Friday, July 27, 2018

Canadian Lipid and Bioresource Conference

The AOCS Canadian Section and the entire organizing committee invite you to attend the Canadian Lipid & Bioresource Conference 2018 (CLBC 2018) held on September 9-11, 2018, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Attend to present, gain knowledge and make connections with fats and oils researchers and technologists from all over the world, including these AOCS members that have been primarily involved with organizing the conference:

  • Ziao Qiu, University of Saskatchewan, Conference chair
  • Gene Arganosa, University of Saskatchewan
  • Supratim Ghosh, University of Saskatchewan
  • Rakesh Kapoor, Bioriginal Food and Science Corporation
  • Suneru Perera, POS Biosciences
  • Mark Smith, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  • Janitha Wanasundara, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
  • Thushan Withana-Gamage, POS Bio-Sciences

Make plans today:

  • AOCS Members save on registration fees:
    • AOCS Members: $300
    • Non-AOCS Members: $400
    • Students: $150 

Wondering what the AOCS Canadian Section is all about? View the Section Leadership team.

Take advantage of this opportunity to grow your knowledge, grow your business connections and grow your career by attending this regional meeting in a prime location!

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

New AOCS title presents novel strategy for eliminating trans fats from the diet


Edible Oleogels, Structure and Health Implications, Second Edition presents emerging science on beta gels using natural triglycerides, ethylcellulose oleogels, and oleotropic liquid crystal, which could potentially be used as part of a novel strategy to eliminate trans fats by structuring oil to make it behave like crystalline fat. Edited by AOCS members Alejandro G. Marangoni and Nissim Garti, the book is an ideal resource for those in product development and anyone interested in understanding the role of trans and saturated fats in health and nutrition.

The complete book or individual chapters can be purchased in print or electronic formats on several platforms, including Science Direct. AOCS members save 30% off the list price when using their code.





Monday, July 23, 2018

Are you on the list of 2018 AOCS Member Recruiters?

On behalf of the AOCS Membership team, I thank everyone for their involvement on inform|connect and support of one another by answering questions and providing additional ideas for further thought. This vibrant community is comprised of members and non-members and it is wonderful to see the interaction and sharing of knowledge.

It is also inspiring to see how impactful our members are in encouraging one another to join AOCS! The long list of individuals below took the time to influence a colleague (or several colleagues) to join the Society, because these members, like many, appreciate the value of the connections that AOCS membership offers.

Do you have a colleague that would benefit from AOCS membership? So, help me make AOCS get FAT by inviting a colleague to AOCS today

Here are some of the details:

  • Active membership dues: US $120  (35% savings!) 
  • Offer good until 8/31/2018; Membership benefits go until 12/31/2018
  • Benefits: 
    • Online access to AOCS journals—all issues and articles every published!
    • Access to presentations from the 2018 AOCS Annual Meeting
    • SAVINGS! On registration fees; Books; and more 
    • Connections--AOCS is a welcoming Society and we will become your Fats Family!

And it is a win-win. For each new Active member you recruit, you earn a $10 Gift Card.  

Thank you to our AOCS member community and the following member recruiters:

Josue Nunez Moya
Mumtaz Haider
George Smith
Doug Bibus
Eric Murphy
Kristin Kerberg
Helen Lew Ngo
Susan Raatz
Grant Mitchell
Louise Sim
Grant Mitchell
Rick Della Porta
Troy Graham
Eddie Baldwin
Mark Matlock
George Smith
Ben Hyde
George Smith
Steven Council
Richard Walton
Troy Graham
Dominic D'Amours
Kellan Finney
Pete Penkert
Julie Duchesne
Scott Bis
Krista Otting
Diliara Iassonova
Jill Winkler-Moser
Timothy P. Durrett
Jens Jacobsen
Jun Ogawa
Manuel Venegas
James LePage
Sue Witeof
Jun Ogawa
Fabien Schultz
Jiajia Rao
Chibuike Udenigwe
Taylor Laughlin
Supratim Ghosh

(Did we miss you? Let me know! This list is based on new members that joined between January 1 and July 22, 2018).


Janet S. Brown
Director, AOCS Membership
2710 S. Boulder Drive
Urbana, IL 61802-6996
aocs.org/join
Janet.brown@aocs.org
+1 217-693-4897

@aocs
@JanetB_AOCS




GOED AOCS LPP Program Turns 10 Years Old!

In August 2008 a new Laboratory Proficiency Program (LPP) series dealing with nutraceutical oils was initiated by the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED). The organizations launched a new analytical testing series in the AOCS Laboratory Proficiency Program (LPP), the “GOED EPA and DHA Oil Monograph Series,” which is designed to assess the proficiency of labs in measuring the most common aspects of the GOED Voluntary Monograph for EPA and DHA omega-3 oils.

