Hot Topic Symposia
Tuesday, May 5
9:15 am
Special Hot Topic Symposia have been developed in an effort to expand the breadth, scope, and timeliness of the technical program at the AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo. Several symposia will be held concurrently with no competition from Division program.
Hot Topics to be presented include:
Fatty Acids in Body Weight Regulation and Obesity
Leading nutrition scientists will present a “seed to table” discussion regarding cutting-edge research on fats and oils and their role in weight regulation, obesity, health, and disease. Research advances on the effects of fatty acids on lipids, lipoproteins, and fat metabolism will be highlighted. New results from a clinical trial looking at healthy oils and their effect on weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors will provide insights on the functional role of fatty acids and which ones should be recommended for health. The use of innovative oil technologies in developing solutions for the food industry that meet health demands will be shared. Recommendations to minimize certain fatty acids, but to include a balance of others for health will be discussed with a focus on the significance of fats, oils, and fatty acids in the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines and their implications in nutrition labeling.
Historical Perspectives on the Chemistry of Fats and Oils
This symposium relates to the centennial of AOCS, taking a closer look at the history of AOCS and the issues that have affected AOCS and the oleochemistry community.
How Genomics and Biotechnology are Revolutionizing Soybean Productivity and Product Quality
Now that scientists have sequenced the entire soybean genome and have sophisticated tools for gene discovery, there is a need to explain how all this technology will be used, in a way that is understandable. Recent advances in soybean genomics and biotechnology usher in a new era of crop and product improvement that not only will change the fundamental methods for breeding, but also facilitate the development of more productive varieties that provide ingredients with enhanced health/nutritional benefits for food and feed applications.
Richard Wilson talks about this Hot Topic. (2.5MB mp3 file)Increased Oleic Soybean Oil for Food Product Formulation
Efforts to reformulate food products to reduce or eliminate trans fats have led food manufacturers to seek alternatives to partially hydrogenated oils. To maintain product quality, formulators demand oil solutions that deliver equivalent or superior oxidative stability and product functionality in addition to improved nutrition profiles. Attendees at the USB-sponsored session will learn the latest about increased oleic soybean oils, including mid- and high-oleic varieties. Panelists will discuss the fatty acid profile, functionality and stability testing, food product applications, supply and expected timelines for commercialization. The panel will also address the health benefits and improved nutritional composition of a variety of enhanced trait soybean oils available now and those currently in the research pipeline.
Micro-Miniaturization in Analytics
Combined with remote sensed imaging and mapping, micro- to nano-sized sensors and detection technologies are revolutionizing the analytical chemistry arena. This hot topic session will present different facets of this area to highlight the need for increased awareness among the analytical and oil scientists.
Rapid and Informed Decision Making with Emerging Sensing and Information Technology
The data and information technology revolution is rapidly changing the face of research and operations across the globe. This symposium will highlight recent advances in sensing and information technology, including high-performance computing access for the masses and advanced information systems for real-time decision making. R Systems, provides researchers easy access to “world class” HPC resources without the high barriers to entry. Blue Dolphin is an emerging advanced information system that will provide unparalleled capabilities for exploiting the vast stream of available data, including data robots that automatically harvest, transform, and fuse data from multiple internal and external sources; automated provenance that creates traceability from data to decisions; model and tool integration into an infrastructure "spinal cord" supported by background high-performance and Cloud computing; and executive dashboards for real-time decision making. Several case studies will be presented, followed by open discussion on the opportunities and challenges of working with emerging technologies.
Recent Advances in Feedstock and Biodiesel Analysis
This symposium will discuss the current analytical challenges facing the marketplace. Increasing utilization and market acceptance of biodiesel has been difficult over the last few years due to trace components and cold weather operability. New analytical techniques and novel applications of current methodology have made headway into solving these issues. Biodiesel is most often used as a blend with conventional diesel fuel. Previously, to understand the properties of the blend, the neat biodiesel was required. Advances in gas chromatography have decoupled the understanding of blend properties from the parent fuels. Looking to the future, the biodiesel market will stagnate without new feedstocks. Algal oils may be able to compete with conventional fats and oils in the future. However, the integration of algal oils and biodiesel in the market depends on understanding their properties.
Saturated Fats and Health—Facts and Feelings
Saturated fat from plants and animals has for centuries been an important ingredient in many Western and non-Western diets. In recent years, however, saturated fats have gained a bad image, especially in relation to cardiovascular health. However, the “saturated fat is bad” dogma is not based on unequivocal evidence. Indeed, some long-chain saturated fatty acids have been shown to raise LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in specific dietary intervention studies, and LDL cholesterol is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is clear now that the predictive power of the LDL cholesterol level for CVD risk is limited, although its predictive power can be enhanced by including LDL particle size, LDL (glyc)oxidation state, triglyceride levels, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, inflammatory markers, and the like. And some of these markers are improved by the consumption of saturated fat.
Sustainability as the Foundation for the Future in Fats and Oils/Feeding the World
Dealing with world hunger, feeding future generations and the role of fats and oils in this equation are some of the most critical issues now facing the society and its members, as well as the rest of the scientific and engineering community. In addition, balancing food and energy has driven the availability of fats and oils down and pricing up. All these factors will be discussed by world wide experts on this subject. The AOCS Foundation believes that this sustainability/food issue is one of the most important challenges of our times and is lending its support to this hot topic session.
