International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials : INFORM back issues from July 2008:
Late-breaking news
Jul 01, 2008; ... Bunge and Corn Products merge Bunge Limited announced on June 23 that it will acquire Corn Products International, Inc., in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $4.8 billion. Once the transaction closes, Corn Products will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Bunge, ...
SOWING OF 2008 U.S. SOYBEAN CROP IS LATER THAN USUAL
Jul 01, 2008; ... Soybean planting was delayed this spring while farmers hurried to get their corn crops sown first. As of June 8, 77% of the U.S. soybean crop was sown, compared to the five-year average of 89%. Provided there is adequate moisture during the growing season and no early frosts, a late start should ...
Letter from the President
Jul 01, 2008; ... We had a great Annual Meeting & Expo (AM&E) in Seattle, Washington, USA. Approximately 1,711 total registrants attended the annual meeting, compared to 1,628 in 2006 at Québec City, Canada. We also had 105 exhibitor booths. I hope you networked, met a new colleague or a new customer for ...
News & Noteworthy: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... World food production needs to increase by 50% by 2030, United Nations Secretary-General Ban KiMoon told world leaders at a summit held in Rome in early June on resolving the world's food crisis. He also called for immediate action on lowering export restrictions and import tariffs on food to ...
Algae in the tank
Jul 01, 2008; ... Although not yet available on a commercial basis, fuels made from algae are attracting research and investment dollars. The firestorm of criticism that has arisen since January 2008 against using food crops as starting materials for biofuels has pushed scientists and entrepreneurs into ...
1929-1938: Survival
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Roaring '20s are ending as the Great Depression is arriving AOCS' third decade held promise. During the past ten years, AOCS membership had doubled to nearly 300. The society had started a new journal. There were now two national meetings each year. During the first annual meeting of ...
SOYBEAN OUTPUT GAINS TO LEAD REBOUND
Jul 01, 2008; ... Several common denominators current- ly characterize worldwide markets in oil- seeds and oilseed products: record high commodity prices and ever-rising costs for crop production and shipping. For 2008/09, global production of oilseeds is projected to expand to a record 419.3 MMT, up 8% from the ...
REACH preregistration begins
Jul 01, 2008; ... Preregistration for the European Union's (EU) REACH program began on May 30, 2008, and will continue until November 30, 2008. REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of CHemicals (Regulation EC No 1907/2006). Under the regulation, companies selling or importing ...
New ventures
Jul 01, 2008; ... Bio-Extraction Inc., a Canadian company based in Toronto, is building a $10 million low-temperature canola crushing plant that will provide meal to the aquaculture market, according to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix newspaper. SunOpta Inc., also of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, will build a ...
Funding for palm oil research
Jul 01, 2008; ... The American Palm Oil Council (APOC) announced in May that the Malaysian palm oil industry, in tandem with the Malaysian government, has created the Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF). APOC is a trade association based in Torrance, California, that represents the Malaysian ...
Acquisitions/mergers
Jul 01, 2008; ... FMC Corp. announced it has agreed to buy the $80 million/year hydrocolloids ingredients business of International Specialty Products (ISP). The purchase includes ISP's alginates and food blends business, including a manufacturing plant at Girvan, United Kingdom. FMC is based in Philadelphia, ...
R&D
Jul 01, 2008; ... The University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, says it will build a $150 million center of excellence to research grains and oilseeds. The center will be housed on the Fort Garry campus. Kikkoman Foods Inc. will open an R&D laboratory in ...
DIY biodiesel growing
Jul 01, 2008; ... Evolution Biodiesel is marketing 24-230 gallon biodiesel processors for people who are interested in do-it-yourself projects. The company, located in Huntsville, Texas, USA, says it has tripled sales of its kits since 2006. Co-owners Amy Brossi and Kevin Shafer have sold to customers in Europe, ...
New U.S. olive oil standards
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is soliciting comments on the proposed revision to the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil. The proposal includes two major groups of oil: "olive oil," produced from olives by mechanical means; and ...
