Lipids and Nutraceuticals March April 2024 Laurence Eyres FNZIFST Sarcopenia for the senior readers. Medicine describes Sarcopenia as: 1) Loss of muscle mass 2) Loss of muscle strength 3) Loss of muscle function When it comes to sarcopenia and nutrition, enough protein and amino acids are needed for muscle synthesis and maintenance. The recommended dietary allowances are: (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein /Kg of body weight each day, and 2.14. grams/Kg/day of amino acids. However, as we age, we need. more than these values…

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Oils and fats update January 2024 Laurence Eyres FNZIFST Expert scientists visit Massey university NZ (Auckland) Professor Selina Wang (UC Davis) and Dr. Bertrand Matthaus recently visited NZ as guests of Professor Marie Wong at Massey Albany. Professor Wong had obtained funding from a catalyst project to work on avocado oil. Bertrand was one of the original researchers on MCPD analysis and its reduction in processed oils. Selina is the Scientist in USA who exposed the fraudsters selling adulterated avocado (80% of the US market)…

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Fifty years of change to the lipid diets of Australasians-A recap. Laurence Eyres FNZIFST History: The situation 50 years ago In 1972 NZ and Australia were experiencing extremely elevated levels of coronary heart disease much in line with the rest of the Western world. In Australasia cheap dairy and animal fats predominated in most consumer’s diet. Figure 1 (Insert courtesy of Professor Rod Jackson)   Soft unsaturated margarine and olive oil and other vegetable oils were rarely consumed. New Zealand vegetable oils were on import…

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Oils and Fats Update July 2023 Laurence Eyres FNZIFST AAOCS Conference Newcastle The 2023 Australasian section of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AAOCS) conference is at Noah’s on the Beach in Newcastle Australia Nov 13-15th 2023. The first 50 people to register will receive a receive an Omega-3 Index test kit valued at $59.95 each. Thanks to OmegaQuant, they are suppling 50 kits where you can find out the levels of omega 3 in your blood. Get in quick to get one https://AAOCS2023.eventbrite.co.nz For Students we…

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From Peter Nichols Both Squalene and Shark Liver Oil are health food supplement products that are typically sold in bottles of soft gel capsules to retail consumers (like Omega 3 fish oil etc.) globally. No Standard (or benchmark specification) for marine derived Squalene or the Diacylglycerol Ether/Alkoxyglycerol (DAGE/AKG) containing fraction derived from Shark Liver Oil had existed in Australian or global reference publications such as US Pharmacopoeia, British Pharmacopoeia or other forms.  Retail items presented to consumers as ‘Squalene’ and ‘Shark Liver Oil’ are available in store…

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Laurence Eyres FNZIFST   Food Fraud and Standard Specifications For many people dealing in oils there is come confusion between enforceable legislation/compliance and standards for identity. This was recently illustrated at the World Conference on Avocado Oil where an afternoon session debated the whole issue of standards and adulteration. Professor Selina Wang a keynote speaker has published several articles showing that of 82% of avocado oil in the USA, eighty-two% is adulterated, hence why the bottles are so cheap and are threatening the existence of…

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Oils and Fats News March 2023 Laurence Eyres FNZIFST Avocado conference and Technical Visitor A major Avocado conference is on in Auckland beginning beginning soon, we are all looking forward to the visit of Professor Selina Wang who has done major work on both avocado oil and olive oil. She has significant papers in the field of detecting and stopping adulteration of these oils. Her very relevant quote at the end of her published paper, “In order to establish fair standards, it is also imperative…

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Oils and Fats Update January 2023 Liposomes and oleogels as replacements for solid/saturated fats. Solid fats contribute to the viscosity, hardness, plasticity, and spreadability of fat-containing food products. The mouthfeel and hardness resulting from the crystal network of fat-containing saturated fatty acids are required and currently irreplaceable in many food products such as puff pastry. The market potential of fat substitutes can be determined by two major factors): (a) the size of the markets for products in which fat substitutes can be used and (b)…

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Oils and Fats News November 2022 Laurence Eyres The AGM and Annual meeting. We plan to hold this on the 14th of November at the Grand Harbour Chinese Restaurant. Pain and inflammation Most of my colleagues and friends in my senior age group suffer from some form of pain with aches and pains and this is universal. So, what should we take for these aches? The most active pharmaceutical that I have found is diclofenac (voltaren.) However, like all pharmaceuticals, drugs have side effects and…

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Avocado Oil Short Course, August 4 – 9th, 2022 (Virtual & live-Zoom Q&A) Avocado oil producers want to make sure their products are of excellent quality to deliver the best taste and health benefits to the consumers. Professional buyers, importers and distributors want to ensure the products they choose are not only of excellent quality, but made of pure avocado oil. In this online course, researchers and experts from University of California, Davis and New Zealand will help the participants gain understanding of factors that…

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