WORLDWATCH

Antioxidant specialists offer recommendationsAn international conference on "Antioxidants in Food-Past, Present and Future" was held Ocr. 28-31,1991. at theRebild Bakker HOle! and Conference Center in Skerping,Denmark. The conference. which drew 60 participantsfrom 15 countries. was organized by the International FoodScience Centre A/S (IPSe), Denmark, and was chaired byVijai K.S. Shukla, IFSC director.

John Gutreridge of the Royal Brompton National Heartand Lung Institute, London, introduced the concept of freeradicals, particularly those formed from oxygen, andexplained the importance of spin. In the four-step reactionby which oxygen is converted to water, two of the interme-diates (02 and OH) are radicals. Powerful hydroxyl radicalsalso are produced by Fenton's reagent and by the radiolysisof water, and can initiate lipid peroxtdenon which is a radi-cal chain reaction. The Importance of transition metal ionsand of particularly the omission of ironwas explained. Finally, he discussedbiological antioxidant protection andthe binding of metals.

Frank Gunstone of St. AndrewsUniversity, Scotland, presented twolectures. The first continued the intro-ductory theme on mechanisms of oxi-dation and on antioxidants. He coveredthree processes of lipid oxidation-autooxidation, pbo-tooxygenation, and enzymic oxidation-and described themechanism of these processes and the hydroperoxidesresulting from various unsaturated acids. The secondaryproducts of reaction, including short-chain compounds,epoxides of the same Chain-length and peroxide dimers.were described. Gunstone also outlined the way in whichprimary and secondary antioxidants work and indicated themolecular structures of the product formed from theantioxidants.

Hasse Vinter of Grindsted Products. Brabrand, Den-mark, reported on industrial aspects of antioxidants. Vinrerindicated that antioxidants are imponant to protect foodsand also may be required in their own right for protectionagainst several diseased conditions. He described the mosteffective antioxidants or blends of primary antioxidants,chelating agents. and appropriate carriers for the particularend-use of the product. He emphasized the natural antioxi-dants: tocopherols. ascorbic acid and its derivatives. andthe gallic acid esters.

Jurg Lenger of the Nestle Research Centre, Lausanne.Switzerland, spoke on the application of natural antioxi-dants in foods such as those present in tea and rosemary.He described the large synergistic effect noticed withblends of tocopherol. ascorbates and lecithin.

A. Gapor of the Palm Oil Research Institute in Malaysia(PORIM) described the significant growth in palm oil pro-duction in Malaysia during the 19805 and gave an accountof the production of a vitamin E concentrate from palmfatty acid distillate. a by-product of the refining procedure.This product is unusual in that the common tocopherols ure

This report giving highlights from the international confer-ence. "Antioxidants in Food-Pasl. Present and Future,"was prepared by INFORM Associate Editor V.K.S. Shukla.The conference concluded with recommendations for.fur-ther sflldy of cnetattng agents. the need for commonnomenctature.funner study of mediating effect of lipids onradicals. and for improved analytical techniques to studyand monitor lipid oxidation.

accompanied by significant proportions of the much lesscommon tocotrienols. This makes the products differentfrom the more usual vitamin E preparations obtained fromsoybean or other vegetable oils.

Franz Timmerman of Chemische Fabrik Gronau GmbH,Jillertissen/Bayem. Germany, described the successful

application of natural tocopherols asantioxidants for a wide range of foods,including vegetable oils, animal fats.fish oils. essential oils. lecithins. miner-aI oils (for the cosmetic and pharma-ceutical industries). cereals, dehydratedpotatoes. nuts. fried noodles and somemeat products.

The benefits and limitations of vari-ous primary and secondary natural antioxidants werereviewed by Robert Evans of Kalsec Inc .. Kalamazoo.Michigan. He included tocopherols. phenolics from spicesand herbs such as rosemary and sage, phytic acid, andascorbic acid and its esters. and drew attention to the impor-tance of pro-vitamin A, vitamin C. and vitamin E.