Utilizing Jatropha curcas screw-pressed seed cake
Jul 01, 2008; ... Growing interest in using the oil stored in fruits from physic nut (Jatropha curcas) as a feedstock for biodiesel is accompanied by concerns about disposition of the seed cake. In a recent paper, H.P.S. Makkar, G. Francis, and K. Becker (J. Sci. Food Agric. 88: 1542-1548, 2008) reported on their ...
ROBUST PRICE INCREASES REVIVE INTEREST IN GROWING SUNFLOWERSEED
Jul 01, 2008; ... Sharp price gains for sunflowerseed oil and sunflowerseed are attracting the attention of farmers throughout the world. Of all the oilseeds, sunflowerseed may have the larg- est percentage increase in production for 2008/09. An expansion of sunflower area in Europe, Russia, and Ukraine is ...
Prospects for camelina oil as biodiesel feedstock
Jul 01, 2008; ... AOCS member Duane Johnson, who is vice president of the Great Plains Camelina Co., has been leading an effort to promote the production of Camelina sativa (camelina, or falseflax) in Montana for use as a biodiesel feedstock. A member of the mustard family, camelina is typically grown in marginal ...
Biofuels News: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... XCelPlus Global Holdings Inc., headquartered i? Hartfield, Virginia, USA, has acquired from Maverick Biofuels a new alternative energy fuel technology and process that converts glycerin to a fuel that can be used in turbine engines. The new product, called GlyClene can be made from any ...
Neste Oil plans renewable diesel plant in the Netherlands
Jul 01, 2008; ... RENEWABLE DIESEL In mid-June the Neste Oil Corporation (Espoo, Finland) announced its plans to build a $1 billion renewable diesel fuel plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Construction was to begin immediately, and completion is expected in 2011. Feedstocks for the plant will include ...
Airlines jumping on biofuel bandwagon
Jul 01, 2008; ... BIODIESEL With a sense of urgency prompted by rising costs of airplane fuel, airlines throughout the world are investigating whether they can switch their fleets to biofuels. The first-ever commercial flight using biofuel took place in February 2008, when a Virgin Atlantic Boeing ...
Commodities
Jul 01, 2008; ... CANOLA/RAPESEED It was five years in the making: Fastfood giant McDonald's is now using a trans fat-free canola oil blend in the United States and Canada, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jim Skinner told a shareholders' meeting in late May. All North American restaurants' offerings will be ...
D1 defends jatropha expectations
Jul 01, 2008; ... In May, alternative fuels company D1 Oils (Middlesbrough, United Kingdom) announced the closure of its biodiesel plants in Tee s side and Middlesbrough and its determination to devote its energies to growing jatropha as a feedstock for biodiesel manufacture (inform 19:326-327, 2008). Criticism ...
Algae used to produce ethanol
Jul 01, 2008; ... ETHANOL In a twist on using algae as a feedstock for biodiesel (see inform 79:432-437, 2008), Reuters reports that the private U.S. com- pany Algenol Biofuels, of Baltimore, Mary- land, USA, plans to make ethanol from algae. Paul Woods, chief executive officer of Algenol, says he devised ...
India faces problem incorporating ethanol into fuel
Jul 01, 2008; ... At present, the government of India re- quires incorporation of 5% ethanol into gasoline across the entire country, except in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states, and island territories. Plans also exist to mandate the incorporation of 10% ethanol into gasoline as of October 2008, but both ...
Biofuel producers struggle
Jul 01, 2008; ... GENERAL On June 16, corn futures in the United States exceeded $8 per bushel ($0.32/kg) for the first time, fueling concerns that ethanol production for blending into gasoline could be destroyed. Among the companies whose stocks were downgraded were BioFuel Energy (Denver, Colorado), ...
Health & Nutrition: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... India will defer implementation of its new food labeling regulations by another three months, according to an article in Food Beverage News. Implementation was to have begun by May 20. Under Rule 32(2) (IV) of India's Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, it is mandatory for food manufacturers to ...
Calcium and hip fracture risk
Jul 01, 2008; ... People, especially the elderly, may reach for calcium supplements in hopes of protecting themselves against bone fractures in case of a fall. But a recent analysis of several studies found no reduction in risk of hip fracture with calcium supplementation. The analysis was supported in ...
