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 TEACHING
INNOVATIONS IN
LIPID SCIENCE

AO7369.indb 1 10/16/07 9:40:53 AM

AO7369.indb 2 10/16/07 9:40:53 AM
 TEACHING
INNOVATIONS IN
LIPID SCIENCE
EDITED BY
Randall J. Weselake

Boca Raton London New York

CRC Press is an imprint of the

Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

AO7369.indb 3 10/16/07 9:40:53 AM

 CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2008 by The American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS)
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

No claim to original U.S. Government works

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-8493-7369-5 (Hardcover)

This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted
material is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are
listed. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author
and the publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the conse-
quences of their use.

Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.

For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.
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Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Teaching innovations in lipid science / editor, Randall J. Weselake.

p. ; cm.
“A CRC title.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8493-7369-5 (alk. paper)
1. Lipids--Study and teaching. I. Weselake, Randall J. II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Lipids--chemistry. 2. Teaching. QU 18 T253 2008]

QP751.T43 2008
612’.01577071--dc22 2007020183

Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at

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and the CRC Press Web site at
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AO7369.indb 4 10/16/07 9:40:53 AM

 Contents
Preface......................................................................................................................vii
About the Editor........................................................................................................ix
Contributors...............................................................................................................xi

I S
 trategies for Teaching Lipid Science
to the Public, Students and Teachers

Chapter 1 Educating the Public about Lipids........................................................ 3

Anthony H.C. Huang and Randall J. Weselake

Chapter 2 Fats, Genes and Food: Using Lipids as a Tool

for Science Education and Public Outreach....................................... 11
Denis J. Murphy

Chapter 3 Mentorships and Related Programs Provide Mechanisms for

Involving Students in the Science of Fats and Oils............................ 27
Norm Lee and James K. Daun

Chapter 4 Teaching Lipid Chemistry through Creative Problem Solving.......... 41

Karen M. Schaich

Chapter 5 Mentoring Independent Study Students in Lipid Science.................. 69

E. Chris Kazala, Crystal L. Snyder, Tara Furukawa-Stoffer
and Randall J. Weselake

Chapter 6 Sample Cards for Teaching Processing of Oilseeds and Cereals....... 85

Lawrence A. Johnson, Jeni Maiers and Darren Jarboe

Chapter 7 Biotechnology and Crop Improvement in Agriculture..................... 105

David Hildebrand

Chapter 8 Understanding Isoprenoid Biochemistry.......................................... 123

Mee-Len Chye

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 vi Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

II D
 emonstrations and Experiments
in Lipid Science

Chapter 9 What’s in a Potato Chip?................................................................... 137

Robert G. Ackman, Anne Timmins and Suzanne M. Budge

Chapter 10 Oils and Fats

Simple Demonstrations of Properties and Uses............................... 141
Thomas A. McKeon

Chapter 11 Teaching Relationships between the Composition

of Lipids and Nutritional Quality..................................................... 149
Roman Przybylski

Chapter 12 High Temperature Gas–Liquid Chromatographic

Profiling of Plasma Lipids: A Student Exercise................................ 161
Arnis Kuksis

Chapter 13 Analysis of Total Milk Fat................................................................ 183

Cristina Cruz-Hernandez and John K.G. Kramer

Chapter 14 The Use of Enzyme Test Kits for Teaching Lipid Chemistry.......... 215
Robert A. Moreau

Chapter 15 Plastids as a Model System in Teaching Plant

Lipid Metabolism.............................................................................. 229
Salvatore A. Sparace and Kathryn F. Kleppinger-Sparace

Index....................................................................................................................... 251