The effectiveness of both natural and synthetic antioxi-dants was examined by Amalia Calvo of UOP, Des Plaines.Illinois. Her study covered canola oil and palm olein attemperatures around 25°C for 60 days and 200°C (2 x 12hours). Synergism between BHA and BHT and betweentocopherols and rosemary extract was observed with thesynthetic antioxidants being more effective under the con-ditions examined.

In a second talk, Evans discussed antioxidant trends inthe United States. He predicted continued growth indemand for BHT and TBHQ. a possible reduction in BHAdemand. and more significant growth for natural antioxi-dants. especially the tocopherols and the relatively newproducts such as rosemary extract and sage. He also pre-dicted growing importance for chelating technology.

Parkash Kochhar of SPK Consultancy Services, Read-ing. England. reported on the application of syntheticantioxidants in foods. He discussed the permitted antioxi-dants. chelaring agents and synergists. and the factorswhich lead to a particular selection of materials for opti-mum results.

The effectiveness of natural antioxidants in foods corn-pared to synthetic antioxidants was reviewed by MarionDougherty Jr. of Eastman Chemical Products Inc., Ten-nessee. He covered BHA, BHT. TBHQ and propyl gallate

Antioxidants areimportant to protect

foods and for protectionagainst several

diseased conditions.

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Perhaps the oils andfats processing industryshould reexamine theefficacy of citric acid.

as synthetics and ascorbic acid, ascorbyJ palmitate. rose-mary extracts and mixed tocopherols as natural antioxi-dants in a wide range of applications. His review discussedthe advantages of TBHQ and the tocopherols, especially,when used with ascorbic acid.

Hennann Kappus of Frele Universitat. Berlin. Germany,reported on the comparative toxicology of BHA. BHT andvitamin E. He described the difficulties which have arisenwith tests using high dosesof BHA and BHT bUI foundthat vitamin E showed lillie or no evi-dence of any problem.

Guneridge. continuing his talk ofthe previous day, emphasized theimportance of transition metals, partic-ularly iron, in the promotion and inhi-bition of oxidation. He discussed bio-logical antioxidant protection anddescribed the major protein anrloxl-darns in extracellular fluids and the important role playedby vitamin E. vitamin C. and possibly by B-carOiene.

This topic was further developed by Victor Darley-Usmar of Wellcome Research Laboratories. Beckenham.Kent. who spoke on the importance of iron chelators indiminishing and controlling oxidation in biological sys-tems. He described some important anuoxtdants, includingstrong chela tors such as the hydroxamates.

Anthony Diploek of Guy's Hospital. London. outlinedthe free radical theory of disease and described some dis-eases associated with selenium deficiency. He discussedwork leading to the conclusion that selenium is an impor-tant part of the total antioxidant requirement. However. it isdifficult to define a required level of selenium on its ownsince this is dependent on the availability of other antioxi-dants.

The role of supercxice dismutases (SOD) as an indis-pensible enzyme serving as an antioxidant was describedby Knud Lund-Olesen of Odense, Denmark. He describedhis experience with Orgctein (the Cu-Zn superoxlde dis-mutases) in treating a number of diseased conditions.

The importance of selenium and glutathione peroxidasein the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was discussed byUlrik Tarp of Aarhus University Hospital. Denmark. Heconcluded it is still uncertain whether the subnormal sele-nium status and the partly impaired GSH-redox cycleobserved in sufferers of this disease affect the function ofthe PMNs and thus the pathogenesis of the disease.

Shukla of IFSC, Denmark. discussed the oxidative dete-rioration of fish oils and some vegetable oils. He demon-suared the presence of oxidative polymer. showed that theanisidine value could remain high even when the peroxidevalue had been reduced. and discussed ways of preventingfurther oxidation.

In his second lecture. Vinter reviewed methods of mea-suring the efficiency of antioxidants and described the rela-tively new Oxidograph which also was available fordemonstration.

