FDA's Regulatory Policies Related to Nutrition - FDA Announces Dietetics and Nutrition Webinar Co-Sponsored with the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN)

The FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and JIFSAN are jointly sponsoring a Dietetics and Nutrition webinar September 22-23, 2014, from 11:30 AM until 3:30 PM EDT.  The webinar is designed for dietetic interns, students and faculty in dietetics and nutrition, and practitioners in dietetics, nutrition and related professional areas.  Other interested parties may also participate.  The purpose of the webinar is to communicate FDA’s nutrition and regulatory activities that are relevant to the practice of nutrition and dietetics.  In March, 2012, the Joint FDA/JIFSAN webinar covered current and basic information on food and nutrition regulatory processes.  As the information on these topic areas have advanced over the past two years, this year’s webinar will cover related new and updated information on food and nutrition regulatory processes.  More specifically, the agenda includes the following:

•  September 22nd - Updating the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels, including serving sizes; labeling claims; infant formula regulations; medical foods; seafood and health; and consumer research at FDA. 

•  September 23rd - Color additives in foods; FDA’s regulatory programs on chemical contaminants food allergens; approaches to reducing sodium consumption; FDA’s GRAS notification process on the safety of live microbial cultures; partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and trans fat; overview of high-intensity sweeteners; and dietary supplements.

The webinar is designed to be interactive.  In addition to addressing questions at the end of each presentation, there will be case studies, quizzes and polls during the presentations. The Commission on Dietetics Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has approved this two-day webinar for up to seven continuing professional education credits.  A fee of $50 will be charged per registration.  Registration is available at: http://jifsan.umd.edu/register/registrant/fda-jifsan-webinar2014 .

Prerequisite information that will assist in understanding the content in this webinar has been archived at: http://jifsan.umd.edu/events/view/40 .  Reviewing the prerequisite information will be of particular importance to those not as familiar with FDA and its regulatory processes.  The following archival presentations are recommended as prerequisite information about the FDA food and nutrition regulatory processes, programs and recent activities in these areas:  Introduction to FDA and the food and nutrition regulatory process; overview of food labeling requirements; consumer education; international activities within the foods program; and FDA’s MedWatch reporting system.  These background presentations provide an excellent foundation for webinar participants and assist in a fuller understanding of the topics covered in the 2014 webinar. 

Find Out More

• FDA Announces Dietetics and Nutrition Webinar Co-Sponsored with the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) - 2014

• Register for the webinar

• Prerequisite information intended to assist in understanding the content in this webinar is posted at http://jifsan.umd.edu/events/view/40

Free book chapter to celebrate 100 years of X-ray crystallography

Help celebrate the United Nations’ International Year of Crystallography by downloading a free book chapter (pdf) by Stefan H.J. Idziak of the University of Waterloo on “Powder X-ray diffraction of triglycerides in the study of polymorphism.” The chapter appears in AOCS Press’ Structure-Function Analysis of Edible Fats, which was edited by Alejandro G. Marangoni of the University of Guelph.

“X-ray crystallography has had a tremendous impact on the fats and oils industry,” notes Marangoni. “It allowed for the unambiguous assignment of specific crystal structures to certain functionalities such as the desirable form V of chocolate or beta prime in margarine and shortening. This has directed both fundamental research as well as application development in the fats and oils industry for the past 75 years. Many challenges still remain in this area, such as indexing crystallographic planes, but X-ray crystallography still remains one of the most important and useful tools in the study of fat structure and functionality.” 

• Download “Powder X-ray diffraction of triglycerides in the study of polymorphism.” (.pdf)

Kao Conducts Studies on Advanced Effective Use of Non-edible Raw Materials

In Research on Algae, Kao Finds Some Strains That Produce Medium Chain Fatty Acids, and Identifies Enzyme That Play an Important Role in the Biosynthesis Pathway

With the aim of contributing to the sustainability of society, Kao Corporation (President and CEO: Michitaka Sawada) promotes research activities for forward-looking environmental technologies, centering on advanced use of biomass, at the Eco Technology Research Center in the Wakayama Plant. In the research on algae, which is one of the major themes in this field, the company succeeded to find enzyme that can produce a large number of medium chain fatty acids-the main components of natural fats and oils (e.g. palm kernel oils and coconut oils), which are raw materials for surfactants in detergents, shampoos, and other related products. This finding presented a strong possibility that Kao, as a world pioneer, could acquire a non-edible raw material source of fats and oils that is natural and not consumed as food. The company will pursue the technological development for the production of fats and oils from algae with the aim of technical production.

Reportedly, potential for algae to produce fats and oils is more than ten times that of such natural resources as palm. In recent years, many research cases are reported on production of fats and oils, containing C16 to 18 fatty acids as a main component, to acquire new raw materials for fuels (biofuels) in replacement of fossil fuels. However, surfactants in detergents and shampoos and the base substances of various raw materials are C12 to 14 medium chain fatty acids. Therefore, the conventional scope of research on algae could not have been sufficiently applied.

The company found some strains that contained a large number of C12 medium chain fatty acids in C12 to 14 medium chain fatty acids through research activity on biotechnologies, which evolved from technologies involving enzymes for detergents. Additionally, as a first in the field of algae, the company identified a novel acyl-ACP thioesterase with high specificity to medium chain fatty acids from the genus Nannochloropsis. Kao expects that these findings will dramatically accelerate the breeding development of algae for large-scale production of medium chain fatty acids.

