1

Australasian Section, American Oil Chemists’ Society

December 2016, Newsletter

From the President Hello,

Another year has flown by. On behalf of the Australasian Section Committee, I

would like to wish all members and colleagues a safe and happy Christmas and a

prosperous new year.

From the AAOCS, I would like you all to mark down Sept 11-13 in your diaries as

the next and 10th AAOCS conference. It will be in the beautiful Barossa Valley, SA in

a Chateau (see pic). We are hoping to deliver a great/memorable experience along

with high quality scientific and industry relevant presentations. The next theme is

“Biotechnology, lipidomics and nutrition” and has some high quality keynote

speakers to cover those topics

(including Prof Kent Chapman,

University of North Texas on

biotechnology and Associate

Professor Peter Meikle (Baker IDI)

who leads the Metabolism Program

and is Head of the Metabolomics

Laboratory). So please save these

dates, prepare an abstract/talk, invite

your friends/colleagues, and join us for the 2017 AAOCS meeting. There might even

be some wine tastings. https://aaocs2017.wordpress.com/

The AAOCS recently helped to organise and support the 2016 NZ fats and oils

conference in Nelson NZ. This was a wonderful event with some very high quality

presentations and some great discussions. We would like to thank Laurence Eyres

who was the driving force for this conference. Please see article below for more

information.

Personally, I have had an amazing year. I have seen some amazing science (and

people) in a trip to Japan, and my second child, Hazel Marie, arriving in August was

probably the big highlight.

Again we wish you a safe and happy Christmas.

Matt Miller

President, Australasian Section

2

Contents

Lipids News

Science of Omega-3: Balancing the Scales 3

Lipids, Nutraceuticals and Healthy Diets throughout the Life Cycle

conference 4

Australian and New Zealand Fish Oils – New Study Published in

Nutrients 5

UQ’s algae pilot is about to expand into commercial output 6

10th AAOCS Biennial meeting 7

Inaugural Lipids School 9

AOCS Awards

AAOCS Award of Scientific Excellence in Lipid Research 9

Student awards

AAOCS student travel award 9

Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship 10

Other awards 10

AAOCS membership in focus 10

Clare Flakelar 10

Have you got any oils news? 11

Upcoming events 11

New Papers 12

3

Lipids News

Science of Omega-3: Balancing the Scales Omega-3 Centre – Complimentary Medicines Australia: Joint Symposium Peter Nichols, CSIRO

The joint Science of Omega-3 symposium was held at Doltone House, Sydney on

September 14, 2016. The symposium brought together national and international

experts with the overall aim being to update about 100 attendees on a suite of new

developments in the Omega-3 field. In addition to the excellent presentations on the

day, robust discussion across a range of topics occurred after all talks. The omega-3

field in Australia and New Zealand is clearly well placed with much good science

underway, and will continue to be at the forefront of international advancements.

An overview of the topics discussed can be found online (PDF). The topics

discussed included:

� The global omega-3 market: a look at the numbers and the consumer (Ellen

Schutt – GOED)

� Omega-3 fatty acids – potential use in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar

depression (Jerome Harris – University of Melbourne).

� Divergent shifts in lipid mediator profile following supplementation in n-3

docosapentaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (Andy Sinclair – Deakin

University)

� The place of omega-3 in cardiovascular disease prevention (Ross Walker –

Cardiologist and author)

� The Omega-3 Index - the standard for omega-3 status testing (William Harris

– University of South Dakota)

� DHA and Infant health (Barbara Meyer – University of Wollongong)

� Australian and NZ fish oil – an update on current and future sources of long-

chain omega-3 oils and their quality (Peter Nichols – CSIRO)

� Utilising innovative fishing technology to investigate the oil and fatty acid

composition of Antarctic krill (Patti Virtue – University of Tasmania)

4

Lipids, Nutraceuticals and Healthy Diets throughout the Life Cycle conference

Matt Miller, Cawthron Institute

The conference, which took place from 8-10th November, was deemed a great

success by all who attended. The mixer and opening took place in bright sunshine at

the renowned Cawthron Institute. They organised a great mixer and Professor

Charles Eason, the head of the Institute gave a short speech of welcome and

opened the conference. The next day, Harvey Ruru gave a heart-warming Mihi,

which to this author was one of the highlights and kicked off the day to a great start.

Dr. Matt Miller of the Cawthron proved an enthusiastic and super-efficient chairman

of the conference with Kerry South (the event coordinator) making sure everything

ran smoothly.

On the main day of the conference 20 speakers gave excellent presentations. For

those attending (136) we hope to be able to make the presentations available on the

website.

The student poster prize was won by Mr. Shuo Yang of Massey University. This

consisted of a cash prize and the opportunity to attend the AAOCS conference in

2017. His topic was around the production of avocado oil. This is a continuation of a

research topic pursued by Professor Wong and Allan Woolf for over 15 years with

several books and papers published in International scientific media.