At that time the AOCS LPP offered three marine products series; fishmeal, marine oils and marine oil FAC.   The marine oil and marine oil FAC series were designed for the commodity marine oil markets and for the most part offered samples of crude fish oils from different origins. These series have been quite popular within the LPP. Because of the rapid growth and interest in the long chain omega-3 market at that time, there was interest expressed in expanding the LPP to include a series targeted for the Nutritional Oils industry. The GOED Voluntary Monograph for omega 3 marine oils set a new quality standard in the industry for long-chain omega-3 oils when it was established and was helping contribute to the continued growth of the market. The series tests acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, Totox number (calculated), and EPA and DHA content reported as mg/g.  It does not include the dioxin, furan and dioxin like PCB tests from the Voluntary Monograph nor the heavy metals lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium, since these tests are very specialized.  The GOED recommended method for determining EPA and DHA and the full GOED Voluntary Monograph can be downloaded at:  http://goedomega3.com/index.php/goed-monograph.

Currently there are six samples in the series, including a normal 30% EPA+DHA oil, a high DHA oil, a single cell oil, and 3 omega-3 TG concentrates, one of which might be in gelatin capsule form.

The AOCS utilizes participation in the LPP series as one of the requirements for the AOCS Approved Chemist Status. The GOED series is used by commercial laboratories as well as industry laboratories to improve their proficiency. Participation has included 30-40 laboratories from organizations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. One of the positive outcomes from the program is that initially only the GOED Monograph Method for EPA and DHA was recommended.  However, over the years there has been an improvement in proficiency among various methods so that now the GOED Monograph Companion Guidance Document also includes the USP 401, Ph. Eur 2.4.29 and AOCS Ce1i-07 methods.

Registration for the AOCS GOED LPP series is open until August 20, 2018.  You can access the subscription forms at https://www.aocs.org/attain-lab-services/laboratory-proficiency-program-(lpp)



Friday, July 20, 2018

Two-minutes with Dr. Karen Murphy from the AOCS Australasian Section

In the June edition of the AAOCS newsletter, we interviewed Dr. Karen Murphy, Senior Lecturer and Accredited Practising Dietician in Pharmacy and Medical Sciences at the University of South Australia. Karen obtained a PhD in nutritional biochemistry in Melbourne, before becoming an NHMRC Industry Research Fellow. With more than 50 research papers to her name thus far, her research explores potential cardiovascular effects and cognitive health benefits of dietary patterns, particularly the Mediterranean diet. Karen tells us about what she does with her spare time and time at home. What a busy life you lead Karen! Thanks for sharing.

 
A typical day for me includes ... 

Well if it is an 'Original Bootcamp' morning I'm up at 4:30 a.m., to train with 40 other recruits from 6–7 a.m. in rain hail or shine! Then on my bike and in to work to shower and start the day. Otherwise up at 6 a.m. to wrangle three kids (under 9!) out of bed, produce a restaurant-style buffet breakfast and nag them to get their bags packed and socks on. School drop off and on my bike into work to face the day. Then after sorting through emails, meeting PhD students, I focus on my research and coordinate the capstone research project course for 3rd year. Then, its home time to produce a feast for all and then off to bed by 8 p.m....yes 8 p.m.!

My favourite part of my job is ...

Mmmm...home time! Kidding. Reading the literature together with evaluating my own work to piece together the way nutrition works to improve health outcomes and the generation of new research ideas.
 
I love giving presentations to academics, the community, other health professionals and the general population. The satisfaction of presenting and translating nutrition and health messages into easily understandable terms is rewarding, particularly if people walk away from your talk learning just one new thing.

Away from work, I like to ... 

Be active! I love being fit and healthy; it is refreshing and so good for my body and mind. I really enjoy hiking and only earlier this month hiked Ben Lomond in Queenstown, NZ. I enjoy taking the kids on adventures with their bikes. I love Original Bootcamp North Adelaide and being outdoors. I enjoy good food and following Mediterranean diet principles, which include a glass or two of red wine.

If I could meet anyone, it would be ... 

Marie Curie, a strong and intelligent woman, just amazing what she did in her time.

When listening to the radio, I listen to...

I'm a flicker. I enjoy music so will flick stations until I find something I like!


Find out more about the AOCS Australasian Section:
https://www.aocs.org/network-and-connect/membership/sections#australasian-section 






2019 Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship awarded to Zipei Zhang

Zipei Zhang is a Ph.D. student in the Biopolymers and Colloids Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the supervision of Professor D. Julian McClements. He is currently working on the development of novel excipient and delivery systems to enhance the performance of bioactive agents, such as nutraceuticals, enzymes and vitamins.

