Archived News

Malaysian company to retro-fit diesel power plants to use palm oilKuala Lumpur 6/12/2001 - Tenaga Nasional Bhd is currently looking into"retro fitting" its diesel-powered plants in Sabah to enable the machinesof diesel in generating electricity.

MALAYSIA, INDONESIA PALM OIL DEVELOPMENTS

BusinessWorld (Philippines) 06/11/2001- Leading scientists in genetics andbiotechnology met at a recent forum held at Linden Suites in OrtigasCenter, Pasig City, and asserted the safety of biotechnology, a statementsaid.

Govt probing palm oil under-invoicing charges

Industries with boiler ops can help in CPO initiativeKuala Lumpur (Business Times) 11 June 2001 - INDUSTRIES in Malaysia whichuse boilers in their manufacturing activities can take up a monthly totalof 50,000 tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) to power up their generators.

(Business Times) 6/11/2001- Malaysia is shaping North Koreaup to be one of its main palm oil consumers as the country has potentialto be a major market for the commodity.

Kuala Lumpur (Reuters) 6/8/2001- Officials said they are stepping upefforts to find ways to boost usage and prevent a further slide in prices.

Study shows soy reduces risk of prostate cancerUSA (Environmental News Network ) 7/6/2001-- Men at risk of prostatecancer might want to include more tofu and soy milk in their dietsfollowing the results of a study at the University of California at DavisCancer Center. Although the study was conducted with mice, and resultsmust be replicated with humans, researchers found that a chemical found insoy slowed prostate cancer growth in mice and caused prostate cancer cellsto die.The soy chemical found to reduce prostate cancer in mice is calledgenistein, one of two compounds in soy that belong to a family ofchemicals known as isoflavones. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens, plantbased chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body.Researchers theorize that the prevalence of soy in Asian diets may be onereason why men in Asia have a lower rate of prostate cancer than men inthe United States. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongAmerican men.Ralph deVere White, director of the UC Davis Cancer Center and chair ofthe Department of Urology at the UC Davis Medical Center, presented theresults of this study at the annual meeting of the American UrologicalAssociation in Anaheim this week."We've identified the mechanisms by which genistein may work in prostatecancer, and it's consistent with other studies of soy," said deVere White."While we are encouraged by these results, we need to test genistein inpatients with prostate cancer to be certain of its effectiveness."The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 334,500 new casesof prostate cancer in the United States this year. Prostate cancer isexpected to kill over 40,000 American men this year.For the UC Davis study, scientists tested a commercially made extract ofgenistein on mice bred to develop prostate cancer and on metastaticprostate cancer cell lines.In mice, genistein reduced prostate cancer tumor growth.In the tissue culture, genistein increased the production of p21, a genethat regulates cell growth, and it reduced the production of vascularendothelial growth factor, a protein that helps cancer grow. These factorscaused cancer cells to die.UC Davis researchers are now evaluating the effects of genistein in menwho have been diagnosed with slow growing prostate cancer. The cancercenter intends to enroll 70 men in a pilot study to see if genisteinlowers levels of prostate specific antigen, a tumor marker for prostatecancer.Men who have chosen not to receive treatment for prostate cancer or whohave undergone treatment and whose prostate specific antigen levels arerising slowly are eligible to volunteer for the trial. Results will beknown in a year.It is unlikely genistein would become a stand alone treatment for prostatecancer, said deVere White. "But we hope it could be used in conjunctionwith conventional therapy or as a preventive drug, if it indeed lowersprostate specific antigen."Other components in foods have been found to reduce prostate cancer.Studies now show that an all natural supplement of lycopene, the chemicalthat makes tomatoes red, may help prevent and treat prostate cancer.Omer Kucuk, M.D., professor of Medicine and Oncology, and colleagues atthe Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan, evaluated the effectthat encapsulated lycopene had on patients with existing prostate cancer.The study of 30 men with prostate cancer, reported in 1999 at the annualmeeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, showed that thosepatients who took lycopene supplements had smaller tumors, which were morelikely to be confined to the prostate. The tumors in patients who consumedthe lycopene showed signs of regression and decreased malignancy.Like many antioxidants, lycopene absorbs oxygen-free radicals that candamage DNA, and is believed to be responsible for many types of cancer."This study represents the first clinical evidence that lycopenesupplements may prevent cancer," said Dr. Kucuk. "Furthermore, thefindings suggest that lycopene may not only help prevent cancer, but mayalso be useful in treating men who are already diagnosed with prostatecancer."

