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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Oils and Fats Update Laurence Eyres FNZIFST June 2022 Lipids Guru Frank Gunstone passes (1923-2021) Professor Frank Gunstone made an enormous contribution to the science of fats and oils, at a time when this was not a fashionable subject. He was a pioneer in the chromatographic analysis of lipids, in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and in the chemistry of fatty acids and their synthesis. I believe he authored or co-authored 400 publications. When I joined the industry 50 years ago, I received a copy of…

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Lipids and Nutraceuticals: Supplements for Macular Degeneration May 2022 Mike Eyres and Laurence Eyres FNZIFST Introduction In the last several years there has been an increase in the market for supplements for eye health. This is driven by an ageing global population with increasing prevalence of age-related eye disorders. Although surgery is an effective option in many cases of eye disease, there is currently no drug target for prevention of macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of vision impairment worldwide. This has led…

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  Oils and Fats Update January 2022 Laurence Eyres and Mike Eyres Lipid’s role in the immune system. With Omicron blitzing the global health system its worthwhile to look at what could be done to bolster our own defence systems using predominantly diet. Nutrients of potential help are Vitamin D, selenium, zinc, and omega 3. We should be able to get selenium from consuming one Brazil nut per day, zinc from mushrooms, Vitamin D from the sun or a supplement if in Winter and omega-3…

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{{unknown}}Lipids and Nutraceuticals: Follow up on last month issue. December 2021 Mike Eyres and Laurence Eyres FNZIFST Bioactive Lipids and Brain Health With increased interest in plant-based diets, debate and investigations continue into the bioavailability and conversion rates of 18 carbon omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA . The need for a sustainable plant-based source of DHA and EPA is becoming apparent as a result of continued unsustainable pressure on global fisheries and climate change. It has been suggested that global production…

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