AO7369.indb 6 10/16/07 9:40:54 AM

 Preface
There is no uniformly adopted definition for lipids. William W. Christie has defined
lipids as “fatty acids and their derivatives and substances related biosynthetically
or functionally to these compounds” (http://www.lipidlibrary.co.uklipids/whatlipid/
index.htm). Excellent detailed information on the chemistry and biochemistry of
lipids and analysis of lipids can be found at the Lipid Library at this website.
Lipids touch our lives in a number of ways, including the improvement of oil-
seed crops, preparation of the foods and supplements we consume, multiple aspects
of cellular function and human nutrition and issues surrounding our health, and as
potentially valuable biofuels and biolubricants to solve environmental problems and
provide alternatives to our dwindling petrochemical reserves. Lipid science, how-
ever, is often characterized as “unexciting,” with students’ becoming disenchanted
from looking at textbook pages containing long hydrocarbon chains with equally
unappealing scientific names. At the same time, the public is mystified at the ever-
changing and nonuniform commentary about food choices containing lipids and the
health effects of lipids in our foods. The impetus for Teaching Innovations in Lipid
Science stems from a lively poster session on the same topic held at the Annual
Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists Society in Kansas City, Missouri
in May 2003. In the months following the successful event, I contacted the con-
tributors to the poster session and a few others about putting together a book that
featured both strategies and experiments in teaching lipid science.
This book offers peer-reviewed contributions from lipid science specialists
from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Section I
focuses on teaching lipid science to the general public, students at various levels
of education and instructors of lipid science. The section begins with a chapter that
describes some of the barriers that lipid science specialists face in transmitting
accurate information to the public. The next two chapters place a strong emphasis
on the development and implementation of creative programs that foster an interest
in lipid science, particularly at the high school level. Chapter 4 presents the cre-
ative problem-solving approaches that Dr. Karen Schaich has implemented in her
lipid chemistry course at Rutgers University. Following this, strategies for involving
independent study students at the undergraduate level in a range of lipid science
projects are discussed. Methods for evaluating these students are presented along
with some information on the career paths that they eventually chose. In Chapter 6,
Dr. Lawrence Johnson and colleagues of the University of Iowa explain how sample
cards can be used to teach undergraduates and graduate students about the process-
ing of oilseeds and cereals. The final two chapters of this first section are mainly
generalized accounts of biotechnology and crop improvement, and isoprenoid bio-
chemistry, both of which may serve as useful resources to professors and other
undergraduate instructors. The biotechnology chapter places a strong emphasis on
the improvement of oilseed crops and provides some tips on explaining DNA sci-
ence and crop biotechnology to the public.

vii

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 viii Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

Section II of Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science begins with two chapters

featuring simple demonstrations on the physical properties of lipids that should be
useful for teaching aspects of lipid science in middle- and high school classrooms.
Chapters 11 to 13 present experiments for analyzing lipids in food oils, plasma and
milk. It is anticipated that these chapters will provide a valuable resource for design-
ing and offering lipid science labs at both the senior undergraduate and graduate
student level. The chapters on lipid analysis include information on thin layer chro-
matography, gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. In
Chapter 14, Dr. Robert Moreau of the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes the
use of convenient enzyme test kits for teaching lipid chemistry. Exercises involving
one or more of these test kits could potentially be added to a lab course that begins
with chromatographic methods for analyzing lipids. The final chapter in the book
presents theory and experiments for studying lipid metabolism in the plant organ-
elle known as the plastid in an area that straddles biochemistry and physiology. Drs.
Salvatore Sparace and Kathryn Kleppinger-Sparace have extensive experience in
working with plant plastids, the organelle that houses the process of fatty acid syn-
thesis. Methods are described for preparing plant plastids, and studying metabolite
uptake and pathway analysis. It is anticipated that this final chapter will represent a
valuable resource for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate student labs.
Overall, Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science addresses lipid education at
numerous levels ranging from educating the public to offering exciting experiments
in lipid biochemistry to senior undergraduates and graduate students. We hope this
book will inspire the lipid educator to use some of the approaches and methods
presented in designing new courses or modifying existing courses. Above all, we
hope that it will inspire readers to think about how this information could be used to
disseminate lipid science knowledge for their specific purposes and serve as a basis
for pursuing additional novel avenues of instruction.

AO7369.indb 8 10/16/07 9:40:54 AM

 About the Editor
Randall J. Weselake is currently a professor and Tier I Canada Research Chair in
Agricultural Lipid Biotechnology with the Department of Agricultural, Food and
Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He is also a guest
researcher with the Plant Biotechnology Institute of the National Research Coun-
cil of Canada in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Dr. Weselake received his doctorate in
plant biochemistry from the Department of Plant Science at the University of Mani-
toba in Winnipeg in 1984. Research leading to his doctorate was conducted at the
Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission, also in Winnipeg.
Although trained as a cereal biochemist, he became involved in plant lipid biochem-
istry when he joined the Plant Biotechnology Institute as a research associate in
1987. Two years later, he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at
the University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) where he continued to
work in the area of lipid biochemistry for about 15 years. Dr. Weselake served as
chair of the department from 1996–1999 and held a University of Lethbridge Board
of Governors Research Chair from 2002 until he left for the University of Alberta
in 2004. From 1999–2000, he was a visiting scholar in the Department of Biologi-
cal Sciences at the University of Calgary in Alberta. Currently, at the University of
Alberta, he oversees the research activities of eight graduate students, two postdoc-
toral researchers and a number of technical personnel. Dr. Weselake has designed a
course in lipid science that is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
A large component of the projects and programs led by Dr. Weselake focuses
on the development of molecular strategies to enhance seed oil content in canola
and modify the fatty acid composition of oil from canola and flax. He has also been
involved in the development of biochemical and molecular markers for the marbling
trait (intramuscular fat) in beef cattle, and investigations of conjugated linoleic acid
in milk fat from dairy cattle and the effect of these fatty acid isomers on milk fat
synthesis. Dr. Weselake collaborates extensively with other researchers in Canada,
the United States and Europe. His research is supported bv provincial and national
funding agencies, and, recently, his work has begun to attract the interest of major
industries in the plant biotechnology area. Currently, he is serving as the co-leader
of the large-scale functional genomics project, “Designing Oilseeds for Tomorrow’s
Markets,” which is funded by Genome Canada, Genome Alberta and partners.
Recently, he became the leader of the large-scale “Bioactive Oils Program” funded
by AVAC Ltd. (Alberta) and partners. Dr. Weselake is the author of 87 publications
in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and has delivered about 50 invited
presentations at various conferences and other venues. Within the last eight years,
he has published eight invited reviews dealing with various aspects of storage lipid
synthesis in plants. He has been serving as an associate editor of the journal Lipids
since 2005.
Currently, Dr. Weselake is a member of the American Oil Chemists Society
(AOCS), Canadian Section of the American Oil Chemists Society (CAOCS), Amer-

ix

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 x Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

ican Society of Plant Biology and Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists. He has
been a member-at-large of the governing board and the Biotechnology Division of
the AOCS since 2004. He served as president of the CAOCS from 2003–2005 and
was technical chairperson for the Annual Meeting and Expo of the AOCS held in
Montréal in May 2002. Dr. Weselake has been involved in a number of committees
dealing with the adjudication of grant applications and research programs. This year
he served as a member of the Plant Research Panel for Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada and currently serves (since 2005) as a member of the Scientific Committee
for the large-scale Green Crop Network funded by the Natural Sciences and Engi-
neering Research Council of Canada.

AO7369.indb 10 10/16/07 9:40:55 AM

 Contributors
Robert G. Ackman Anthony H.C. Huang
Food Science Program College of Natural and Agricultural
Department of Process Engineering Sciences
and Applied Science University of California
Dalhousie University Riverside, California
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Darren Jarboe
Suzanne M. Budge Center for Crops Utilization Research
Food Science Program Iowa State University
Department of Process Engineering Ames, Iowa
and Applied Science
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia Lawrence A. Johnson
Center for Crops Utilization Research
Mee-Len Chye Iowa State University
School of Biological Sciences Ames, Iowa
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam, Hong Kong E. Chris Kazala
Department of Agricultural, Food
Cristina Cruz-Hernandez and Nutritional Science
Nutrition Research Division University of Alberta
Health Canada Edmonton, Alberta
Ottawa, Ontario
     and Kathryn F. Kleppinger-Sparace
Nutrient Bioavailability Department of Genetics
Nestle Research Center and Biochemistry
Lausanne, Switzerland Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
James K. Daun
Agri-Analytical Consulting
John K.G. Kramer
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Food Research Program
Tara Furukawa-Stoffer Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Department of Agricultural, Food and Guelph, Ontario
Nutritional Science
University of Alberta Arnis Kuksis
Edmonton, Alberta Banting and Best Department
of Medical Research and
David Hildebrand Department of Biochemistry
University of Kentucky University of Toronto
Lexington, Kentucky Toronto, Ontario

xi

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 xii Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

Norm Lee Roman Przybylski

The Manitoba Network for Science Department of Chemistry and
and Technology Biochemistry
Manitoba Energy, Science University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta
and Technology
Winnipeg, Manitoba Karen M. Schaich
Department of Food Science
Jeni Maiers Rutgers University
Center for Crops Utilization Research New Brunswick, New Jersey
Iowa State University
Crystal L. Snyder
Ames, Iowa
Department of Agricultural, Food
and Nutritional Science
Thomas A. McKeon University of Alberta
U.S. Department of Agriculture Edmonton, Alberta
Agricultural Research Service
Western Regional Research Center Salvatore A. Sparace
Albany, California Department of Biological Sciences
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
Robert A. Moreau
U.S. Department of Agriculture Anne Timmins
Agricultural Research Service Department of Food Science and
Eastern Regional Research Center Technology
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Denis J. Murphy
Randall J. Weselake
Biotechnology Unit and Research Department of Agricultural, Food
Division of Biological Sciences and Nutritional Science
University of Glamorgan University of Alberta
Treforest, United Kingdom Edmonton, Alberta

AO7369.indb 12 10/16/07 9:40:55 AM

 Section I
Strategies for Teaching
Lipid Science to the Public,
Students and Teachers

AO7369.indb 1 10/16/07 9:40:55 AM

AO7369.indb 2 10/16/07 9:40:55 AM
 1 Educating the Public
about Lipids
Anthony H.C. Huang* and Randall J. Weselake

CONTENTS
1.1 Current Avenues for Transmitting Lipid Knowledge to the Public.................. 3
1.2 Interwoven Networks of Information and Misinformation............................... 5
1.3 Lack of Public Awareness of Other Aspects of Lipids...................................... 6
1.4 A Public in Need of Education about Lipids..................................................... 6
1.5 Educating the Public about Lipids at the “Grass-Roots” Level........................ 7
1.6 A Lipid Course for Reporters and Other Professionals..................................... 7
1.7 Development of a Website on Lipids for the General Public and
Professionals.................................................................................................... 8
1.8 Timely Action.................................................................................................... 9

1.1 Current Avenues for Transmitting

Lipid Knowledge to the Public
It is an opportune time for lipid researchers and educators. Concerns about lipid
consumption and the role of lipids in health are foremost in the minds of the public.
In the U.S., Canada and other developed countries, obesity and being overweight
have become major health problems. Coronary artery and peripheral vascular dis-
eases are the major causes of death. The problem not only impinges on physical
health, but also induces stigmatization and discrimination in society. Obesity and
being overweight have also spread to many fast-developing countries, including
China and Brazil, as their populations become more affluent. In the U.S., in response
to consumer interest and new advances in lipid research, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) continues to implement new regulations for labeling food
products, especially describing the content and type of lipid in food. “Fast food” and
traditional restaurants, in particular franchises, have revised their menus to become
more attractive to health-conscious consumers, with many of their menus reveal-
ing the content and type of lipids in each item. Consumers are reading food labels
more carefully than ever before and deciding on what they should purchase and eat
in accordance with what they perceive as good for their health. Topping the current
list of interests are concerns about trans fatty acids, percentage saturation, omega-3
fatty acids, fat-free products and low-fat products. Some people readily admit that
they know very little about lipids and have acquired the ideas of “good” or “bad”

* Corresponding author.

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 4 Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