Philippine exports of coco oil expected to improvPhilippines (BusinessWorld) 6/7/2001- The Philippine Coconut Authority(PCA) sees the country's monthly coconut oil (CNO) exports averaging120,000 metric tons (MT) for the rest of the year, exceeding normal levelsof 90,000 MT.PCA administrator Danilo M. Coronacion points to the bigger cargo spaceshipping companies are making available to accommodate the exportcommodity as the reason for projected increase.Exporters also said they are now making advanced reservations to guaranteethe availability of needed vessels.Coco oil exporters had difficulty shipping out volumes in the firstquarter due to a scarcity of shipping space triggered by stiff competitionfrom world manufacturers of petroleum and chemicals.But vessel demand from the petroleum and chemical industry has alreadyweakened, which in turn has improved the availability of shipping spacefor CNO.PCA chief Mr. Coronacion said this development will help local exportersship out an average of 120,000 MT a month, matching the country's strongexport performance for April and May."There has been a radical improvement in our exports in April and Maybecause of that. In coming months, it could even be better because we seean increase in orders from Korea," he told BusinessWorld in an interview.Preliminary data from the United Coconut Associations of the Philippines(UCAP) show that coco oil shipments for April and May reached 120,207 MTand 124,170 MT, respectively. UCAP is an umbrella organization of localcoconut producers, millers and traders.The Philippines ships out an average of 80,000 to 90,000 MT of coco oilmonthly.Export volumes for the first three months of the year had fluctuated dueto delayed shipments caused in turn by the scarcity of vessels.Initial UCAP data indicate that January coco oil exports reached 64,928MT. February shipments then surged to 134,332 MT only to dip in March to73,712 MT.Mr. Coronacion said waning vessel demand from petroleum and chemicalexporters allowed more vessels to accommodate CNO."There's now better availability of vessels. The situation has alreadyeased up. Forward contracts for these products (petroleum and chemicals)have already been fulfilled and so we now have better availability (ofshipping space)," Mr. Coronacion said.A trader from the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) Group ofCompanies aired a similar observation."Shipments of petroleum and chemicals are now lying low because the marketis already full. Buyers of these products also have their quotas and fromthe looks of things, they've already been met," the trader said in atelephone interview. The CIIF Group is the country's biggest manufacturerand exporter of coco oil.Shipping companies gave higher priority to petroleum and chemicalshipments exporters in the first quarter since they were willing to payhigher freight rates.PCA's Mr. Coronacion said exporters coped with the previous scarcity ofvessels by forging contracts with shipping firms specializing in thetransport of vegetable oils. This strategy, he said, assured exporters ofready vessels to accommodate their volumes. "They (exporters) have secureddedicated vessels just for CNO. Before, they simply waited for vesselsloaded with other commodities that just pass by the Philippines comingfrom other ASEAN countries," he said.An executive from the San Miguel Food Group, meanwhile, said they copedwith the lack of shipping space by making advanced vessel reservations.The company official also said they now secure larger vessels that enablethem to easily move out their increased output.This, the executive said, eliminates the need to temporarily shut downtheir CNO mills' operations whenever their storage tanks reach fullcapacity due to the late arrival of vessels."We usually book two vessels for a month. Our first vessel usually arrivesduring the middle of the month. What we did is to load not only ourestimated volume for the first batch but also part of what we expect toship for the second batch. That way, in case our second vessel arriveslate, we'd still be left with storage space in case our second vesselarrives late," the executive said.

Nobel prize winner calls for compulsory GM studies

Timely To Introduce CPO As Fifth Energy Source, Says Dr Lim

Food industry creates allergy-aware labeling standardWASHINGTON, 5/31/2001 (The Associated Press) - Food labels will use moreeasily understood terms for ingredients that can cause allergic reactions,such as ``milk'' for ``casein'' and ``eggs'' for ``albumen,'' under newindustry guidelines intended to help consumers avoid products that canmake them sick.Labels also would disclose the sources of flavorings that could beallergy-inducing, such as butter or peanuts.The guidelines ``will make life safer for individuals with food allergiesand their families,'' said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergyand Anaphylaxis Network, an advocacy group that receives some industryfunding. ``It will cut down on phone calls to companies about ingredientinformation, saving the companies some money.''Putting common terms on food labels will especially help children, shesaid.The standards being issued Thursday by industry trade groups alsodiscourage food makers from indiscriminate use of a warning label such as``May contain peanuts.'' Some companies are routinely using such labels toprotect themselves against lawsuits, Munoz-Furlong said.Under the guidelines, such labels should be used ``judiciously'' and onlywhen manufacturers can't avoid the possibility of allergens in theirproducts.Some 7 million Americans who suffer from food allergies rely on ingredientlabels to tell which processed foods are safe for them to consume. Someallergic reactions, particularly to peanuts, can be fatal, claiming anestimated 150 lives a year.The Food and Drug Administration welcomed the industry guidelines,releasing a letter to the industry Wednesday that called them a``significant step forward'' and a ``major health benefit to the foodallergy sensitive consumer.''FDA has expressed increased concern about food allergies in recent yearsbut not has proposed labeling rules.Because the trade groups can't enforce the standards, there is no penaltyfor companies that don't follow them.``Politically, these recommendations are designed to undercut legislationor regulations,'' said Michael Jacobson, director of the Center forScience in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.But food makers will be under pressure from consumers to follow theguidelines, said Tim Willard, a spokesman for the National Food ProcessorsAssociation. ``If they find clear label information on certain productsand not on others, they are going to buy the products they like.Some companies, including cereal makers, already have been putting speciallabels on products.Kellogg's new Atlantis cereal bears a special label which says, in capitalletters: ``Contains wheat and milk ingredients. Corn used in this productcontains traces of soybeans.''The new guidelines apply to eight food groups that are responsible formost allergic reactions: Crustaceans such as crab and lobster, eggs, fish,milk, peanuts, soy, tree nuts such as almonds and walnuts, and wheat.Technical terms for ingredients such as casein won't disappear fromlabels. But packages will put the common terms in a special label, asKellogg's does, or add them to the ingredient list.Janet Leydorf of Gambrills, Md., welcomed the guideline on disclosure offlavoring sources.Her 4-year-old daughter, who is allergic to milk and peanuts, developedhives after eating a birthday party treat that was covering in icing. Aflavoring in the icing was made from milk, Leydorf discovered aftercalling the manufacturer.``It's a lot easier to prevent this problem (an allergic reaction) than todeal with it after it occurs,'' she said.Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network: http://www.foodallergy.orgNational Food Processors Association: http://www.nfpa-food.orgCenter for Science in the Public Interest: http://www.cspinet.org