AOCS Edible Applications Technology Division
Newsletter August 2008

Neil Widlak.Letter From the Editor
Neil Widlak

The Edible Applications Technology Division is looking ahead to another year of challenges due to the increase in commodity prices and consumer demand for more healthful fats. To address these challenges, we are organizing sessions under the following titles for next year's annual meeting:

Information from these sessions can be used to help food formulators, developers, and manufacturers reduce the level of fats in food systems, or minimize or maximize the use of specific fatty acids or nutrients for nutritional purposes. Please feel free to contact division officers for further details.

We would also be interested in knowing if a Hot Topic Session on Oilseed Economics—A Global Perspective and Forecast at next year's meeting would be of interest to our members. Please contact the AOCS office or division officers to express interest or offer a speaker recommendation.

In addition to the annual meeting, our division is proposing to organize a two-day conference on the Function of Lipids in Foods, to be organized with the Food Structure and Functionality Forum Division for the third quarter of 2009. More information will be available by the next newsletter.

I also encourage our members to utilize AOCS Connect as an open innovation tool to find solutions to your food lipid problems and challenges. Please contact Kathy Atchley (kathya@aocs.org) for more information on participating in AOCS Connect.

Please feel free to contact me or other EAT division officers if you are interested in becoming more active in our division or have ideas for session topics, speakers, a conference, or a short course.

Neil Widlak
EAT Division

Monoj Gupta.Looking Forward: Improving the Annual Meeting
Monoj Gupta

The annual meeting of 2008 in Seattle was quite a success from the standpoint of technical papers. A total of 521 technical papers were presented at this meeting. The total number of registrants was 1,716. Without having the exact number of registrants at the Québec meeting in 2007, I was informed that the number in 2008 was lower than that of 2007.

The total number of booths was 107, while that in 2007 was 110. The biggest contrast can be seen between the annual meetings in 1997 and 2008, both held in Seattle. In 1997, there were 2,133 registrants and the total number of booths was 170. This represents an approximately 19.5% drop in total registrants and a 37.1% decline in the total number of exhibitors. Part of this could be industry shift and the overall economy. However, there might be some other factors driving this difference, especially in the number of exhibitors.

Compared to the meeting of 1997, this year's meeting seemed to be lacking "life." The place was too big; the days were filled with technical papers from early morning until 5:00 p.m. The registration booth and the lecture halls were too spread out and the exhibit hall was essentially dead every day. The attendees had very little time for interaction with others except for the opening night mixer and prescheduled business meetings.

Some individuals from the food industry expressed their disappointment because there were not enough technical papers that would be relevant to their needs. I can counter-argue on this one because no industrial speaker would disclose their company secrets, and in some cases university researchers are bound by their secrecy agreement with the sponsors of the projects.

I have personally asked those disappointed individuals to write to me letting me know their interest areas. We can review these comments and see what can be done in the future.

We need to do some serious soul searching to find an appropriate balance between the numbers of technical papers and generating interest among the attendees to visit the exhibit hall and interact with the exhibitors. It is true that one visits the exhibit booths with some relevance to his or her needs, but the convention planning should allow some time for the attendees to get to the exhibit hall floor and find out what it has to offer.

Finally, the exhibitors bear a major share of the cost for the annual meeting. With the declining number of exhibitors and the decreased tendency of the general attendees to visit the exhibitors' booths, the cost for the annual meeting will become prohibitive for the technical attendees. We have to start thinking about the right mix between technical papers and stimulating interest in the exhibitors to revitalize the atmosphere of the annual meeting.

Sincerely,
Monoj Gupta, President
MG Edible Oil Consulting Int'l

AOCS Centennial.

Celebrating 100 Years! 1909-2009

In May 1909, nine analytical chemists attending the Interstate Cottonseed Crushers Association (ICCA) decided to form a new organization to standardize analytical methods. From these nine founders on the steps of the Memphis Jockey Club, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) has grown to an international organization consisting of over 4,000 members throughout 90 countries across the globe. It is these members and their contributions that make up the true value of AOCS.

AOCS is celebrating its centennial through monthly inform articles, a dedicated website, special mailings to all AOCS members, and the 100th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Beginning in April 2008 and running monthly until April 2009, inform will publish a series of articles showcasing how the society has grown into an international organization. Each month's article will focus, decade by decade, on AOCS programs, problems, and progress. Along with the articles are special sidebars showcasing AOCS milestones, industry timelines, historical sketches, and member reflections on past meeting experiences.

Be a part of an important AOCS milestone by making plans to attend the 100th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, from May 3-6, 2009. At the meeting we will be celebrating the 100-year anniversary through special historical exhibits in the Expo Hall and a Colossal Centennial Celebration. It's a once in a lifetime event. You won't want to miss it!

AOCS members who have specific memories they want to share are asked to contact Amy Lydic (amyl@aocs.org). AOCS is collecting audio podcasts, photographs, and good wishes to share with our membership. Working together with our esteemed past presidents, long-time members, and current members, we will continue to piece together our rich history so it can be shared with all of our membership for the next 100 years.

See the latest updates on the 100th AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo online at http://Annual_Mtg.aocs.org.

Soybeans: Chemistry, Production, Processing, and Utilization
AOCS Monograph Series on Oilseeds, Volume 2

Book cover.Editors Lawrence A. Johnson, Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR), Iowa State University, Ames, IA; Pamela J. White, also of CCUR, Iowa State University; and Richard Galloway, Galloway & Associates, and top researchers, professors and business leaders contributed to Soybeans: Chemistry, Production, Processing and Utilization (https://www.aocs.org/catalog/product.asp?ID=w223&dept=10).

AOCS Press and the United Soybean Board produced this comprehensive new soybean book. The monograph will "drive success for soybeans" via 21 concise chapters covering all aspects of soybeans—from genetics, breeding and quality to post-harvest management, marketing and utilization (food and energy applications), U.S. domestic versus foreign practices and production methods.

Contents

The History of Soybeans
Breeding, Genetics, and Production of Soybeans
Harvesting, Storing, and Post-harvest Management of Soybeans
Effect of Pests and Diseases on Soybean Quality
Economics of Soybean Production, Marketing, and Utilization
Measurement and Maintenance of Soybean Quality
Lipids
Soybean Proteins
Soybean Carbohydrates
Minor Constituents and Phytochemicals of Soybeans
Oil Recovery from Soybeans
Soybean Oil Purification
Soybean Oil Modification
Food Uses of Whole Soybeans
Food Uses for Soybean Oil and Alternatives to Trans Fatty Acids in Foods
Bioenergy and Biofuels from Soybeans
Biobased Products from Soybeans
Nutritional Properties and Feeding Values of Soybeans and their Co products
Soy Protein Products, Processing, and Utilization
Human Nutrition Value of Soybean Oil and Soy Protein
Soybean Production and Processing in Brazil

AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA