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ABOUT
US Incorporated
in 1991 as a non-profit organization by US law, the International Lecithin
and Phospholipid Society (ILPS) was originally established based upon
very specific objectives. There are a dozen corporate members from
the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical industries. In addition a number
of individual members are active in the American and European subgroups.
The By-laws are included in another section.
As defined in its Articles of Incorporation, the Society's short-term
goals are:
• To promote the standardization of materials and analytical methodology
to analyze lecithin and its corresponding phospholipids. This standardization
would include a clear definition of differentiation between lecithin and phospholipids
as required in the scientific, regulatory and commercial fields.
• To clearly define, recommend, and provide chemical standards, representative
analytical samples, and a uniform methodology for analysis for both lecithin
and the resulting phospholipid components.
In addition, the Society outlined its initial long-term goals, which
are:
• To further promote the interaction with various institutions desiring
a description and analysis of lecithin and phospholipids. This was to include
the development of a master monograph of chemical standards and analytical methods
that have been rigorously validated via inter-laboratory testing.
• To promote the possibility of regulatory acceptance of definitions and
analytical methodology for lecithin and phospholipids into various textbooks,
pharmaceutical monographs and legal regulations through the format of revisions
and/or new entries.
• To advise the academic and industrial sectors as well as regulatory agencies
with regard to lecithin and phospholipids.
• To evaluate occurring technical problems and propose an action plan for
solutions.
• To sponsor seminars and colloquia as well as issue position papers, primary
publications, and newsletters to further enhance the communication of information.
• To promote the commercialization of lecithin, phospholipids and the resulting
products containing these components. This would be accomplished by having an
active role in addressing academic, industrial and regulatory concerns such as
the safety and toxicological aspects of these compounds, to lobby on behalf of
the interests in these raw materials in order to promote research, development,
and education with their involvement.
History
The ILPS
originated in 1991, as a not-for-profit organization was originally
known as the ILSG (International Lecithin Study Group). The ILSG
was established in Chicago in 1984 as an off shoot of the 4th Phospholipid
Colloquium. The group's purpose was to evaluate methods and discuss
scientific topics related to phospholipids. Dr. Tom Watkins skillfully
conducted and reported on several meetings of the ILSG, which included
meetings in Boston, Venice, Nice and Hamburg. These activities have
been continued as ILPS Congresses in Brussels ( 7th, 1996) ,Vienna
(8th, 2002), and Pécs Hungary (9th, 2006).
Analytical Subgroups
Methods
are evaluated and refined to fit the industry members. New methods
were developed for HPLC –LSD of phospholipids. The German Association
of Fat Research (DGF) has accepted that ILPS AM-001 method as an official
unified DGF method. The drafted method has been submitted to AOCS Technical
Committee for classification as AOCS method. Many of the adopted methods
for lecithin analysis are from AOCS and DGF origin.
Because some analytical matters differ between Europe and America, it
was decided to separate the analytical activities in a European and
American subgroup. This also should allow people to have more regular
contacts as distance and costs involved are reduced. The ILPS European
Analytical Subgroup meets e.g. twice a year in one of the corporate
member's offices. Interested individuals are invited to join the
activities by applying for corporate or individual membership.
The step from analytical methods to legal affairs is short, since purity
criteria in the Codex Alimentarius, Pharmacopoeia, American FCC and
European EU food additive directives are related to analytical methods.
ILPS members are directly or indirectly involved in these topics,
for which ILPS meetings are an interesting platform for discussion.
Co-operation with other Associations
ILPS
works closely together with the AOCS Phospholipid Division. In fact
a number of ILPS board members were or are also officers of the Phospholipid
Division. The Award of the AOCS Best Phospholipid Paper is funded by
the ILPS. This award is presented during the AOCS Annual Meeting. ILPS
contributes also to the travel fund for academic experts, presenting
a phospholipid paper on the AOCS Annual Meeting.
Scientific
congresses are increasingly taken a burden of the working time of professionals.
ILPS has jointly organized their 9th
ILPS Congress on Phospholipids for Health with the 49th International
Conference on Bioscience of Lipids in September 2006 in Pécs Hungary.
In fact participants could select out of 3 scientific events within one
week, since ELIFE –IFSSAL also cooperated with the ICBL2006 local
organization secretariat.
Legislative aspects in Europe required the establishment of a European
legally based association. The US based ILPS did not fulfill these
requirements, but ILPS collaborates intensively with the corporate
members of the European Lecithin Manufacturers' Association ELMA.
Occasionally
ILPS organizes phospholipid seminars in frame of large exhibitions
such as the annual IFT exhibition in USA of the biannual Food Ingredients
Europe or own Lecithin Short Courses, preferably in co-operation with
a University Institute. After the successful short course in Ghent
University in February 2005 with demonstrations in the laboratories
of the food department, new short courses with lab demonstrations are
scheduled with Laval University for May 2007 in Quebec City Canada
and with Ghent University for winter 2008 in Ghent Belgium.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
In
adhering to our original objectives of incorporation, the Society initiates,
organizes and sponsors various short courses, conferences and events.
