Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Invitation to the CODEX COMMITTEE ON FATS AND OILS (CCFO)

Invitation to participate in the Electronic Working Group to amend the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (CODEX STAN 210-1999) to consider the applicability of the fatty acid composition of all oils in Table 1 in relation to their corresponding crude form.

At the 25th Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 27 February to 3 March 2017, the Committee agreed to establish an Electronic Working Group (eWG) to be chaired by the United States with the assistance of AOCS, working in English, to prepare a project document for new work to amend the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils [CODEX STAN 210-1999] to consider the applicability of the fatty acid composition of all oils in Table 1 in relation to their corresponding crude form.

The amendment would provide clarity to Codex member countries and the food industry in the trade of crude (unrefined) vegetable oils.  The discussion paper, including a project document, will be prepared in time for consideration at the next session of the CCFO (2019).

The United States invites interested Codex members and observers to participate in the eWG and to provide the name, official title, and e-mail address of their representatives to the U.S Delegate to CCFO, Paul South (paul.south@fda.hhs.gov), U.S. Alternate Delegate to CCFO, Robert Moreau (robert.moreau@ars.usda.gov), and the U.S. Codex Office Representative, Marie Maratos (marie.maratos@fsis.usda.gov) by July 28, 2017.


Find out More

Discussion Paper on the Revision of Limits of Oleic and Linoleic Acids in Sunflowerseed Oils in the Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Codex Stan 210-1999) (Agenda Item 10)


The Committee agreed to:
  • Start new work on the revision of limits of oleic and linoleic acids in sunflowerseed oils and the associated definitions in Section 2.1;
  • Establish an eWG, chaired by Argentina, and co-chaired by Brazil and the EU, and working in English only, to prepare the proposed draft revision of the Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Codex Stan 210-1999) for circulation for comments at Step 3 and consideration at CCFO26, subject to CAC40 approval of the new work.
The United States supports the approach agreed to by the Committee.



Friday, June 16, 2017

AOCS June Newsletter Highlights

AOCS award-winning papers
The AOCS Best Paper Awards recognize outstanding articles published each year in a variety of fields.


Inside INFORM magazine: Restoring brain energy
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the brain’s uptake of its primary fuel—glucose—deteriorates, but in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease, the brain’s uptake of its alternative fuel—ketones—remains normal. Read this article in the latest issue of INFORM that describes how scientists are trying to delay cognitive decline in AD by restoring the brain’s energy supply with medium-chain triglycerides.
View the full June issue online >>

Resources added to the AOCS premium content library
In the past month AOCS Annual Meeting presentations, book chapters, journal articles, and more have been added to the AOCS Premium Content Library on inform|connect. Some of our most popular topics have included processing contaminants, omega-6 fatty acids and inflammation, lipid oxidation, and the basics of fats and oils technology.
The premium content library is free to AOCS members but available to non-members by subscription.

Join AOCS today for exclusive and unlimited access to these valuable resources.

Latin American Congress: Endless reasons to register
The 17th AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition on Fats, Oils, and Lipids is headed to Cancun, Mexico, September 11–14, 2017! There are many reasons to secure your spot today:

  • 12 hours of dedicated networking time 
  • 25 suppliers of equipment and services at the exhibition 
  • 90 speakers covering crucial topics 
  • 70+ poster presentations 2 Short Courses on processing and refining

Register by July 1 and save up to US $ 200!




Upcoming AOCS meetings
AOCS Latin American Congress
17th AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition on Fats, Oils, and Lipids
September 11–14, 2017
Cancun, Mexico
Register Today »
Call for papers »
2018 AOCS Annual Meeting
2018 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo


May 6–9, 2018

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

More details »
Upcoming industry meetings
Euro Fed LipidWorld Soybean Research ConferenceInternational Conference on Soaps, Detergents, and Cosmetics




15th Euro Fed Lipid CongressWorld Soybean Research Conference5th International Conference on Soaps, Detergents & Cosmetics
August 27–30, 2017
Uppsala, Sweden

Email for info  »
August 27–30, 2017
Uppsala, Sweden

More details  »
December 10–12, 2017
Panjim, Goa, India

More details  »


Friday, June 2, 2017

A Tribute to Fred Kummerow

AOCS’ oldest and arguably most newsworthy member, Fred Kummerow, died at the age of 102. Extensive tributes to the life and career of this University of Illinois professor whose lawsuit in 2013 led the US Food and Drug Administration to ban trans fats can be found in The New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other news sources.

But, here I would like to share with you some inside stories about Fred’s contributions to AOCS that were passed on to me from George Willhite, the former editor of Inform magazine.
Fred Kummerow served as an AOCS board member and as AOCS secretary in 1974. When AOCS offices were at 508 S. Sixth St. in Champaign, Illinois, USA, Fred’s Harlan E. Moore research lab was located at the southwest corner of Sixth and Springfield in a building that was torn down many years ago.

For a brief time (in the late 70s or early 80s) Fred was abstracts editor for the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (JAOCS). However, he turned in abstracts primarily covering nutritional fats and seldom, if ever, provided abstracts on industrial uses, proteins, soap, detergents, or other applications for oils and fats. That led to a decision to discontinue the JAOCS abstracts section, in part, because of limited coverage of other subject areas. As JAOCS Editor Dick Baldwin noted, by that time most researchers did computer literature searches. The abstracts section was revived in the early 2000s by Inform’s Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Jim Rattray under the heading, “Extracts & Distillates.”

Fred remained an active researcher even when his age reached three digits. Over the years I’ve worked at AOCS, I had both the honor and pleasure of having him call me periodically to discuss whatever research project he was conducting. His mind was always sharp, and he always had something interesting to say.

Submitted by Kathy Heine, Managing Editor, INFORM magazine.