fats from friends or heard or read by chance information from a certain source.
Others, convinced they are knowledgeable because of the substantial efforts spent
obtaining information from the media, can proclaim this or that food product to be
good or bad because of its content of a certain fat. They often sound like experts,
but are they?
Unfortunately, the public is far from being expert, or for that matter, well
informed about lipids in foods. Most of the public lacks a background in science,
let alone chemistry and biology. Whatever science they learned in grade school or
college may have little retention in their memories. Those with more curious minds
pay attention to what they read, hear and watch. Most look for information on food
and health from the media. A 1999 survey by the American Dietetic Association
revealed that the public receives information about food and health primarily from
the media, such as television and magazines, and secondarily from dietitians and
medical doctors.1 Diligent people try to read extensively and likely encounter a large
volume of similar information, but are eventually indoctrinated without knowing
that the various items of information might all have come from a single syndicated
media source.
Media reporters are well aware of the public’s interest and try to convey sci-
entific information as best as they can. Although not always intended, they play a
major role in our health, because they strongly influence what we want, and in turn,
what the food industry advertises and delivers. Most reporters, however, lack an
in-depth knowledge of chemical and biological sciences. Many reporters probably
majored in the humanities in college, for a training that sharpened their broad social
knowledge, writing skills and ability to disseminate information. We may be ask-
ing too much of a reporter to comprehend the details of scientific issues, especially
controversial subjects such as fats and health. Thus, media reports are often easily
misunderstood by the public. In a situation less known to the outside world, report-
ers often face internal competition within the media organization for their reports
to be chosen for use in a prestigious segment of the media. As a consequence, they
write simplified explanations and attempt to make the subjects such as fats and
health exciting and pertinent to the public. Often, the information has been oversim-
plified to the point of being incorrect or even more difficult to comprehend. Minor
points raised in the interview of a scientist sometimes become overemphasized or
exaggerated in the media article, and thus the report distorts the information the
scientist had intended to transmit to the public. Some reporters, especially those in
high-profile media, are more conscientious or are required to have reports checked
by experts, which include dietitians, doctors, industrial scientists and university
professors.
Dietitians and medical doctors are the main sources reporters consult for expert
health/dietetic information. They are also the most direct source, ranked after the
media, of information for the general public.1 Most dietitians probably read exten-
sively, but may lack an in-depth knowledge of scientific concepts that would allow
them to discriminate among confusing and biased media information and scientific
reports (e.g., results of short-term or statistically questionable studies). Although
medical doctors receive substantially more professional training than dietitians,
their exposure, except for some specialists, to human nutrition is limited. In the U.S.

AO7369.indb 4 10/16/07 9:40:56 AM

 Educating the Public about Lipids 5

and Canada, most patients first encounter their family doctors, the “gatekeepers,”
before seeing specialists. In general, primary care doctors are trained to comprehend
broad personal health situations, but not the “nuts and bolts” of specific fields such
as fats and health, and especially not the latest advances in the fields. Their focus is
on diagnosing and treating diseases with technical approaches. How many primary
care doctors know the structure of an omega-3 fatty acid, let alone know the basis
for this fatty acid nomenclature? Most primary care doctors are overworked and
have little time to carefully examine issues about food (fats) and health and actually
acquire the information from the media, just as their patients do. When asked about
a certain fat in relation to health, primary care doctors either try to answer the ques-
tion authoritatively or refer the patient to a dietitian. Many patients are therefore
convinced they were properly informed by an expert. Ironically, most commercials
on fats or drugs, as legal protection from claims, routinely urge potential consumers
to ask a doctor’s advice.
Scientists in the lipid field are often asked by reporters about lipids and health
in depth. Some provide sound advice while others, while knowledgeable, could be
biased in their statements or have a conflict of interest. A 2003 survey by the Health
and Nutrition Division of the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) asked divi-
sion members about their preferences for lipid-containing foods.2 A high percentage
of these experts recommended the food that they were most familiar with or were
doing research on.

1.2 Interwoven Networks of Information

and Misinformation
Overall, the public is educated about fats in food products from an interwoven
network of uninformed or underinformed media reporters, medical professionals,
potentially biased scientists and politically influenced government agencies. These
sources together generate an apparent consensus, all of which might have come
from one or a few primary sources. Some of the claims are valid, whereas the others
are debatable or oversimplified. On top of these sources are biased and ubiquitous
commercials whose primary objective is to sell products. Added to the commercials
are the food labels, which are government mandated.3 Many food companies try to
present the information in creative ways and exploit loopholes in regulations. For
example, a high-lipid coffee cream is labeled as “fat free” only because the manu-
facturer cuts down the suggested serving size, so that the lipid content per serving
becomes less than 0.5 g, which can then be rounded to 0.
Although general trends on the effects of the fat composition of food on health
have emerged in the scientific literature,4 lipid research carried out by different
groups around the world often produces results on the effects of lipids on animal
and human health that may not be in agreement. In addition, new findings in lipid
nutrition are often accompanied by press releases, thereby providing new informa-
tion for the media. Thus, the public becomes even more confused about the effects
of lipids on health. It is important that an individual does not tailor his or her lipid
intake based on a single media report about a new finding, but that the individual is
encouraged to seek out further information from other sources.

