Food Information Council(IFlC), presented useful information onsurveys conducted on biotech foods andthe general process of communicatingwith consumers about food biotechnol-ogy.

"Consumer attitudes and aware-ness of advances in food biotechnolo-gy demand effective communicationand education strategies," he said.Since the scientist may not or cannotprovide information in an easilydigestible form it falls to the food pro-ducer, the health professional, and the

11~7

media to deliver reliable, relevantinformation that will allow the con-sumer to make educated choices. Hecommented that simple labeling ofbioengineered foods as being"obtained from biotech" does not, initself, provide sufficient information.

Lee Anne Murphy of ModusVivendi Communications LO

Winnipeg, Canada, discussed theCanadian approach [0 the labeling offood products. She indicated thatCanada already has a mandatorylabeling policy relating to composi-tional change or the occurrence of anypotentially allergenic compounds. A"standards development process" ispresently being formulated for the vol-untary labeling of foods obtained ornot obtained through GM.

More direct attention to the role ofbiotechnology in meeting the projectedglobal food demands was given byMaria Zimmermann, senior agricultur-al research officer in the Research andTechnology Development Serviceof theFood and Agricultural Organization inRome, Italy. She noted that at present790 million people are considered to beundernourished. In addition it is pro-jected that by the year 2020 the globalpopulation wilt have reached eight bil-lion with over 80% of the world's pop-ulation residing in what are presentlydeveloping countries. It will be in theseregions of the world that increased cropyields will be needed. Along with berreragronomic practices the developingcountries wilt need some genotypes rharhave been difficult to achieve with cur-rent techniques. Great expectations arebeing placed in transgenic crops. Sheindicated, however, that the problems tobe faced in obtaining greater food pro-duction are many and general, and notspecifically associated with GMOcrops.

Volume II • October 2000 • Inform

1148

The global impact of the new tech-nologies on the seed industry was dis-cussed by Victor Casco, general man-ager of the Argentine SeedAssociation, Buenos Aires, Argentina.He noted that there has been a largebiotechnology impact since 1995accompanied by a 30-fold increase insales of transgenic seeds. Parricularconsideration was given to the accep-tance and planting of glyphosate-rcler-ant varieties of soybean and sunflowerwithin the United States, Argentina,Canada, and China.

According to Sandhya Tewari,deputy director of the BiotechnologyDivision of the Confederation ofIndian Industry (CII), New Delhi,India there is a nationwide movementto promote the application of biotech-nology in that country. As agricultureis the backbone of the Indian econo-my, she believes that the developmentand production of egbicrecb foods isgoing to be a major area of growth. Aneed exists, however, for foreigninvestment and international collabo-ration to allow the necessary privatecommercial development. India's richbiodiversity and low-cost work forcefavors such progress. She noted, inaddition, that continuing activeresearch on transgenic crops willrequire government acceptance andapproval to allow their use as food.

Cerrain scientific presentationsdevoted to highly specialized topicsincluded functional gencmics and thedevelopment of new plants {twopapers, one by S.P. Briggs of Novarris,in the United States, the other by H.Riggs, of the Keck Graduate Institutein the United States), impact of cellcycle control in international cropdevelopmem (D. Inze of the Universiryof Gent, Belgium), and drought-toler-

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform

Meetings

Nagoya University, "Pattern formationof polymers by dewerring" by OlafKarthaus of Chnose lnsriture of Science& Technology, "Low stimulative emul-sification" by Sadanori Ban of NipponMenade Cosmetics Co., "Formation ofa nutrition delivery system by usingfood emulsifiers" by Hironobu Nanbuof Taiyo Chemical Co., and"Characteristics of a water-in-oil emul-sion using glyceryl ether-type surfac-tants and their application for cosmet-ics," by Nohoru Hase of Kao Corp.

ant plants and their impact on worldagriculture (Po McCourt of rbeUniversity of Toronto, Canada).

