It's a busy time for Division officers as we put together the final program for the AOCS Annual Meeting in six weeks. The AOCS Governing Board has also been busy, meeting in Chicago in late February to address an agenda that included a review of the '05 budget results and '06 budget year to date performance, real estate, and a legal audit of AOCS foundational documents.

In 2005 a new business model was crafted, adopted, and implemented. The resulting changes streamlined procedures, and coupled with a freeze on all staff salaries, resulted in a "bottom line" of ~$550,000 in '05. It should be noted however that the savings was all on the expense side. Income was as projected in the budget. The task at this time is to expand the user base for all the information products generated by AOCS members for the fats and oils community. This is the major task for staff and committees in '06.

The AOCS built a new facility to accommodate growth in staff back in 2000. In addition, there was adjacent land acquired that was to be sold as soon as practical. The real estate news is that the land has been sold, as has the building. The reason for the sale of the building is that while staff had been projected to grow to 75 in 5 years (now) it has instead decreased primarily because of electronic communication and information systems. The Board will purchase a building of approximately 1/2 the size of the current one and save ~$100,000 per year in operating costs as a result.

And finally, the AOCS is incorporated in New Orleans and has been since it's inception I believe. When you think about the origins of the Society, which were in the Southern United States, this makes sense. However, a Chicago-based legal firm specializing in association law has reviewed our foundational documents and made recommendations to "update" those documents to reflect a post-Sarbannes Oxley environment. The Board was briefed by the lead attorney on the project at their meeting, and the Executive Committee met with her on specifics related to AOCS the day after the Board meeting.

So, the stage is set for continuing discussions and a great time in St. Louis. I hope you'll all be there to benefit from the wonderful program you've generated, as well as through interaction with colleagues and longtime friends.

Mike Haas
AOCS President

Division Meetings
FS&FF Division

• Board Meeting--Sunday, April 30, 2–3 pm, Room 222
• Roundtable Discussion--Monday, May 1, 1:30-2 p.m., Room 264
• Luncheon Meeting--Monday, May 1, 12–2 pm, Room 264. The FS&FF Division will hold a membership meeting during their luncheon and they encourage everyone to attend.

• Board Meeting--Division officers will meet to discuss operations and strategic plans for Division activities. All Division Board Meetings will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm in Room 222 prior to Division Council.
• Roundtable Discussion--This meeting will set priorities for Division activities and funds. Technical sessions for future annual meetings and other education and meeting opportunities will also be discussed.
• Luncheon/Dinner Meeting--This social function provides attendees time to network with peers. A presentation related to the Division topic may be scheduled following the meal.

Hot Topic symposia include:
Enhanced Soybean Oils: Traits for Improving Product Functionality & Human Health, organized by Craig Handzlik, United Soybean Board, USA. Tuesday, May 2, 9–10:30 a.m., America's Center, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.



Analytical Challenges in the Advancement of Healthy Oils and Fats to the Market Place, organized by Dutt Vinjamoori, Martek Biosciences, USA. Tuesday, May 2, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., America's Center, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.


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To view all AOCS and AOCS Division award winners visit http://www.aocs.org/member/awards/.

In inform . . .

Here’s a sample of what’s coming up in the May 2006 issue of inform: a 16-page supplement focusing on Building Biodiesel. Features include a poll of industry movers & shakers, a report from the 2006 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo, and practical advice on biodiesel plant construction. The supplement, sponsored by Crown Iron Works, is the first in a continuing AOCS series highlighting the latest trends and information in Biorenewable Resources. Number two in the series, sponsored by DeSmet Ballestra, will appear in August and explore the state of the European biodiesel industry.

In JAOCS . . .

Review
• Reaction Chemistry of Gossypol and its Derivations

Analytical and Physical Chemistry
• Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Edible Oils
• Fractal Dimensions of Fat Crystal Networks

Food, Feed Science, and Nutrition
• Chemical Refining of Rice Bran Oil Components
• Analytical Properties of Hemp Seed Oil
• Frying Stability of Regular and High-oleic Sunflower Oils

Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
• Flaxseed Protein-derived Peptides as Nutraceuticals
• Tocopherol Intrinsic to Sunflower Seed Oil Bodies
• Tocopherol and TAG in Soy Embryonic Axes

Nonfood or Industrial Applications
• Biodiesel Properties of Vegetable Oil Esters
• FA, Tocols and Carotenoids in Sea Buckthorn Pulp Oil Species

Processing and Engineering Technology
• Nanofiltration of Carotenoids from Palm Methyl Esters
• Pheophytin Products Related to Virgin Olive Oil Quality

Letter to Editor
• Physicochemical Properties of Apricot Kernel

Check out the latest new releases from AOCS Press at https://www.aocs.org/catalog.

Be sure to use the coupon at the end of this e-mail when ordering!

The Food Structure and Functionality Forum (FS&FF) is an international group of scientists devoted to food structure and functionality topics. The mission of the group is to promote global collaboration between food and agriculture professionals in structure and functionality disciplines by facilitating interaction and providing a forum for exchange of knowledge, expertise, and research findings. The food structure and functionality field is constantly evolving as a scientific discipline. Its primary goal is to unravel the relationships between food structure and functional properties of food materials and products.