More on the biology of fat storage
Jul 01, 2008; ... Some of the genetic determinants of fat storage in cells apparently have been revealed, according to new research by U.S. scientists at the Gladstone Institutes of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The study results, which appeared as a letter ...
EFSA acrylamide conference
Jul 01, 2008; ... A short report and documents are available from the international conference on acrylamide carcinogenicity held May 22-23, 2008, by the European Food and Safety Authority. The meeting examined the latest scientific information on potential toxicity and cancer risks associated with dietary ...
trans in breast milk
Jul 01, 2008; ... A study in lactating rats suggests a diet in which trans fatty acids (TFA) constituted 11.75% of total dietary fat impaired insulin sensitivity in the rats' offspring. The research, conducted by a team from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, ...
Bioactive peptides reviewed
Jul 01, 2008; ... A team from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis (USA) has published a review article on bioactive peptides and cardiovascular health. Bioactive peptides are found in milk, egg, meat, fish, and numerous plants, including soybeans. Such peptides are inactive ...
Advice on sterol/stanols and n-3 for CVD
Jul 01, 2008; ... Doctors in the United Kingdom have been advised not to recommend omega-3 supple- ments and plant stanol and sterol products such as Benecol and Flora pro.activ to pa- tients at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Evidence, a branch of the Na- ...
"Better fats sisters" debut
Jul 01, 2008; ... Mon and Poly - otherwise known as the "better fats sisters" - debuted on May 22 as part of the latest effort by the American Heart Association (AHA: Dallas, Texas, USA) to teach confused U.S. consumers about healthful fats. In particular, AHA hopes to help consumers learn more about the benefits ...
Biotechnology News: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... In late June, the Associated Press reported that, under stricter U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, biotechnology companies would be required to obtain permits for industrial genetically modified (GM) crops. Such crops are used in the production of chemical compounds for products ...
Report examines U.S. adoption of GM crops
Jul 01, 2008; ... U.S. farmers have adopted genetically modified (GM) crops widely since their introduction in 1996, notwithstanding uncertainty about consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts, recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggested. USDA data showed that GM soybeans ...
French group plans review of EU GM procedures
Jul 01, 2008; ... In early July, EurActiv reported that France had created a "group of friends of the presidency" whose job it would be to review the European Union's (EU) authorization process for GMO (genetically modified organisms). The group, which grew out of an informal gathering of EU-27 ministers outside ...
Swiss research finds GMO safe
Jul 01, 2008; ... A report from the Swiss Department for the Environment (Bafu) found that GM crops had no ill effects on nontarget organisms or general biodiversity. The study - conducted from 2004 to 2007 and entitled "Biosecurity in non-human gene technology" -was funded nationally with the intent to develop ...
S&D News: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... Huntsman Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) has announced that the European Commission (EC) has ap- proved the proposed merger be- tween Hexion Specialty Chemicals (Columbus, Ohio, USA) and Hunts- man contingent on, among other things, divestment of a portion of Hexion's global specialty epoxy ...
Virtually waterless washing machine developed in U.K.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Researchers at the University of Leeds (United Kingdom) have developed a new way of cleaning clothes using what they say is less than 2% of the water and energy of a conventional washing machine. According to the researchers, the technology will provide alternatives to both domestic washing and ...
Detergent used to promote peripheral nerve healing
Jul 01, 2008; ... A detergent solution developed at The University of Texas at Austin (USA) that treats donor nerve grafts to circumvent an immune rejection response has been used to create acellular nerve grafts now used successfully in hospitals around the country. Research also shows early promise of the ...
Eco-friendly microcapsules
Jul 01, 2008; ... Researchers in Portugal are reporting development of a new type of "microcapsule" filled with perfume and embedded in fabric for production of scented suits, socks, undergarments, and other clothing. The same technology can be used in many other applications, such as to mask unpleasant body ...
SODEOPEC goes to Disney World
Jul 01, 2008; ... The sixth international SODEOPEC conference - focusing on soaps, detergents, oleochemicals, and personal care products - was held April 13-16, 2008, in Orlando, Florida, USA, at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort. During the event, industry experts from around the world gave ...