The final day saw a stimulating half-day seminar on marine bioactive compounds

and it is hoped that the papers from this meeting will become available on

http://www.oilsfats.org.nz/2016-conference/ .

Nelson proved to be a great place for a conference with everything within walking

distance, good food, pleasant shopping areas and boutique beers.

Some highlights on nutrition and recent controversies (saturated fat and omega-3

PUFA) taken from the papers by Professors Calder and Clifton were:

� Replacing 5% of energy from saturated fats with equivalent energy from

PUFA and MUFA is associated with estimated reductions in total mortality of

27% and 13% respectively

� ALA, DPA, and DHA intakes were associated with a lower risk of fatal CHD

� Intake and status of marine w3 fatty acids can be markedly increased through

intake of oily fish or supplements

� Much is known about patterns of incorporation of EPA and DHA in humans

5

� EPA and DHA act through multiple, increasingly understood, molecular and

cellular mechanisms to affect cell and tissue function

� Through these actions marine w3 fatty acids act to promote and maintain

health and to reduce disease risk

� Marine w3 fatty acids are important throughout the life course

� There is robust evidence that long-term intake of marine w3 fatty acids

reduces risk of coronary heart disease – due to beneficial impacts on a range

of risk factors

Australian and New Zealand Fish Oils – New Study Published in Nutrients Peter Nichols, CSIRO

Over the past 2 years several papers from the Liggins Institute/University of

Auckland and collaborators have been published questioning the quality of

Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) fish oil products. Considerable negative media

followed. The authors stated that products did not meet label omega 3 content

claims and were heavily oxidized. AAOCS readers have seen various updates from

the ANZ Omega-3 Centre (O3C) over this period. In November the results for

independent analyses commissioned by the O3C were published in Nutrients -

http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/11/703. The results were also presented at the

two conferences summarized above. The Nutrients paper clearly showed that ANZ

fish oils, when analysed by certified and Therapeutic Goods Administration

approved laboratories, are not oxidized and do meet their omega 3 label claims.

Australian and New Zealand Fish Oil Products in 2016 Meet Label Omega-3 Claims and Are Not Oxidized Abstract: We provide new fish oil product results to assist industry in Australia and New Zealand and, ultimately, consumers in understanding the high product quality assurance protocols in place, together with the high product quality that has been determined by both industry and independent laboratories. Fish oil capsule products common to Australia and New Zealand were purchased in May 2016 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia. Products were from two groups; five standard fish oil products and five fish oil concentrates. Noting Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requirement for use of standard methods, for all analyses undertaken a laboratory was selected that met the TGA criteria, including with accreditation. Total n-3 content exceeded the label-claimed content for all 10 products, with supplements containing on average 124% of the claimed content (range 115%–136%); eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA) content averaged 109% of the label claim (range 99%–119%). All 10 products (100%) similarly met the international recommended peroxide value (PV) level. Anisidine value (pAV) met the international recommended level for eight of the 10 products, with two products known to contain

6

flavourings that interfere with the pAV test. When accredited laboratories and standard protocols are used, Australian and New Zealand fish oil products have been shown to clearly meet their label claims for EPA + DHA content, and are not oxidized.

The Nutrients paper has been circulated to a range of societies and other outlets and

the AAOCS section committee has discussed and endorsed the statements of the

ANZ O3C.

UQ’s algae pilot is about to expand into commercial output Geoff Wilson, Director, Qponics Limited

The University of Queensland’s algae production pilot plant is about to become a

new model for low-cost but state-of-the-art commercial raceway algae farms around

the world.

Qponics Limited is an Australian start-up company which is preparing to

commercialise UQ-developed technology. It is planning to construct an algae farm

near Brisbane to produce human food ingredients – namely EPA omega-3 oil and

high-quality algal protein. First sales are expected during the 2017-18 financial year.

R&D from staff and students at UQ led by Professor Peer Schenk, has resulted

in more productive open and closed pond systems for growing and harvesting many

different species of algae. Qponics has chosen to begin with a Queensland strain of

Nannochloropsis – which is a local species of algae the university has optimised to

produce nearly 40% of omega-3 (EPA) in its fatty acids.

UQ has collected numerous species of algae over a number of years and several

of these have shown commercial value for production of nutraceutical and food

supplement products that are of interest to Qponics. Dr Graeme Barnett, CEO of

Qponics Limited said: “Over the last five years Qponics has reviewed algae

production technology from more than 60 overseas suppliers. Unfortunately, all were

found to be too expensive and not suited for algae farming in south-east

Queensland.