AO7369.indb 5 10/16/07 9:40:56 AM

 6 Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

1.3 Lack of Public Awareness of Other Aspects of Lipids

Currently, in food, most attention has been placed on fats and oils that are either a
major ingredient or have a potential effect on health. The public is not keenly aware
of other lipids in food products. These lipids could be emulsifiers such as lecithins,
monoglycerides and diglycerides. As consumers become more sophisticated and
read food labels more carefully, they will become aware of the presence of these
lipids in food products and wonder what they are, why they are present in food and
what they will do to the body. Consumers and media reporters need to be educated
on these other lipids and have ready access to comprehensible and accurate sources
of information.
Also, the public is usually uninformed that in some aspects, lipids are good for
health and food taste. Lipids good for health include polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFAs) and several fat-soluble vitamins. Lipids promote food taste because they
preserve juices and colors, as well as enhance texture and appearance. The public is
also unaware that lipids are used extensively in nonfood products. Most people are
unacquainted with the abundant lipids in shampoos and detergents, although some
are aware of the phosphates in specific detergents. Few people know about lauryl
derivatives (always shown as the major ingredients in product labels) and their role
in detergents, along with the fact that these compounds are derived from tropical
fruits such as palm and coconut. Neither are they aware of the fact that lipids are
used to produce cosmetics, lubricants, paint and fuel. With more information, the
public would be able to appreciate these lipids and their uses in nonfood products
and make conscious decisions about the products they buy and use in their daily
lives.
An emerging trend related to lipids around the world is the use of biodiesel as a
renewable fuel. Biodiesel fuel is derived from vegetable oils identical to household
cooking oils. The use of such fuel is an important social topic; whether it is viable on
a long-term basis remains to be seen. Regardless, people need to be educated about
the fuel, how it is produced, and the pros and cons of its future.

1.4 A Public in Need of Education About Lipids

In a way, we, the “lipid experts,” have to share some burden of the blame for the
public’s confusion about lipids and health. We have not developed terminology that
can be easily understood by nonscientists. We have been in the field too long and are
insensitive to the complexity of lipid terms. Are fats and fatty acids the same? What
about triglycerides and triacylglycerols; diglycerides and monoglycerides; omega-
3, omega-6 and PUFAs; and even the words lipids and fats? Could we simplify the
lipid terminology to educate the public? Let us turn to another common segment
of society with a similar issue. We complain about the medical profession using a
complicated terminology that patients do not understand or cannot even pronounce.
Why not simplify pylonephritis to kidney infection, and cholecystectomy to gall
bladder removal?
Lipid researchers or educators represent a very small proportion of the popula-
tion that has become interested in lipids. It is both an opportunity and an obligation

AO7369.indb 6 10/16/07 9:40:56 AM

 Educating the Public about Lipids 7

on our part, and rightly so, to extend our knowledge to the public. This is our social
responsibility, especially since we are paid by taxpayers directly (e.g., public college
professors) or the general public indirectly through the sale of lipids (e.g., industrial
workers). What can we do?

1.5 Educating The Public About Lipids

at the “Grass-roots” Level

“Grass-roots” activities in disseminating knowledge are always a major, long-term,

worthy endeavor. Whenever and wherever possible, we, as lipid researchers and
educators, should deliver public speeches with easy-to-understand content. Many
garden clubs, religious unions and senior citizen organizations are interested in
having scientists give lectures at their gatherings. Scientists who can communicate
in simple terms with the public are in demand to give talks about hot topics such
as cooking oils and biodiesel fuel. We should not wait to be invited, but instead,
should actively seek invitations. One of us had a pleasant experience in giving lec-
tures at the Osher Institute, which is a nationwide nonprofit organization for edu-
cating senior citizens.5 Education is for all curious minds, and such education can
then benefit society. Adults who seek further semiformal education tend to be more
active in voicing their opinions. Once educated and motivated, they will have the
time and enthusiasm to write to government agencies and industry to make their
opinions known. Their efforts could induce or force changes, such as closing loop-
holes in government regulations on food labeling and denouncing false or mislead-
ing advertising.
We also need to be engaged in educating grade-school students. Responsible
teachers usually welcome scientists to give talks to their classes, especially on timely
topics or those related to the students’ well-being, such as health. Kids love to learn
new things because they are naturally curious or perhaps enjoy going home to boast
of their newfound knowledge about hot topics related to fats and health. The latter
could induce parents to read more about lipids and the effects of lipids on health.