Richard M. Saikeld of F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel.Switzerland, discussed the relationship between plasmaantioxidants. especially vitamin E and Vitamin C, and the

incidence of coronary heart disease. He presented epidemi-ological evidence for the importance of antioxidant statusas one of several factors in coronary heart disease.

Continuing his discussion on the importance of seleni-um. Diplcck described the interaction between seleniumand iodine metabolism. He reported some significant stud-ies on hypothyroid subjects in Zaire.

In the final lecture. Darley-Usmar discussed the role ofoxygen at several stages in cardiovascular disease. Under-

standing the process at each stageassists in the development of appropri-ate antioxidants, he said. describingwhat he termed "appropriate antioxi-dants."

The conference brought scientistsand technologists from the food indus-try with their concern to inhibit lipidoxidation together with groups of bio-

chemists and medical specialists concerned about diseasesin which oxygen is implicated. The final conference dis-cussion was led by Gutteridge and Shukla. Several pointsemerged in that discussion.

First. oils and fats chemists have put great emphasis onchain-breaking antioxidants-both synthetic and natu-raI-and have perhaps given lesser attention to the impor-tant role played by metals in promoting both the interactionof oxidation and the breakdown of hydroperoxides. Wideuse is made of citric acid as a chelating agent, but it wassuggested that citric acid is a poor reagent for this purpose.Further attention needs to be given to this, and perhaps theoils and fats processing industry should reexamine the effi-cacy of citric acid and consider replacing it with moreeffective materials.

Second, there is a confusion about nomenclature. Thetwo groups at the conference used the terms "primary" and"secondary" antioxidants in opposite meanings. It wouldbe desirable to obtain a consensus on meanings for theseterms, and perhaps even better to use more descriptiveterms such as "chelating agents" and "chain-breaking com-pounds."

Third. much emphasis has been put on the damage byradicals on lipids. but radicals mediated through lipids alsomay react with ill effect on proteins. carbohydrates andnucleic acids. Insufficient attention has been given to thisdanger.

Fourth, there is a need for improved analytical proce-dures for detecting and following lipid oxidation. It is alsonecessary to improve the correlation between acceleratedtests and what happens during prolonged storage of fatsand oils. Analysts in the oils and fats industry need tobecome aware of advances in analytical techniques devel-oped in biomedical studies and described in biomedicaljournals and reviews.

Finally. the lack of correlation between different antiox-idants, different substrates and different experimental con-ditions. such as temperature. suggests that the understand-ing of oxidation mechanisms is still incomplete.

Proceedings of this meeting are available at a cost of500 Danish kroner (approximately $80 U.S,) plus postage.

INFORM. Vol. 3. no. 1 (January 1992)

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'Fats, Oils for 1990s' to be theme forMarch meeting in DenmarkA three-day conference on availability, processing. han-dling and analyses of fats and oils for the 19905 isscheduled to be held March 23-26. 1992. in FredericiaDenmark. under sponsorship of the International Food Sci-ence Centre of Denmark.

Topics will include new and specially oils as well asmajor commercial oils. along with methods 10 modify oilsto increase their end-use value. The conference is aimed atpersons involved in producing, processing, trading or usingfats and oils. There will be an accompanying exposition bymajor fats and oils companies providing informaricn ontheir products and facilities.

Speakers and topics for March 24 will be S. Mielke onsupply, consumption and prices of fats and oils; Frank D.Gunsrone. oil chemistry, specialty vegetable oils; K. Ber-ger, interchimgeability in foods, handling of oils and fats;R. Carr. contract research; C. Ratledge, micobiologicaloils; V.K.S. Shukla, unconventional and exotic oils; I.Nielsen. tropical plant resources in the developing world;and K.N. Rajah, texturization of fats.

Speakers and topics for March 25 will be A. Tirtiaux,fractionation; K. Coupland, oil modification; C.M. Lok,hydrogenation; A. McCrae, enzymatic modification; L.H.Staal. oils for oleochemicals; and S. Barlow, fish oils. Therewill be an all-conference tour the afternoon of March 25.