“Professor Schenk delighted us in February 2016 when he showed the Company

the latest productivity data from his research Algae Energy Farm at Pinjarra Hills in

Brisbane. UQ’s outdoor and covered raceway pond systems were subsequently

adopted by Qponics, and we were successful in winning a Cooperative Research

7

Centres Project (CRC-P) grant in June 2016 with the support of UQ to build our first

algae farm.”

While Qponics is initially focused on the production of omega-3 oil for the human

food supplement market, especially in Asia, the algae farm will also produce high-

protein algal biomass.

Further information: graeme.barnett@qponics.com; p.schenk@uq.edu.au

10th AAOCS Biennial meeting

Next year we will have our 10th biennial meeting at the beautiful Barossa Valley,

SA. The program will present the latest science and industry updates relating to

edible oil and ingredient supply, lipidomics, biotechnology, manufacture of fat-based

products, nutritional research, oil analysis, latest developments with omega-3 oils,

dairy lipids, and other activities that support the industry. Abstract submissions open

on March 13 and close on July 28. This year, 3 students presenting at the meeting

will be awarded with travel grants. So pass the information and encourage students

to apply. Follow the meeting website for more information.

We are also looking for sponsors. If you would like to contribute, please contact

Matt Miller (Matt.Miller@cawthron.org.nz).

8

Inaugural Lipids School at the 2017 AOCS Annual Meeting

The AOCS annual meeting next year will be preceded by a Lipids School

organized by Health and Nutrition Division leaders Matthew Picklo of the USDA,

Giuseppe Astarita of Denali Therapeutics and Holiday Durham Zanetti of Nutrilite.

The workshop will focus on the use of mass spectrometry (MS) for lipid analysis and

appeal to students, research fellows, faculty, and scientists. Presenters include

Mikhail Golovko of the University of North Dakota, Giuseppe Astarita of Denali

Therapeutics, and Jonathan Sweedler of the University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign. Registration will open in January and will be limited 60 attendees. Be

notified by email when registration opens.

AOCS Awards AAOCS Award of Scientific Excellence in Lipid Research

AAOC welcomes nominations for the AAOCS Award of Scientific Excellence in

Lipid Research. Nomination materials should include a nomination letter which

summarizes the candidate's research accomplishments, at least two letters of

support from scientists familiar with the candidate's research, and professional

biographical information which includes a list of publications, degrees held along with

the granting institutions, and a list of positions held during the candidate's

professional career. More information on the award can be found on the AOCS

awards website.

Nomination materials should be sent as PDF files to Amy

Logan, Amy.Logan@csiro.au, by May 15.

Student awards AAOCS student travel award

AAOCS will be giving 3 Student travel awards (AUD$500 each) to attend the 10th

AAOCS Biennial Meeting in September 2017. To be considered for the award,

students have to submit an abstract via the call for abstracts by May 25th and email

their application to Cintia Dias (Cintia.Dias@uon.edu.au). The application will consist

10

of a biography page and a cover letter. More details to come in the new year in the

conference website.

Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship

USD$15,000 student award up for grabs!

AOCS is accepting applications for the Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship

until February 1, 2017. The award was established to honour long-time AOCS

member Thomas H. Smouse. Smouse was president of AOCS in 1983 and a noted

industrial researcher with a passion for the chemistry of fats and oils. Primary

qualifications of applicants include the highest standards of academic excellence and

the reasonable expectation that the recipient will enter a field consistent with the

goals and interests of AOCS. For more details on the award and information on how

to apply, visit the website www.aocs.org.

Other awards

For other AOCS awards please visit the website.

AAOCS membership in focus

AAOCS is looking at ways to better foster communication and collaboration within

the section. As an effort to highlight the diverse nature of our membership and to

promote interaction between our section members, we will give a brief insight into

members of the section and what they do. In this newsletter, we present our student

representative Clare Flakelar.

Clare Flakelar is a PhD student with Charles

Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, under the

supervision of A/Prof Paul Prenzler. Her

research is looking at enhancing canola quality

through examining levels of tocopherols,

carotenoids and phytosterols in canola seed

and oil. The work includes monitoring effects on

these bioactive compounds from: seed growth and development, storage

11

techniques, and commercial processing. The results will provide information into

potential value-adding for the canola seed and oil industry. Clare’s project is funded

by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), and the Graham Centre

for Agricultural Innovation (a joint collaboration between Charles Sturt University and

Department of Primary Industries). So far, the research has been presented at seven

national and two international conferences, including directly to industry at the

Australian Oilseeds Federation Annual General Meeting, and resulted in two

publications. Clare is preparing her thesis for submission in 2017.

Have you got any oils news?

The Australasian Section of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AAOCS) is always

seeking input for upcoming section newsletters.

Have you done something noteworthy in the oils and fats research area?

Have you got any fats and oils business or product news?

Have you published any findings/results/thesis lately?

Have you been to a conference or expo and seen something interesting?

