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Australasian Section NewsletterAustralasian Section

November 2012

Hello everyone and welcome to the first newsletter for 2012. It has been a long time in the making but it is finally here! Despite the committee’s quietness we have been working hard behind the scenes in planning the next section meeting together with short courses for November 2013. We are currently deciding on a venue and preliminary program which should be available shortly. As always we are hoping to attract over 100 delegates from Australia, Europe, USA, Asia and NZ following on from our previous successful meetings.  We are planning to hold a number of plenary lectures, proffered papers as well as posters.  More details to follow soon.

Memberships are also due now so to keep receiving correspondence from AOCS and notification of upcoming meetings and short courses please don’t forget to renew your AOCS or AAOCS section membership.

Lastly, you might recall at our last section meeting in Adelaide in November 2011 we introduced the new AAOCS Section Award. We have now established the award and have allocated funding and will be advertising for nominations in due course. Finally we are always looking for exciting news, photos, information, awards, publications, student achievements etc. etc. in the oils and fats field. So please send any information to our secretary Matt Miller for the Christmas newsletter.  

Karen Murphy
President, Australasian Section


2012 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo

See the highlights from the 103rd American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo held in Long Beach, California, USA.

Some interesting talks were provided by Solazyme – They have created a new technology where they can grow GM algae and feed it any sugar (carbohydrate) source to make any lipid profile you like. They seem to have a handle on all the genes in these algae and can switch them on and off to make a series of different FA profiles. These are of particular use in bio-fuels, solid fat/cocoa butter replacements, frying oils, and spreadable fats. A recent JV with Bunge Global Innovation operates a commercial-scale renewable tailored oils production facility adjacent to Bunge’s Moema sugarcane mill in Brazil.  More information is at http://solazyme.com/

 

2013 AAOCS Award for Scientific Excellence in Lipid Research

The AAOCS are offering a new award for excellence in lipid science/research at the upcoming meeting in 2013. The award will recognize a scientist from within the Australasian region that has made a significant research contribution towards fats and oils research, either cumulative or one major advancement. For more details please contact Amy.Logan@csiro.au.

Nomination Deadline: 17th May 2013

 

Have you got any oils news?

The AAOCS will be trying to put out another Newsletter before Christmas. Have you done anything noteworthy in oils and fats and want to communicate it to the section? Have you got any fats and oils business or product news? Have you published any findings/results/theses lately?  Have you been to a conference or expo and seen anything interesting?  Please send any news to matt.miller@plantandfood.co.nz by 1st December.

 

Tasmanian company turning fish waste into pink gold

The Tasmanian company Seafish Tasmania is converting Atlantic salmon waste into Australia's first human-grade fish oil. Its Triabunna-based factory processes about 100 tonnes of fish heads, frames and guts a day, utilising all the waste from Tasmania's three salmon farms.

AAOCS committee member and seafish Tasmania's Will Bignell says it is an exciting project. "It's a complete Australian first so it's the first time someone's taken raw Australian seafood right through to recovering an oil fit for human consumption," he said.  "We kind of deal with all the aquaculture waste the state's producing at the moment and the idea is rather than bury it, or silage it, to turn it into value-added product such as fish oil.  It's literally hours from taking from solids and guts through to protein and we're producing about 50-tonne a week at the moment."

Read more 

 

Rod Mailer meets royalty

Rod MailerFormer AOCS president and leading fats and oils Scientist Dr Rod Mailer has been awarded a fellowship by the prestigious Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry at a ceremony attended by the King and Queen of Sweden.  On January 28, consulting scientist for NSW Department of Primary Industries, Dr Mailer travelled to Stockholm where five international fellows received letters of fellowship from the president of the esteemed academy, Sarah Von Arnold. Dr Mailer and his wife attended a royal banquet afterwards, where the King and Queen and other dignitaries were present. More than 500 guests celebrated outstanding Swedish scientists for their contribution to the industry.  His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf congratulated deserving recipients on their progressive research and dedication.  “I was extremely honoured to be awarded the fellowship and it was certainly one of the highlights of my career,” Dr Mailer said. 