People News/Inside AOCS: Briefs
Jul 01, 2008; ... In April, the American Feed Industry Association voted to elect new members to their Board of Directors. Among the 16 new directors were two AOCS members, James Moore, of Southern States Cooperative, Richmond, Virginia, USA, and Alan Wessler, MFA Inc., Columbia, Missouri, USA. The Board of ...
IFT recognizes three AOCS members
Jul 01, 2008; ... AOCS President Casi- mir C. Akoh, distin- guished research pro- fessor at the University of Georgia, has been se- lected as the winner of the 2008 Research and Development Award by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT: Chicago, Illinois, USA), a not-for-profit international society with ...
Yusof recognized for contributions
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Malaysian stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia, presented a Lifetime Award to AOCS member Basiron Yusof, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, to mark his outstanding contributions to the palm oil industry. The award ceremony was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in ...
National Algae Association appoints biofuels expert
Jul 01, 2008; ... The National Algae Association (NAA) announced a new research and development collaborative on June 30, the purpose of which is to speed up the commercialization of algae in the production of multiple fuels - biodiesel, ethanol, jet fuel, hydrogen, and biomass - for power ...
George Washington Carver Award goes to Gruber
Jul 01, 2008; ... BIO, a major biotech organization, presented its first-ever George Washington Carver Award to Patrick Gruber, chief executive officer of Gevo Inc. (Englewood, Colorado, USA). Formed in 2005, Gevo is dedicated to bringing renewable cost-effective alternatives for fossil fuels and chemicals to ...
GreenHunter Energy shifts personnel
Jul 01, 2008; ... GreenHunter Energy, which currently owns and operates the largest biodiesel plant in the United States, along the Houston Ship Channel, announced personnel changes in early June. Stephen A. Wiley, formerly senior vice president for GreenHunter Wind Energy, is now president of GreenHunter ...
International Energy appoints algae expert
Jul 01, 2008; ... Vancouver (Canada)-based International Energy appointed microbial biologist and algal biofuel expert Anastasios Melis to the company's Science Advisory Board in May. Melis has an international reputation for his work in the field of hydrocarbon and hydrogen biofuel production via microalgal ...
Optimization and validation of analytical conditions for cholesterol and cholesterol oxides extraction in chicken meat using response surface methodology
Jul 01, 2008; ... Lilian, R. B. M., G. C. Nogueira, and N. Bragagnolo, J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:2913-2918, 2008. The analytical conditions for the extraction of cholesterol and cholesterol oxides in chicken meat were optimized by means of response surface methodology. The separation and identification were ...
Synthesis of conjugated linoleic acid by human-derived Bifidobacterium breve LMC 017: Utilization as a functional starter culture for milk fermentation
Jul 01, 2008; ... Chung, S.H., I.H. Kim, H.G. Park, H.S. Kang, C.S. Yoon, H.Y. Jeong, N.J. Choi, E.G. Kwon, and Y.J. Kim, J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:3311-3316, 2008. This study was performed to discover bifidobacteria isolated from human intestines that optimally convert linoleic acid (LA) to conjugated ...
Release of protein, lipid, and vitamin E from almond seeds during digestion
Jul 01, 2008; ... Mandalari, G., R.M. Faulks, G.T. Rich, V. Lo Turco, D.R. Picout, R.B. Lo Curto, G. Bisignano, P. Dugo, G. Dugo, K.W. Waldron, P.R. Ellis, and M.S.J. Wickham, J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:3409-3416, 2008. The evaluation of the bioaccessibility of almond nutrients is incomplete. However, it may ...
Jatropha curcas: A potential source for tomorrow's oil and biodiesel
Jul 01, 2008; ... Becker, K., and H.P.S. Makkar, Lipid Technol. 20:104-107 Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) is the driving force for global climate change. Deforestation accounts for over 20% of the world's GHG emission and leaves behind deforested areas. It is of utmost importance to revert these areas in a ...