Want to communicate it to the AAOCS? If so, we would like to know about it!

Please send your contributions to our Newsletter editor Cintia Dias (Cintia.Dias@uon.edu.au)

Upcoming events

AOCS events

AOCS Annual Meeting and Industry Showcases, April 30—May 3, 2017, Rosen

Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida, USA

Lipids School, April 30, 2017, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida, USA

10th AOCS Biennial Meeting: Biotechnology, Lipidomics and Nutrition, April 11-13,

2017, Château Tanunda, Barossa Valley, SA, Australia

12

2nd Australia New Zealand Marine Biotechnology Society joint with the 4th

International Conference on Coastal Biotechnology, August 7-11, 2017, Tauranga,

New Zealand

17th AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition on Fats, Oils, and Lipids

September 11–14, 2017, Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Hotel,

Cancun, Mexico

2018 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, May 6–9, 2018, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Fabric and Home Care World Conference, October 28–31, 2018, Boca Raton,

Florida, USA

Non AOCS events 8th European Symposium on Plant Lipids, July 2-5, 2017, Malmö, Sweden

57th International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids, September 10-14, 2017,

Zurich, Switzerland

15th International Conference on Bioactive Lipids in Cancer Inflammation and

Related Diseases, October 22 - 25, 2017, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

New Papers

Chang, K. L., Dunstan, G. A, Mansour, M. P., Jameson, I., Nichols, P. D. (2016) A

novel series of C18-C22 trans É3 PUFA from Northern and Southern hemisphere

strains of the marine Haptophyte Imantonia rotunda. Journal of Applied Phycology, in press.

Dias, C. B., Amigó, N., Wood, L. G., Mallol, R., Correig, X., Garg, M. L. (2017)

Dietary fat induced changes in low density lipoprotein characteristics are not

influenced by prior pre-supplementation with fish oil. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 68: 11–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2016.11.014

13

Liu, Z, Cocks, B, Rochfort, S. (2016) Optimization of a single phase method for lipid

extraction from milk. Journal of Chromatography A, 1458: 145-149.

Liu, Z.; Cocks, B.; Rochfort, S. (2016) Comparison of Molecular Species distribution

of DHA-Containing Triacylglycerols in Milk and Different Infant Formulas by Liquid

Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 64: 2134-2144.

Liu, Z., Cocks, B., Patel, A., Oglobline, A., Richardson, G., Rochfort, S. (2016)

Identification and quantification of phosphatidylinositol in infant formulas by liquid

chromatography-mass spectrometry. Food Chemistry, 205: 178-186.

Marcus, L. Virtue, P., Pethybridge, H. R., Meekan, M. G., Thums, M. and Nichols, P.

D. (2016) Intraspecific variability in diet and implied foraging ranges of whale sharks

at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, from signature fatty acid analysis MEPS, 554:

115–128. doi: 10.3354/meps11807.

Nalder, T. D., Ashton, T. D., Pfeffer F. M., Marshall, S. N. and Barrow, C. J. (2016) 4-

Hydroxy-N-propyl-1,8-naphthalimide esters: New fluorescence-based assay for

analysing lipase and esterase activity. Biochimie, 128–129: 127-132.

Nichols, P. D., Lalen Dogan, L. and Sinclair, A. (2016) Australian and New Zealand

Fish Oil Products in 2016 Meet Label Omega-3 Claims and Are Not Oxidized

Nutrients, 8(11), 703; doi:10.3390/nu8110703.

Nuez-Ortın, W. G., Carter, C. G, Nichols, P. D. and Wilson, R. (2016) Sequential

protein extraction as an efficient method for improved proteome coverage in larvae

of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Proteomics, 00, 1–5. doi: 10.1002/pmic.201600051

1.

Nuez-Ortín, W. G., Carter, C. G., Wilson, R., Cooke, I. R. and Nichols, P. D. (2016)

Preliminary validation of a high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid

(ALA) dietary oil blend: tissue fatty acid composition and liver proteome response in

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts. PLoS ONE 11(8):e0161513. doi:

10.1371/journal.pone.0161513.

14

Virtue, P., Meyer, B., Freier, U., Nichols, P. D., Jia, Z., King, R., Virtue, J., Swadling,

K. M., Meiners, K. M. and Kawaguchi, S. (2016) Condition of larval (furcilia VI) and

one year old juvenile Euphausia superba during the winter-spring transition in East

Antarctica. Deep Sea Research II. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.02.001.

Watling, H. R, Johnson, J. J., Shiers, D. W. , Gibson, J.A. E., Nichols, P.D.,

Franzmann, P. D. and Plumb, J. J. (2016) Effect of temperature and inoculation

strategy on Cu recovery and microbial activity in column bioleaching.

Hydrometallurgy, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.05.017.