1.6 A Lipid Course for Reporters and

Other Professionals

In view of the major impact of the media on the public, we need to educate the
media. It would be useful to write to reporters when we recognize that the informa-
tion in a report about lipids is incorrect or oversimplified. Then, the media will be
alerted to the fact that their readers are knowledgeable and will instill a determina-
tion on their part to produce articles based on more accurate facts.
Reporters may desire to have a major overhaul of their knowledge of timely
topics such as lipids related to health. A week-long, three-day or even weekend
course tailor-made for media reporters on lipids, health and related issues could
be appealing to them. Dietitians, civic leaders and others may also benefit from a
course of this nature. The AOCS has offered many short courses on special aspects

AO7369.indb 7 10/16/07 9:40:56 AM

 8 Teaching Innovations in Lipid Science

of lipids for industrial workers and could offer a special lipid course to reporters,
dietitians and other interested professionals. Professors on some campuses have the
administrative infrastructure, such as an extension branch, to offer such a course.
Promotion of such a course needs advanced, aggressive national advertisements so
that reporters and other professionals could become aware of it.

1.7 Development of A Website on Lipids for

the General Public and Professionals

In this cyber age, it would be useful to produce a website to educate the public
on lipids. At present, several websites on food and health sponsored by govern-
ment agencies, foundations, special interest groups and individuals are available.
Examples are http://www.nutrition.gov (by the U.S. Department of Agriculture),
http://www.eatright.org (by the American Dietetic Association) and http://ific.org/
about/contact.cfm (by the International Food Information Council, a foundation
funded by industry). We need an independent website administered by a committee
whose members have no involvement with industry as employees or consultants or
researchers involving a particular crop with immediate applications. Identification
of volunteers to serve on the committee, such as the contributing authors of this
book, will not be difficult. The website would not be sponsored by a special interest
group and would not contain advertisements. It would have unique characteristics
and distinguish itself from other websites as follows:

The front page of the website would offer a selection of the levels of depth of knowledge
for readers in grades 1–6, grades 7–12, college students, adults, senior citizens, media
and professionals (dietitians, doctors). The site would focus on lipids rather than foods
and thus include lipids as minor food ingredients and describe their nonfood uses. The
site would provide descriptions, pictures and a question-and-answer feature; it would
also be interactive. Setting up such a website and maintaining it weekly or monthly
would not require a large amount of funding. The site could even serve as the basis
for a new foundation. The site would not be associated with an existing large website,
such as that of the AOCS, so as not to have an association with an organization with
heavy industry involvement and thus generate the appearance of bias or conflict of
interest. The website could feature a list of contactable lipid experts who have agreed
to be included on a voluntary basis. The website could become the “gold standard”
for providing accurate lipid knowledge to the public. A better-­educated public with
unbiased information on lipids would eventually benefit the AOCS and other related
organizations.

1.8 Timely Action

The timing is right. Lipid experts or educators must seize this golden opportunity to
offer unbiased expertise to a society that is in desperate need of accurate informa-
tion about lipids. Society has supported us and now needs our input. Let’s rise to
the occasion.

AO7369.indb 8 10/16/07 9:40:57 AM

 Educating the Public about Lipids 9

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Laura Heraty and Chris Kazala for their helpful comments on
the manuscript. RJW is thankful for support provided by the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Discovery Grant) and the Canada
Research Chairs Program.

REFERENCES
1. American Dietetic Association 2000. Nutrition and you: Trends 2000 survey. (This
information can be found at http://www.eatright.org.) (2000).
2. Anonymous, What the experts eat. Inform 14, 116–117 (2003).
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CBER guidances/Guidelines/Points to consider.
http://www.fda.gov/cber/guidelines.htm (updated to 2007).
4. Wahrburg, U. (2004). What are the health effects of fat? Eur. J. Nutr. 43 Suppl 1:I/6–11
(2004).
5. Huang, A., Planting seeds of knowledge in golden minds. Am. Soc. Plant Biologists
News 31, 21 (2004).

AO7369.indb 9 10/16/07 9:40:57 AM

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