While in Stockholm, Dr Mailer also presented talks on his research to three institutes in and around the city.  “My research talks focused on the Australian edible oils industry and the current situation with bio-energy in Australia,” he said.  He is responsible for the development of the nationally and internationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art Australian Oils Research Laboratory at Wagga. 

Dr Mailer joined the NSW Department of Primary Industries in 1979 and during his time managed research projects in various oil crops, particularly canola and olive oil.  He was the head of the department’s edible oils research program in Wagga, until he resigned in 2010.

(taken from the Nyngan observer http://www.nynganobserver.com.au/news/local/news/general/australian-scientist-receives-royal-nod/2481701.aspx)

 

Clinical trial results confirm arthritic benefits of Aroma NZ green shell mussel health extract.

Christchurch green shell mussel powder producer Aroma NZ has commissioned a clinical trial which has found significant relief for arthritis sufferers from their mussel supplement. A University of Queensland clinical study has just recently confirmed a 59 percent relief for arthritis sufferers who took mussel powder product during a landmark eight-week trial.

The university’s School of Medicine was commissioned to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and to firmly establish the substantial benefit of green shell mussel extract to improve pain and joint mobility in a group of 21 men and women aged between 41 and 87 diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knees. The primary clinical investigators for the project Luis Vitetta and Samantha Coulson said previous reports on the use of freeze-dried New Zealand green shell mussel for treating osteoarthritis had been inconsistent with no conclusive evidence. So such significant results were not expected from the pilot trial.

Aroma NZ director Ben Winters says they always knew green shell mussel powder gave great results to people and animals who suffered from joint pain and inflammation. “This was the result we were looking for and confirms that our green shell mussel product definitely contains significant anti-inflammatory properties. We are so encouraged by these new clinical results that we plan to carry out larger clinical trials on people. Larger trials with placebo will carry more weight when pitching to pharmaceutical companies. We’re also looking to carry out a large dog study to prove that our mussel powder improves joint mobility in arthritic dogs. We are investing heavily in research and development and work closely with Plant and Food Research on our marine nutraceuticals. Providing solid clinical data sets us apart from our competition as well as being able to supply large volumes all year round. We have the largest freeze drying plant in the southern hemisphere with eight freeze driers.”

Aroma NZ are also in the process of installing a supercritical extraction plant that will allow them to extract marine oils from green shell mussels and other materials.

 

AAOCS is now LinkedIn

The section is joining the world of social media. If you’re social media savvy please join our LinkedIn group. Becoming a member of the AAOCS LinkedIn group is a fast and good way to keep up with the AAOCS meetings, newsletters and section information. Join our growing community and make more contacts in the fats and oils world.  Don't forget to join the AOCS LinkenIn group as well.

 

Australasian Aquaculture Award Winners includes AAOCS Past President

The inaugural Australasian Aquaculture Awards, sponsored by the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (GAA-BAP) certification program at Australasian Aquaculture 2012, recognized individuals and businesses that apply innovative and sustainable practices that will have lasting impacts on Australasian aquaculture over the next 10 years.Prof. Chris Carter

The Fish Oil Replacement in Australian Aquafeed project won the Aquaculture Science Research Award. Project work by Prof. Chris Carter (University of Tasmania, photo right), Dr. David Francis (Australian Institute of Marine Science), AAOCS Past President and committee member Dr. Peter Nichols (CSIRO Food Futures Flagship) and Dr. Giovanni Turchini (Deakin University) is helping Australian aquaculturists plan for a more economically and environmentally secure future by reducing dependence on imported fish oil as an ingredient in aquafeed. 

Australia’s aquafeed industry quickly took up project findings and developed new, cost effective and more sustainable diets for the Australasian market. Current feeds have minimal fish oil content and utilize nationally produced alternative oils, but still deliver excellent fish performance and products with optimal nutritional and sensory qualities.  In accepting the award on behalf of the research team, Prof. Carter avknowledged the contribution of many past and present students.  This included a number of AAOCS colleagues – Matt Miller, Basseer Codabaccus and Ramez Alhazzaa.

 

Fat Tax

From Laurence Eyers and the NZ fats and oils group

Increasing the price of unhealthy food and drinks through a tax of at least 20 per cent could improve people's health and have an impact on diet-related diseases, a new study shows. The study reported by BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) suggested fat and sugar taxes needed to be at least 20 per cent to have a significant effect on obesity and cardiovascular disease.  A tax on sugary drinks would be most successful, the study showed. It also revealed that taxes on unhealthy foods should be combined with subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables. 