Speakers and topics for March 26 will be K.N. Rajah,milk fats; B.A. Jones. solid fat content measurement; K.Berger, handling of fats and oils; MJ. Boyer, environmen-tal concerns and regulation; V. Ziboh. biological signifi-cance of polyunsaturated fatty acids; and E.G. Perkins.modem analytical methodology.

Registration fee is 3.400 Danish kroner (approximately$530 U.S.); housing fee is also 3,400 kroner.

Further infonnation and registration forms are availablefrom E1sabeth Bisbo, International Food Science CentreAIS, PO Box 44. Senderskovvej 7. DK-8520, Lystrup, Den-mark (telephone: 45-86-22-9986; fax: 45-86-22-99-96).

1,400 attend PORIM palm oil meetingThis report was prepared for INFORM by K.C. Berger, aconsultant based in London and a former staff member atthe Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia.Approximately 1,400 registrants from 46 countries attend-ed the 1991 PORIM International Palm Oil ConferenceSept 9-14. 1991. in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Two dayswere taken up by parallel sessions on agriculture and mar-kering, with 2.5 days devoted 10 sessions on technologyand nutrition. The overall theme of the conference was"Progress. prospects and challenges toward the 21st centu-ry." This report gives one listener's impressions of the ses-sions attended and therefore cannot reflect the contents ofthe whole conference.For Information circle Ii 125

Information is available from and orders may be placedthrough Elsabetli Bisbo.lnternotional Food Science CentreAlS, PO Box 44. Sonderskavvej 7. DK-8520. t..yslrup. Den-mark. Telephone: 45 -86-22-9986:fax: 45-86-22-99-96.

165 attend JOCS seminar on radicalsA total of 165 persons attended a seminar on "Free Radi-cals and Deterioration of Food and Its Prevention" spon-sored by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society last year at theScience University in Tokyo.

Topics and speakers were: "Theory of Oxidation andArnloxidetlon in Foods" by Osamu Jgarasha of Ochano-mizu University: "Measurement on Deterioration of Oilsand Fats" by Yochiro Totani of Seikei University: "Foodsand Natural Antioxidants-Relations with Microorganism"by Yukihiro Ishikawa of Totten University: "AntioxidantEffect of Carotenoids" by Junji Terao of National FoodResearch Institute, Ministry of Agriculture. Forestry andFisheries. and "Mechanism on Deterioration or Oils andPars and Its Prevention" by Goro Kajimoto of Kobe-Gakuin University.

The program concluded with a panel discussion led byKenshiro Fujimoto of Tohoku University,

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The main increase indemand for palm oilwill continue to be indeveloping countries.

In a keynote address, Ani Arope, chief executive of theGuthrie Plantation Company, outlined the main challengesfacing palm oil. Although palm oil is exported to more than90 countries, palm oil has no positive product image.Instead, research has had to be directed to overcoming neg-ative publicity. according to Arope. Noting that competitionin the world market with 16 other oils and fats will comln-ue to be a fact of life, he urged collaboration in researchand development activities with other producing countries.Global population increases alone will require at leastanother 25 million tons of edible oils per year by the year2000, and palm oil will contribute no more than one-thirdof this. This estimate also was supported by SiegfriedMielke of Oil World.

Although world population growth rates are slowing,absolute world population numbers will continue to grow.Increases in palm oil supplies will con-tinue to be needed to fill the gap thatother oils are unable to fill. Additionalgrowth due to increased prosperity ismuch more difficult to determine. Themain increase in demand for palm oilwill continue to be in developing coun-tries, particularly China, the Indiansubcontinent and Russia. Lim KengYaik, Malaysia's Minister of Primary Industries, indicatedthat long-term credit facilities are being negotiated to assistwith payment problems in these regions.

More detailed regional reviews of palm oil markets by anumber of speakers supported these general views.