Lipid extraction by methyl-tert-butyl ether for high-throughput lipidomics
Jul 01, 2008; ... Matyash, V., G. Liebisch, T. V. Kurzchalia, A. Shevchenko, and D. Schwudke, J. Lipid Res. 49:1137-1146, 2008 Accurate profiling of lipidomes relies on the quantitative and unbiased recovery of lipid species from analyzed cells, fluids, or tissues and is usually achieved by two-phase ...
Changes in virgin olive oil quality during low-temperature fruit storage
Jul 01, 2008; ... Kalua, C.M., D.R. Bedgood Jr., A.G. Bishop, and P.D. Prenzler, J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:2415-2422, 2008. 'Frantoio' olive fruits were stored at low temperature (4 ± 2° C) for 3 weeks to investigate the effect of postharvest fruit storage on virgin olive oil quality. Volatile compounds and ...
Comprehensive analysis of polar and apolar constituents of butter and margarine by nuclear magnetic resonance, reflecting quality and production processes
Jul 01, 2008; ... Schripsema, J., J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:2547-2552, 2008. The separation of butter or margarine into polar (soluble in water) and apolar fractions (soluble in chloroform) and subsequent analysis of these fractions by ^sup 1^H NMR permits a comprehensive analysis of its constituents. In ...
AOCS Journals
Jul 01, 2008; ... Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (June) * Fractal dimensions of simulated and real fat crystal networks in 3D space, D. Tang and A.G. Marangoni * Influence of polymorphic transformations on gelation of tripalmitin solid lipid nanoparticle suspensions, T. Helgason, ...
Liquid-liquid extraction for the enrichment of edible oils with phenols from olive leaf extracts
Jul 01, 2008; ... Japón-Luján, R., and M.D. Luque de Castro, J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:2505-2511, 2008. A liquid-liquid extraction method to enrich edible oils - olive, sunflower, and soy oils - with phenols from olive leaf extracts is proposed. After microwave assistance to remove the phenols from three ...
The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health, 3rd Edition
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health, 3rd Edition Gerald F. Combs Jr. Elsevier, Inc., 2007, 608 pages ISBN 978-0-12-183493-7, $74.95 The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health, 3rd edition presents a thorough and current description of the biology, ...
Patents
Jul 01, 2008; ... Published patents Decreased fat absorption with an anti-lipase antibody Pimentel, J., 3/18/2008, US7344713B1 A method for the decrease of fat absorption in a mammal, wherein the animal is orally fed an antibody produced against lipase, an enzyme which is required for fat ...
Meet Sarah Belisle
Jul 01, 2008; ... By the time this profile appears in inform, 2008 Honored Student Sarah Belisle hopes to have successfully defended her dissertation. As a Ph.D. candidate at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, she works under the direction of ...
Keeping your sensitive data safe through encryption
Jul 01, 2008; ... I always appreciate it when a reader lets me know about a website that he/she wants to share with his/her fellow readers of the ITS column. Ralph Timms recently e-mailed me some of his recommendations regarding encryption of data. It can be devastating to a company or government entity ...
Nonprogrammed research: Discovery of the mevalonate-independent methylerythritol phosphate pathway for the formation of isoprene units in bacteria and plants
Jul 01, 2008; ... Note: The following article is based on the address given by Michel Rohmer, the 2008 George Schroepfer Medal winner, at the 2008 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, held in Seattle, Washington, USA, May 18-21. Among all natural products series, terpenoids (Fig. 1) occupy a most striking ...
Honoring 50 Years of Lipid Research by Earl Hammond: Modifying Lipids to Improve Food and Fuel
Jul 01, 2008; ... 2008 Hot Topic Symposia Professor Emeritus Earl G. Hammond of Iowa State University's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition was honored during the 99th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo (AM&E) through a Hot Topic Symposium in which many of his current and former students and ...
The Changing Face of Fatty Acids in Our Foods
Jul 01, 2008; ... Times have changed for the food industry: One oil-partially hydrogenated soy oil-no longer fits all formulation needs. The ruling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requiring food manufacturers to label trans fatty acids (TFA) in foods as of January 1, 2006, brought a variety of ...