  • ''Price is an important determinant of food choices and diet,'' the study said.
  • ''As the price of an item rises the consumption of that item will typically fall."
  • ''Increasing the price of unhealthy foods, by taxation, should reduce consumption of the taxed foods.''

Denmark has introduced a fat tax and Hungary a junk food tax. France has introduced a tax on sweetened drinks and Peru is planning to implement a junk food tax. Some public health experts in Australia have called for a tax on junk food.  In this reviewer’s opinion, legislation will never force people to eat healthily.  Read more.

 

Omega-3 acquisitions

Recent acquisitions globally have illustrated the vast interest in omega-3 supplies:

German chemical firm BASF has bought Equateq (UK) and its pharmaceutical-grade omega-3 line for an undisclosed amount. BASF also acquired their separation technologies for eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. "With the acquisition of Equateq, BASF now offers a full range of omega-3 fatty acids ranging from natural fish oil to mid-range EPA/DHA concentrates and super-high concentrates. Adam Kelliher, the Kiwi CEO of Equateq reports that he is pleased with the deal.

Dutch chemical and nutrition group DSM is to acquire Ocean Nutrition Canada, a producer of fatty acids derived from fish oil, in a deal giving the company an enterprise value of USD $530 M. DSM said buying the Nova Scotia-based company would broaden its share of the market for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are used in foods aimed at health-conscious consumers. Ocean Nutrition Canada says its sales have grown 20% a year in the past five years to an expected C$190 M in 2012. Ocean Nutrition is the dominant company in the $1.3 B dollar trade of omega-3 oils. Founded as the Dutch state coal miner in 1902, DSM has transformed itself through deals into the world’s largest maker of vitamins with a sizeable material sciences unit. 

Last year DSM acquired US nutrition company Martek, which makes omega-3 fatty acids through microbial processes. DSM said the markets for microbial and fish oil-derived omega acids were separate, with the fish oil product more often used in dietary supplements and margarine and the more expensive microbial variety used for infant formula and vegetarian products.

 

Virgin Coconut Oil

There has been a lot of media recently about this product. This is coconut oil which does not have to go through the RBD process. Rather than going to the normal dry process, this oil is obtained by wet processing which entails the extraction of the cream from the fresh coconut milk and consequently breaking the cream emulsion. This process is more desirable as no chemical or high heat treatment is imposed on the oil. The coconut oil produced through the wet method is known as virgin coconut oil (VCO). It is pleasant clean tasting oil with no oxidation products and is fine for shallow pan cooking. However it is 90% saturated and as far as I am aware there are no peer reviewed clinical trials to show that it behaves other than a typical saturated fat. However it does contain a small proportion of medium chain triglycerides which do metabolise differently.

A recent video on the net claims some benefit for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but one should take these anecdotal claims with a pinch of salt and await full clinical trials. For the record medium chain triglycerides by definition are C8 and C10 fatty acid containing triglycerides. They are made from coconut and palm kernel oils by derivitisation and distillation.

See review article in Trends in Food Science and Technology; Volume 20, Issue 10, October, 2009, Pages 481-487

 

News Briefs

Even better news for chocolate lovers - The future could lead to cookies as to ward off diabetes and obesity? Chocolate to improve memory and reduce stress? Want to know more?

Aurora Algae has announced the successful completion of requirements for a AUD $2 M- Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) grant used to advance the company's algae-based biomass production at its demonstration facility in Karratha, Western Australia.

More Algae news from South Australia.

 

Research highlights

Seaweed extracts from New Zealand inhibit fish oil oxidation.

Lipid technology

The New Zealand brown seaweed Ecklonia radiata gives higher fish oil protection than other seaweeds examined in this study and is comparable to BHT. Extracts from this seaweed displayed significantly lower primary, secondary, and total oxidation products and higher DPPH radical scavenging ability than BHT. Further fractionation and purification of active compounds is expected to improve the activity and potential health benefits and to allow the use of seaweed extracts as antioxidants for marine oils.