In the European Economic Community (EEC). the mainimporters are Germany, Holland and the United Kingdom,each laking between 200,000-300,000 metric tons (MT)annually, according to J.P. Helme. Palm oil is appreciatedfor its contribution to margarine texture as a W crystal sta-bilizer. Also, "super oleins" of low cloud point are becom-ing popular. Increased use in soaps, cosmetics and surfac-tents can be expected, he added.

Bek Nielsen of United Plantations also expressed opti-mism about future markets. Nielsen pointed out thatexports of primary products are more financially rewardingto Malaysia than are exports of manufactured products, forwhich a large proportion of the profits often accrue tojoint-venture partners overseas.

As a trader, Victor Ngo emphasized the need to developproducts of superior specifications tailored to users'requirements and the need to continue research on diversi-fied usage. Future development of palm oil marketsrequires proper product identity, he said. Meanwhile, theprovision of suitable transport and its costs are problems,particularly for relatively remote destinations such as LatinAmerica.

Roberto Cerboni, representing the International TradeCentre UNCTAD/GATT (United Nations Conference onTrade and Development/General Agreement on Trade andTariffs), advised that the industry should continue (0 devel-op value-added products and that research on potentialenergy uses is useful even though such uses are uneconom-ical at present. Efforts to reduce import duties on processed

products, meanwhile, could be pursued through GAIT.Although credit provisions to some countries might be nec-essary, one should be cautious in deciding how much creditto extend and for how long- long-term credits sometimestum into donations, he said.

Derek Chapman of SAVOlA, Saudi Arabia, describedan example of successful marketing for palm olein in hiscountry. By careful design of packaging, the use of in-storepromotions and advertising, a quality image has been builtfor palm olein. This has increased sales at a premium inboth retail and catering markets.

The nutrition session was notable for authoritativereview papers by Lester Packer (Berkeley, California),Roger Dean (Sydney, Australia) and Philip James(Rowen, Aberdeen, Scotland). and for a number of first-hand accounts on the effects of diets containing a high

level of palm oil.Reviewing new developments

in atherogenesis, Dean concentrated onwork in his department on the chemicaleffects of free radical damage oflipoproteins and the antioxidant activi-ty of ubiquinof and tocotrienols. Theprotective effect of vitamin C on theother two antioxidants had been

demonstrated. This effect also has been studied by Packer,who used electron spin resonance techniques to show thatin biological systems, tocotrienols are more effective thanthe saturated tocopherols. Experiments in rat hearts showedthat a vitamin E concentrate from palm oil, rich intocotrienols, was efficient in protecting against ischaemicreperfusion injury. In reviewing the evidence relatingdietary fat intake to cancer, James drew the broad conclu-sion that total fat is more important than the differentialeffects of specific fat sources.

Randall Wood of Texas A&M University described ahuman nutritional study in which specific fats, incorporat-ed in food items, were fed in controlled diets. Feeding wasfor six weeks, with six-week intervals on the normal diet.The total fat intake was 40% of calories, with 24% beingthe fat under study. Changes in serum lipids were moni-tored weekly. Sunflower oil resulted in the greatest reduc-lions in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (lOl)cholesterol, but high-density lipoprotein (HDl) cholesteroland apo-lipoprotein A also were reduced. Butter raisedtotal and lDl cholesterol, while a commercial stick mar-garine containing 26% trans fany acids lowered both totaland HOl cholesterol. A palm-sunflower (80-20) oil blendproduced no change in serum lipids or lipoproteins. Thedietary periods were spread over 18 months. Regular bloodlipid analyses showed that cholesterol baseline values weresignificantly higher in winter than in summer, a point notalways taken into account in shorter term studies.

Based on the average of data from all subjects, Woodsaid refined palm oil did not elevate total cholesterol orlDL cholesterol relative 10 base line, but increased HDLcholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I relative to the mar-

(continued on next pag~)

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(continued from previous page)

During the discussion,two criticisms were

raised oj some earlierstudies on dietary fats

and blood lipids.

garine and sunflower oil diets, while ape-lipoprotein B lev-cis were reduced below the base line.