During his Ph.D. research, he has published over 40 original scientific papers and one book chapter with approximately 600 citations. He is also a co-inventor on United States Patent Application 20180055777, "Fabrication of acid self-corresponding hydrogel bead with adjustable microclimate pH."

Zipei Zhang will receive recognition and present an award lecture at the 2019 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo held on May 5–8, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.





Nominations for AOCS Awards are now open. Please visit the website for more information.


Wednesday, July 18, 2018

JAOCS article of the month: Wax fractions from whole sorghum kernels

Waxes obtained from animals, plants and insects are a complex mixture of fatty materials (hydrocarbons, long-chain fatty acids, ketones, alcohols, and wax esters) with many uses in food and nonfood industries. In this JAOCS article of the month, Robert Moreau and colleagues at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ARS-USDA), in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, examine the isolation and characterization of wax fractions obtained from whole sorghum kernels using various solvents (hexane, ethanol and methanol) and extraction conditions. JAOCS Editor-in-Chief James Kenar says he selected the paper because it "appears to be the first research to analyze and quantify the effect of temperature and solvent on wax extractions of whole sorghum kernel which similar to the physical properties of carnauba wax." The article, "Extraction of Surface Wax from Whole Grain Sorghum," is available for free download.

Remember - ALL JAOCS articles are free for AOCS Members!

https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/journals/journal-of-the-american-oil-chemists-society





New Certified Reference Material (CRM) for MON 87403 Maize now available

MON 87403 is a novel trait designed by Monsanto Company that confers increased ear biomass at an early reproductive phase (R1) compared to conventional maize. The MON 87403 CRM is available as 10 grams of 100% pure seed powder. Use of the CRM enables labs to effectively quantify the amount of MON 87403 maize in unknown samples. MON 87403 Maize is available for purchase from AOCS.

More Certified Reference Materials from AOCS -->  https://www.aocs.org/crm


Tuesday, July 10, 2018

BREAKING NEWS -GOED Continues to Work on EU Fish Oil Import Issue

July 10: Yesterday, GOED was made aware of a 6 July 2018 letter and accompanying materials sent by Sociedad Nacional de Pesqueria (SNP) to SANIPES, the National Fisheries Health Organization of Peru. The letter refutes the assertions made in DG SANTE’s letter reported to the GOED membership on 4 July 2018 and clarifies what SNP considers to be a misunderstanding of the way the industry functions. The letter closes by SNP asking to accompany a delegation from the Peruvian government to a meeting with DG SANTE.

In addition to the above mentioned letter, GOED learned today that both the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority are of the opinion that the EU Hygiene Regulations allow for the production of oil for human and non-human consumption on the same production line, provided production is separated by time and adequate cleaning procedures. Both agencies have requested a meeting with DG SANTE for further discussion. 

To date, DG SANTE has not responded to the 9 June 2018 letter from GOED, IFFO (the Marine Ingredients Organisation) and the Norwegian Seafood Federation (formerly known as FHL). This is the letter referred to in the 11 June 2018 GOED Current. GOED will continue to reach out to DG SANTE for a meeting and GOED encourages members who are affected by this situation to reach out to your government authorities to request clarification from DG Sante. GOED also reported on this issue in a Breaking News Alert on 22 May 2018.

Source: https://bit.ly/2JbHG1u 

Welcome to Dr. Suzanne Budge new associate editor for The Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (JAOCS)!

Dr. Budge, of Dalhousie University, researches "within the broad field of marine lipids including the production and transfer of lipids through food webs, the use of stable carbon isotopic signatures of essential fatty acids as biomarkers, and the reaction kinetics of lipid oxidation in fish oils".

Find out more about JAOCS, browse or submit a manuscript at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15589331

*Remember* AOCS member receive free access - just login at aocs.org and visit the member benefits section of your account.








Oil-Dri Corporation of America Seeking Senior Research Scientist

AOCS GOLD Corporate Member, Oil-Dri Corporation of America, is hiring!

Position Summary
The successful candidate performs a variety of research and development activities in technical areas related to oleo-chemistry and clay and organic molecular interactions.  He or she will be involved with high level interfacing with sales, manufacturing and customers.

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Minimum of M.S. degree (Ph.D. highly preferred) in organic oleo-chemical science applications.
  • Minimum 2 years of experience in applied oleo-chemical science involving organic molecular interactions; including synthesis, reactions, and characterization of organic materials instrumentation (i.e., working knowledge of instrumentation by HPLC, GC, MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry, FTIR spectroscopy are a plus).
  • Broad experience and knowledge in Oleo-chemical transformations and organic chemistry as it is applied to commercial industry. Well versed with synthesis and characterization of oleo/organic chemicals.
  • Hands-on experience on spectroscopic, chromatography and other analytical instruments.
  • Travel required < 20%.

Find out more and apply for the position: https://www.oildri.com/job/senior-research-scientist-2/