NETLINKS:

Agricultural BiotechnologyInternational Conference

www.abic.netlU.S. EPA

www.epa.govlU.S. FDA

www.fda.govlIFIC

www.ificinfo.health.orglInternational Union for the Prorecrionof New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)

www.upov.intlOrganization for Economic Co-opera-tion and Development (OECD)www.oecd.orgfTrade Related Aspects of IntellectualProperty Rights (TRIPS)

www.ylti.or.id!TRIPS 2000 Subcommittee TreatyAnalysis Committeewww.inra.org/TRJPS2000.htmUSDA

www.usda.govlWorld Intellectual PropertyOrganization

www.wipo.org/WTO

www.wto.org

JOCS young members'group meetsThe young members' group of the JapanOil Chemists' Society UOCS) held aconference on Aug. 3-4, 2000, in AichiPrefecture. Approximately 74 personsattended the meeting.

The topics and speakers included:"Entrepreneurship" by Koji Ohsawa ofGlobal Catalyst Partners, "Basis of sur-face chemistry" by Keijiro Taga of

JOCS SECTION HOSTS

THI!;EE ....EETINGS

Approximately 30 persons attended the40th Summer Seminar on NewTechnology for Environment andHealth, held by the Kansai DistrictSection of the JOCS in Nabari, MiePrefecture, on July 18-19,2000.

Lectures included: "Formation ofbile acid modified protein and irsstructural analysis by using MALDI-TOF MS," Shigeo Ikegawa, KinkiUniversity; "Effective components incottonseed and cottonseed oil, andtheir application," Yoshisige Kida,Okamura Oil Mills Lrd.; "Secret ofrice as a Japanese main dish," MakoroMinami, Osaka Food Office, Ministryof Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries;"Recent trends in water treatmenttechnology," Wataru Sugiura, OsakaPrefectural Research Institute forPublic Hygiene; "Soybean and lipidmetabolism," Seiji Takamatsu, FujiOil and Fat Co.; "Trends in develop-ment of low stimulation surfacranrsfor body usc," Masahiko Shimada,Nippon Oil and Fats Co.; and"Development of functional sub-stances relating to oil chemistry,"Tokuji Takeda, Osaka City IndustrialResearch Institute.

The Kansai section also held ameeting on July 24, 2000, in Osaka,where approximately 55 attendeesheard lectures by junichirc YamamotOof Kobe Gakuin University,"Development of anti-thrombus foodby using thrombus modeling;" andTetsuo Kakei of Sanyo ChemicalIndustries, "How to become an excel-lent enterprise. "

A previous meeting of the section,"Seeking frontiers for oil and fatresearch," was held on June 24, 2000,10 Tokushima City, TokushirnaPrefecture. Approximately 40 arten-dees heard the following lectures:Oxidation of lipids in oil/water emul-sion systems and effects of polysaccha-rides," Yoshimasa Yamano, KagawaUniversity; "Controlling the function

114'1

and mechanism of apoptosis bydocosahexaenotc acid," KyoyaTakahashi, Okayama University;"Molecular mechanism for fatty celldlfferenrlarion," Teruo Kawada,Kyoto University; and"Polyunsaturated Farry acids inter-rupted by non-methylene group,"Tamotsu Tanaka, FukuyamaUniversity.O

Desktop volume and CD-ROM listing 350 oils and fats!

Physical and Chemical Characteristicsof Oils, Fats, and WaxesDavid Firestone, EditorA special companion to the Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the AOCS (formerly Section I)0Item #IAUGMI99 • list: $150. Plus $5 for postage and handling within the United States, $20 elsewhere.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Oils, Fats, and Waxes is a reference 1001 for the. professional responsible forqUillity, trade, and authenticity of oils and fals. Values are provided for the following parameters: specific gravity;refractive index; iodine value; saponification value; titer; and fally acid, tocopherol, tocotrienol, sterol, andtriglyceride composition. El'plore the 1999 edition through its database application. The CD·ROM containsapplication software specifically designed for presenting this important information. Centered around the fattyacid composnton of each oil, further windows allow the user to view additional information. Reference sourcesare also accessed through simple key strokes. Customize this flexible resource with your own data. Systemrequirements: Windows 95 and higher.

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KX;S.t.TECHNICAL SERVICES

AOCS Technical Services, P.O. Box 3489, Champaign, IL 61826-3489 USA· Phone: 1·217·359·2344• Fax: 1-217·351-8091 • E·mail: lechnical@aocs.org

Volume I I • October 2000 • Inform