These effects showed refined palm oil incorporated athigh levels in a nomal diet to have on average a beneficialeffect, but Wood found that the individual responses todietary fat were complex and variable. For example, someshowed adverse lipid changes on the high polyunsaturatedfatty acid diets. Such results caused Wood to question thewisdom of making general dietary rec-ommendations to the public.

Klaus Wahle of Rowett ResearchInstitute compared palm oil with hydro--genated rapeseed oil and hydrogenatedsoybean oil at similar ratios of polyun-saturated to saturated fatty acids. Thiscomparison is significant, because suchfats could be partially interchangeablein industrial blends used for shortenings, margarines or fry-ing. The total fat level was 40% of calories, with 26% ofcalories as the test fat. The subjects were free-living, andwere provided with the complete diets prepared in theinstitute. Total and LDL cholesterol were unaltered amongthe three test diets, but the palm oil diet induced asignificantly lower serum triglyceride level, he reported.

Another human dietary study reported by G. Hornstrafrom Limburg University compared a diet rich in palm oilwith a normal Dutch diet of similar saturated fatty acidcontent. Total serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels didnot change, but the ratio LDLJHD~ + HDL:J was loweredon the palm oil diet, as was apo-Iipoprotein B, while apo-lipoprotein A-I was enhanced. Homstra noted that Lp (a)was reduced on the palm oil rich diet. This protein isregarded by some as a good predictor of risk of cardiovas-cular disease, and previously has not been found to bemodified by diet. The reduction in Lp (a) was greater inindividuals with high serum levels of this lipoprotein, headded.

R.P. Mensink reported some additional and as yetunpublished results of his study of the effect of trans fattyacids (N. Engl. J Med. 323:439(1990». In this study, sub-jects were given three similar diets except that 10% of totalenergy was supplied by oleic, trans or saturated fatty acids,respectively. The trans diet raised LDL cholesterol andlowered HDL cholesterol, resulting in a significantincrease in the LDL/HDL ratio. Mensink now reportedthat, when the study was repeated at a lower intake of transfatty acids, an effect on the LDL/HDL ratio was stillobtained. but of lesser magnitude (the results were present-ed by Peter L. Zock at the 1991 AOCS annual meeting).

Further analyses carried out on samples from Mensink'soriginal study showed that lipoprotein (a) levels were sig-nificantly raised on the diet containing 10% of energy astrans acids. Average Lp (a) levels for all subjects were 44,27 and 22 mg/dl. respectively, on the Irons, oleic and satu-rated fatty acid diets.

It could be inferred that Mensink's results may explainHomstra's findings on Lp (a), because in Homstra's palm

oil-rich diet, trans acids were significantly lower than inhis control diets.

The work of K.e. Hayes has shown that in primates.palmitic acid is neutral with respect to its effect on serumcholesterol, and that hypercholesterolemic effects arefocused in the ell and el4 saturated acids. This effect wasfirst noted by M. Hegsted in 1965.

Hayes' approach now has been extended to humans incoUaboration with two Malaysian research groups, one ledby Tony K.W. Ng, who reported that diets rich in olive oil

or palm olein fed after a control dietrich in coconut oil had similar effectson serum lipoprotein cholesterol.However, palm olein had a significantbeneficial effect on the thromboxane-to-proslacyclin ratio, a suggested indexof thrombogenesis.

K. Sundram reported a similarstudy in which controlled diets were

given to 18 soldiers for two periods of four weeks in a dou-ble blind cross-over study. A palmitic acid-rich dietshowed a reduction in total cholesterol and in theLDL/HDL cholesterol ratio in comparison with alauric/myristic acid-rich diet.