Particularly in N-America ILPS has initially joined forces with the
American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) Phospholipid Division to enhance
our international recognition and to utilize the strengths of such
an organization as the AOCS. In Europe ILPS organizes activities alone
or jointly with other associations. Some of the activities previously
accomplished were:
• ILPS Short Course: Lecithins and Phospholipids in Emulsions was held
in cooperation with Ghent University on June 45-6, 2008 at Ghent University
Belgium. Oral presentations and laboratory equipment demonstrations
were given.
•
A similar course on Lecithin Properties and Technological Functions
was organized by AOCS and the Institute of Neutraceuticals and Functional
Foods (INAF) of the Laval Université at Quebec City, Canada
on May 11-12, 2007, prior to the AOCS Annual Meeting.
•
ILPS jointly organized their 9th ILPS Congress on “Phospholipids
for Health” with the 49th International Conference on Bioscience
of Lipids and the Hungarian Academy of Science on September 8-10, 2006
in Pécs Hungary. Four sessions were devoted to Sphingolipids,
Marine Phospholipids, Phosphatidylserine and Brain function of lipids.
•
An ILPS Lecithin Short Course was conducted in cooperation with Ghent
University on February 14-15, 2005 at Ghent University Belgium. Oral
presentations and laboratory equipment demonstrations were given. The
best poster award was given to Mrs. Annet Knoth of the Friederich Schiller
University, Jena, Germany for her poster” Stability of phospholipids-containing
water-in-oil emulsions”
• The 8th International ILPS Congress on Phospholipids was successfully
held September 7-10, 2002 in Vienna, Austria in co-operation with the
University of Vienna and the Austrian Medical Academy for Nutrition.
PhD students presenting their poster were supported with a fee waiver.
• At the AOCS AM 1999 (Orlando), 2000 (San Diego), 2001 (Minneapolis),
2002 (Montreal, Canada), 2003 (Kansas City), 2004 (Cincinnati), 2005
(Salt Lake City) and 2006 (St Louis) ILPS sponsored the Best Phospholipid
Paper Award with a check for the winner and the speaker travel fund.
•
At the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) Annual Meeting and Expo
2002 in Anaheim, CA the session “Enzymes in Foods 2020" ,
in Dallas 2000 the session "Liposomes for food systems" and
in Chicago 1998 the seminar "Phospholipids as Functional Food
Ingredients" were organized and chaired. Many ILPS experts presented
their topics.
• At the Food Ingredients Exhibition 1999 in Paris, an ILPS Lecithin
seminar was organized in co-operation with the World Food Summit Conference
Committee with 7 lecithin topics about food applications.
• In 1998 AOCS sessions on General Phospholipids, Phospholipids and Atherosclerosis
and Phospholipids and Functional Foods were co-organized in Chicago
• In 1997 a four session Lecithin Symposium was co-organized at the Annual
AOCS Meeting in Seattle, WA.
• The 7th ILPS international Congress on Phospholipids in Nutrition and
Cell Signaling was organized in September 1996 in Brussels (Belgium).
• In 1996 a five session Lecithin Symposium was co-organized at the Annual
AOCS Meeting in Indianapolis, IN.
• In 1995 a five session Phospholipid Symposium was co-organized at the
Annual AOCS Meeting in San Antonio, Texas
• In 1994 a Lecithin Short Course was held in conjunction with the AOCS
meeting in Atlanta, GA.
• In 1993 the 6th international Colloquium on Phospholipids was held
in Hamburg, Germany supported by the membership of the ILPS.
•
In 1992 the first Lecithin & Phospholipid Symposium was held in
conjunction with the Annual AOCS Meeting in Toronto.
FUTURE
PLANS
The
Annual General Meeting is usually held at the venue of the AOCS AM Venue.
During that meeting the strategic planning of the 5-Year-Plan is discussed
and updated. The ILPS Board meets regularly by telephone conferences.
• New focus will be given to HPTLC analytical procedures and the potential
implementation of new HPLC publications.
•
Codex Alimentarius activities on Allergy Labeling may require more accurate analytical
methods for residual protein analysis in lecithin, for which ILPS sponsors scientific
investigations. First results were presented in 2004 at ILPS Analytical subgroup
meetings and May 2006 in St Louis.
•
The program of a N-American lecithin short course “Emulsifying properties
and technologies” together with AOCS and Experts of the Laval University,
Department of Food in Quebec City, Canada, May 11-12, 2007 will be published
soon.
•
The European Analytical subgroup agreed with the University of Ghent Belgium
to schedule an advanced lecithin short course in autumn 2007-winter 2008 in the
University facilities.
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