These results will be presented at the 1st Asian Conference on Oleo Science (September 8 to 10, 2014; Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan; organized by Japan Oil Chemists' Society), the first conference of this kind in the entire Asian region.

• Diagram 1: Search and cultivation of algae (.PDF)

• Diagram 2: Biosynthesis pathway of general plant lipid (.PDF)

• Read the News Release

About Kao

Kao creates high-value-added products to help consumers around the world enrich their everyday lives. Over 20 leading brands such as Asience, Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries and Molton Brown are part of the lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe and help generate about 1,300 billion yen (about $US13 billion) in annual sales. Kao employs about 35,000 people worldwide and has more than 120 years of history in innovation. Please visit the Kao group web site for updated information.
http://www.kao.com/group/en/group/

ASAGA Organizes International Conference for 2015: Specialists and professionals from around the world will gather in Rosario to discuss the processing of oilseeds.

 The World Congress on Oils and Fats and the 31^st ISF Lectureship Series will be held in November 2015, under the slogan "Evolution, innovation and challenges towards a sustainable future". The event will provide a forum in which attendees can exchange information and bring themselves up to date on the development of products, technologies, research and experiences that are occurring at a global level in the field of fats and oils.

The conference is being organized by ASAGA together with the ISF (International Society for Fats Research) and LA AOCS (Latin-American Section of the American Oil Chemists´ Society).

The 5-day event will take place at the Metropolitano, which is the most important events and exhibitions center in the city of Rosario. Renowned specialists, researchers, professionals and suppliers from the international industry will join together to participate in knowledge transfer and debates. Choosing Rosario as the venue for the conference is apt, as the city is acknowledged as the headquarters for the processing of oilseeds on a global scale.

The event will feature an interesting academic program that includes short courses on crushing, refining and oxidation, structural aspects of lipids and their applications, and micro- and nanoencapsulation of functional ingredients in foods and lecithins. There will also be sessions that address topics such as processing, oxidation, biotechnology, biochemistry, bioenergy and sustainability. Courses on analytical aspects, safety and quality issues, structure, functionality and applications in food will also be presented. Finally, the conference will provide sessions on oliviculture, health and nutrition, co-products and special products, as well as commercial aspects and regulations.

The event will feature plant visits and the ASAGA Motivation Trade Show. This is a new concept that aims to enhance trade relations during the conference, motivated by the provision of numerous meeting spaces, which will bring the exhibitor into direct contact with their target audience.
The Latin-American Congress of Fats and Oils will also take place within this framework, thereby ensuring a greater regional presence at the event.

Building Support

The event has the institutional support of ACSOJA, AATA (Argentine Association of Food Technologists), ASAGIR (Argentine Sunflower Association), CIARA (Oil Industry Chamber of the Republic of Argentina), the BCR (Rosario Stock Exchange), the BCBA (Buenos Aires Grain Exchange), CAI (Argentine Center of Engineers), APOSGRAN (Post-Harvest Grains Association), FANUS (Forum for Food, Nutrition and Health) and FIEM (Energy and Environmental Research Foundation).

At the international level, the conference is supported by the RTRS (Round Table Responsible Soy) and the WTCA (World Trade Center Association).

The event has also received support from the province of Santa Fé and the Rosario Tourist Body, Argentina, which has declared the conference to be of tourist interest, as it represents an opportunity to promote both the city and the industrial sector.

Finally, the event is sponsored by the firms Bunge Argentina S.A. (Diamond Category), Molinos Rio de la Plata, Fabrimac S.A. and Terminal 6 (Gold Category sponsors).

For more information go to: www.asagaworldcongress.org.ar

Impact Factors Released for AOCS Journals

Last week Thomson Reuters released the 2013 Impact Factors (IF) and again this year AOCS journals did well. Congratulations to all the editors, reviewers, and contributors for being a part of these journals that support the mission of the organization and constituents from around the world. JAOCS (Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society) IF increased slightly from the year before to 1.629. Lipids dipped just slightly from 2.557 to 2.353 and JSD (Journal of Surfactants and Detergents)  dropped minimally from 1.515 to 1.353. The IF is just one of many metrics to determine the relevance of a journal article, and some experts would say that citation counts tell a more accurate story about the scholarly impact of an individual article as presented in this BioMed Central Blog  entitled “The diverse world of citation indexing services.”


Find Out More

• JAOCS (Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society) 

• Lipids

• JSD (Journal of Surfactants and Detergents)
 

Vegetable Oil Production - EPA Regulation of Air Emissions of Organic Solvents

The EPA is seeking public comments on the paperwork and regulatory burdens associated with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Solvent Extraction for Vegetable Oil Production.

Document Title: The title of the August 5, 2014 EPA Federal Register Notice is "Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NESHAP for Solvent Extraction for Vegetable Oil Production (Renewal)"

Summary: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an  information collection request (ICR), ``NESHAP for Solvent Extraction  for Vegetable Oil Production (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 1947.06, OMB  Control No. 2060-0471) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for  review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44  U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is  currently approved through August 31, 2014. Public comments were  previously requested via the Federal Register (78 FR 35023) on June 11,  2013 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an  additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR  is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public.
An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to  respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently  valid OMB control number.

Web site: The August 5, 2014 EPA Federal Register Notice is posted at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-08-05/html/2014-18453.htm 


Comments Due By: September 4, 2014

Contact: Questions may be directed to Patrick Yellin who is with the Compliance Assessment and Media Programs Division of the Office of Compliance, a unit of the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, at 202 564 2970; fax: 202 564 0050; e-mail: Yellin.Patrick@EPA.gov