Hayes has re-examined many of the earlier publisheddietary studies on fats in the light of these findings, and hasshown that the correlation between saturated acids andserum cholesterol level is enhanced if palmitic acid isexcluded from the Hegsted equation. However, it appearsthat the effect of myristic acid on plasma cholesterol is sen-sitive to the linoleic acid content of the diet. At low18:2/14:0 ratios, 14:0 increases plasma cholesterol dramat-ically, but at high levels of 18:2, myristic acid levels havelittle effect.

This effect is interpreted as a change in the activity ofthe LDL receptors in the liver. The receptors are activatedby 18:2 until a saturation level is reached, and are down-regulated by 14:0 when the 18:2 level is below saturation(chapter in book, Dietary Fats & Cholesterol, edited by P.Gold. in press from Kush Medical Communications).

During the discussion, two criticisms were raised ofsome earlier studies on dietary fats and blood lipids. Oneeffect of the liquid formula diets sometimes used is thatdue to a lack of fiber, subjects become constipated. Thisaffects both their biliary flow and blood cholesterol levels.The use of synthetic fats, in an attempt to isolate effects ofspecific fatty acids. is suspect because triglyceride struc-ture has been shown to affect fat metabolism. The choles-terolemic effect of natural versus randomly interesterifiedglycerides varies. Furthermore, in synthetic fats. the possi-ble effects of the nonglyceride components of natural fatsare unavailable.

A general conclusion that can be drawn from the confer-ence is that future markets for al1 vegetable oil producersshould be bright. especially if payment problems of somedeveloping countries can be solved. Current findings withpalm oil suggest there are no major adverse effects onblood lipid components when humans are fed controlleddiets containing proportions much higher than would be

INFORM. Vol. 3, no. 1 (January 1992)

For Information cIrcle f113

contained in a nonnal Western diet. On the contrary. thedetailed analyses carried out in several studies producedindications of beneficial effects. The session confinned theneed for more research into the prospects offered byantioxidants in the biological system.

Latin jojoba meeting draws 160 personsThe follo .....ing report on a jojoba conference held Oct.7-1/. 1991. in La Rioja. Argentina. was provided by LuisWong 0/ Jojoba Gro.....ers & Processors. Apache Junction.Arizona.More than 160 persons from ten countries attended theFourth Latin American Conference on Jojoba and SecondInternational Conference on Promising Crops held Oct.7-11, 1991, in La Rioja. Argentina.

The general purpose of the meeting was to present theadvances attained with jojoba in different countries inLatin America and a look at promising plants for arid andsemi-arid lands. This conference allowed an exchange ofknowledge and experiences among scientists, techniciansand businessmen interested in these crops, as well as pro-viding an opportunity for investors and country representa-tives in the industry to exchange ideas.

The technical program included sessions on jojoba andother promising crops such as kenaf and quince. Twenty-six papers were presented, and covered the following topicareas: ecological aspects, climate and soil: morphologicaland physiological aspects; propagation, genetics and breed-ing: cultural practices including irrigation; weather condi-

33 invited to trans workshop in TorontoThis report was prepared by INFORM Associate Editor J.Edward Hunter.A workshop on trans fauy acids, organized by G. HarveyAnderson and A.V. Rao (University of Toronto) was heldin Toronto on Oct. 10, 1991, to discuss current trans fauyacid issues and to develop a sense of direction for possiblefuture action steps.

Thirty-three scientists representing universities, theCanadian government. and the food industry were invitedto participate. The program consisted of eight presentationson topics related to trans acids, followed by group discus-sions of priorities for future needs.

Invited presentations were given by T.H. Applewhite(An Overview and History of trons Fatty Acids). J. AJfieri(Analytical Issues in the Measurement of trans FattyAcids). E. Hunter (Consumption and Disappearance Pat-terns of trons Fatty Acids). B. Holub (An Academic View).H. Zevenbergen (An Industry View), 1. Beare-Rogers (AGovernment View), T. Stenzel (Communicating HealthIssues to the Public), and M. Cheney (A RegulatoryOverview of trans Fatty Acids). The Holub. Zevenbergcnand Beare-Rogers presentations dealt with health aspectsof trans fatty acids. Workshop participants were assignedto one of three discussion groups in an effon to reach someconsensus on priority issue relating to trans acids.