Kindleysides, S. et al., Food Chemistry 2012, DOI: 10.1016/ j.foodchm.2012.02.068

 

Industry Events

  • 1-2 November, 2012, NZ Aquaculture Conference, Nelson.

 

New Papers

  • Soressa M. K, Young, P., Nattrass G., Gardner g., Pearce K., & Pethick D.W. When balanced for precursor fatty acid supply echium oil is not superior to linseed oil in enriching lamb tissues with long-chain n-3 PUFA British Journal of Nutrition, doi:10.1017/S0007114511005411
  • Tuckey NPL, Day JR, Miller MR (2013) Determination of volatile compounds in New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels (Perna canaliculus) during chilled storage using solid phase microextraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Food Chemistry, 136, 218-223.
  • Stähler, K., Quek, S.-Y., Miller, M.R., 2011. Investigation of γ-Linolenic Acid and Stearidonic Acid Biosynthesis During a Life Cycle of Borago officinalis L. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 88, 1715-1725.
  • Kurtovic, I. et al. (2011) Hydrophobic immobilization of a bile salt activated lipase from Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). J Mol Catal B: Enzym 72, 168-174.
  • Kurtovic, I. et al. (2011) Flavour development in dairy cream using fish digestive lipases from Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and New Zealand hoki (Macruronus novaezealandiae). Food Chem 127, 1562-1568.
  • Codabaccus, M. B., Bridle, A. R.., Nichols, P. D., Carter, C. G. (2012) Restoration of fillet n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid is improved by a modified fish oil finishing diet strategy for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts fed palm fatty acid distillate.  J. Agric. and Food Chem. 60: 458-466.
  • Pethybridge, H.P., Yoshida, T., Casper, R., Virtue, P., Green, C., Jackson, G., Nichols, P. D.  (2012) Seasonal variations in diet of arrow squid (Nototodarus gouldi): stomach content and signature fatty acid analysis.  J. Marine Biological Assoc. UK. 92: 187-196.
  • Chang, K. J. L., Dunstan, G. A., Abell, G. C. J., Clementson. L. A., Blackburn, S. I., Nichols, P. D. , Koutoulis, A. (2012) Biodiscovery of new Australian thraustochytrids for production of biodiesel and long-chain omega-3 oils. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 93: 2215-2231.
  • Alhazzaa, R., Bridle, A. R., Carter, C. G. and Nichols, P. D. (2012) Sesamin modulation of lipid class and fatty acid profile in early juvenile teleost, Lates calcarifer, fed different dietary oils. Food Chemistry 134: 2057-2065.
  • Turchini, G. M., Nichols, P., Barrow, C. and Sinclair, A. J. (2012) Jumping on the omega-3 bandwagon: distinguishing the role of long-chain and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 52:795–803. 
  • Codabaccus, B. M., Carter, C. G., Bridle, A. R. and Nichols, P. D. (2012) The "n-3 LC-PUFA sparing effect" of modified dietary n-3 LC-PUFA content and DHA to EPA ratio in Atlantic salmon smolt. Aquaculture 356-357: 135-140. 
  • Petrie, J. R., Vanhercke, T., Shrestha, P., El Tahchy, A., White, A., Zhou, X-R, Liu, Q., Mansour, M. P., Nichols, P. D. and Singh, S. P. (2012)  Recruiting a New Substrate for Triacylglycerol Synthesis in Plants: The Monoacylglycerol Acyltransferase Pathway. PLoS ONE 7(4) e35214.

 

Theses

  • Sophie Kindleysides (2010-11) MSc student, Auckland University.  Project title: The effectiveness of natural seaweed extracts from New Zealand species as antioxidants.
  • Ivan Kurtovic (2011) PhD thesis, McGill University, Project title: Digestive lipases from Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and New Zealand hoki (Macruronus novaezealandiae) - purification, characterization, application and immobilization
  • Basseer Codabaccus (2007-2011) PhD thesis, School of Aquaculture, University of Tasmania.  Project title: Alternative to fish oil aquafeeds for salmonid diets.
  • Ramez Alhazzaa (2008-12) PhD thesis, School of Aquaculture, University of Tasmania.  Project title: Alternative sources of omega-3 oils in barramundi, Lates calcarifer, aquaculture.