Following the workshop, the organizers issued a prioritylist of issues developed by the study groups suggesting thefollowing:

• Good clinical studies are needed with (a) normalhealth populations. (b) subjects from risk groups. (c) stan-dard fat mixtures, (d) dose response treatments. (e) multi-laboratory studies, and (f) analysis of effects of positionallriglyceride isomers.

• Standardization of analytical procedures and compila-tion of compositional tables for foods with attention totrans isomers.

• More effective communication of health issues to thepublic.

• Development of regulatory guidelines including con-sideration of the concept of "saturate equivalents."

• Continuation of reduction or trans levels in foods.The potential action items suggested were:

• Suppon the concept of further clinical trials.• Organize a group of potential clinical researchers.• Prepare and make available a standard trans fatty acids

mixture for clinical researchers.·Suppon the review of product labelling and the use of

"cholesterol-free" declarations.

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INFORM. Vol. 3, no. 1 (JonuOfy 199'2)

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INFORM. Vol. 3, no. I (January 1992)

Manufacturers of small scalescrewpresses for more than 50years.• Used for production of oil fromspecialty oil seeds.

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The announcement follows an lASe board meeting heldlast September in Scotland.

lOPA also has announced it tentatively has decided tochange the organization's name to the "Japan Vegetable OilAssociation" during irs 30th anniversary celebration to beheld Jan. 24, 1992. A final decision will be made at thatmeeting, with the consensus of the Japanese Ministry ofAgriculture. Forestry and Fisheries.

Goenka to lead extractors' groupa.p. Goenka of Food. Fats & Fertilisers Ltd.in Madras, India, has been elected presidentof the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA)of India. He was elected at the group's annu-al meeting held during September 1991.

Other officers include B.K. Swaika ofSwaika Oil Mills in Calcutta, vice-president;M.H. Agrawal of Hanuman Vitamin Foods Ltd. of Bombay,honorary secretary; and G.B. Chawla of Knmani Oil Indus-tries in Bombay, honorary treasurer. B.Y. Mehta continues assecretary for the SEA, which has offices at 142 Jolly MakerChamber No.2. 14th Floor. 225 Nariman Point, Bombay,400021, India (fax: 91-22-202-1692). •

Head Office:Maschinenfabrik Reinartz GmbH & Co. KG

P.O. Box 10 0950Industriestrasse 140-4040 Neuss 1, Germany(02131) 27 20 28(02131) 27 53 81

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North American Office:274 W. Las Flores Or.Altadena, Ca 91001818-791-7160818-791-0890

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nons. pests, diseases and weed ccrurot; harvesting and pro-duction; processing. products and by-products; and eco-nomic and financial aspects, including marketing and com-mercialization.

The official languages for the meeting were Spanish andEnglish. with simultaneous translation. Three round-tablediscussions also were presented. Topics and discussionleaders were the following: genetics and improvements injojoba and new crops, led by Ricardo Ayerza. Jose Dela-Torre. David A. Palzkill, Antonio Garcia Berenguer andAdolfo Mealte: production costs, led by Harry Ayer,Rooolfc Nielsen, Christian waetjen and Emilio Merajel-man; and commercialization. extraction and marketing. ledby Gilberta Rodriguez, Jaime Wisniak, Luis Wong andJuan Carlos Bosia.

Attendees also had the opportunity 10 visit several jojo-ba plantations in Argentina. where more than 1,300hectares have been planted.

Japan to host lASe; JOPA to be JVOAThe Japan Oilseed Processors Association (JOPA) hasannounced that the International Association of SeedCrushers (lASC) has accepted an invitation to hold its1998 meeting in Japan either in or near Tokyo.

Spezialmaschinen . PressenGegrundet . founded 1853

SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION OF VEGETABLE OIL

For Information circle .148