Final Report Summary - MAC-OILS (Mapping and Comparing Oils)
The project MAC-OILS was a specific support action which focused on the individual and comparative assessment of safety, quality, environmental impact and aspects of eight oils and their respective production and manufacturing methods.
The eight oils analysed were olive oil, argan oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil and rice oil and their choice was made according to the consumption and / or production criterion in the three areas involved in the project: Europe, Mediterranean area and Latin America.
MAC-OILS project was structured in two different phases. The first phase aimed at the creation of a permanent partnership among researchers from European and extra-European countries set up through eight thematic ateliers (an atelier for each oil), in which was stimulated the scientific comparison on the following five topics:
a. assessment of chemical and physical-chemical properties of oils;
b. assessment of organoleptic properties of oils and their acceptability by the European consumer;
c. assessment of extraction, conservation and packaging methods of oils;
d. assessment of risks / benefits of the oils consumption on European consumer's health;
e. oil seeds cultivation: problems and perspectives.
The second phase was dedicated to the preparation and realisation of a final international conference, held in Rome, during which the results collected in the project outputs were presented to public opinion. This phase was also dedicated to the dissemination of the project results through the MAC-OILS website (please see http://www.mac-oils.eu(si apre in una nuova finestra) online), the participation in other seminars, conferences etc. and through specific information campaign activities in order to raise public participation and awareness.
The project idea arose from three different kind of awareness, responding to different needs, leading to the elaboration of three different project outputs:
1. the absence of a comparative and evaluation study concerning all the eight edible oils;
2. the lack of knowledge towards the different kinds of alimentary oils nowadays present on the market;
3. the lack of knowledge about the funding opportunity for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the importance of the link between research and oil production world.
During the first and the second year, eight thematic ateliers were realised, one for each of MAC-OILS target oil: olive, peanut, sunflower, corn, argan, soybean, rice and rapeseed. All the ateliers provided very fruitful discussions on the scientific and technological aspects of oil preparation, composition, cultivation, healthy effects and quality. SMEs and large companies were invited to take part in the ateliers, together with some government bodies and policy-makers. Each work package (WP)-leader elaborated a specific technological audit questionnaire to highlight needs and demands from companies.
The involvement of SMEs was addressed to achieve the goal of promoting the participation of SMEs and oil producers in the thematic ateliers. Many SMEs showed their interest in taking part in the whole project. In order to assure the participation in each thematic ateliers of a convenient and representative number of SMEs, the project exploited the address database of partner Euro Fed Lipid. With its monthly newsletter, Euro Fed Lipid addresses roughly 4 000 professionals globally from oils and fats research and technology. Of these, roughly 50 % can be allocated to industry while the other 50 % are located at universities and research institutions. Thanks to the fulfilling of the technological audit questionnaires, it was partly possible to highlight critical and problematic aspects linked to extraction, production, conservation, packaging and cultivation of oils. MAC-OILS supported SMEs at the end of the project, encouraging their participation in future research projects making them aware of the opportunities offered by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
The specific objectives of the project, they can be summarised as follows:
- gathering the existing know-how at European and extra-European level about the eight target-oils;
- analysis of health benefits and / or risks of oils and nutritional properties of the eight target-oils;
- supporting and informing SMEs across the globe currently producing oils.
Thanks to its relevant objectives and activities, it was established a long-lasting network, that will survive to the end of the project. MAC-OILS also produced a large impact thanks to its multi-regional dimension. In fact, the network strengthened the international cooperation in quality and food safety topics, not only among the EU Member States which participated in the project, but also between the EU and these two important world geographical areas: the Mediterranean Area (with the participation of Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco and Israel) and the Latin America, in particular with Brazil and Argentina, which are part of the Mercosur subregion.
MAC-OILS project focused on new edible oils which may represent a possible alternative to olive oil. Among these, certainly, it must be considered rapeseed oil since its high content in monounsaturated (51-70 %) fatty acids, or oils obtained from new cultivars of soybean, sunflower and peanut also with a high percentage of oleic acid (AO). For example, conventional sunflower oil has a percentage of AO between 14 and 40 %, while in the 'high oleic' variety, AO rises to 75-90 %. In terms of advice to consumers, oils high in AO should be preferable for their greater resistance to oxidation. Moreover, the presence in olive oil a large number of molecules with antioxidant activity represents an added value in terms of health and stability of the product. Similarly, in rapeseed oil, nutritional properties are enhanced by a significant percentage of omega-3 fatty acids (5- 13 %). Vegetable oils high in AO are also a good alternative to olive oil in the preparation of cooked food for both the lower cost and for the greater market penetration worldwide.
The eight oils analysed were olive oil, argan oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil and rice oil and their choice was made according to the consumption and / or production criterion in the three areas involved in the project: Europe, Mediterranean area and Latin America.
MAC-OILS project was structured in two different phases. The first phase aimed at the creation of a permanent partnership among researchers from European and extra-European countries set up through eight thematic ateliers (an atelier for each oil), in which was stimulated the scientific comparison on the following five topics:
a. assessment of chemical and physical-chemical properties of oils;
b. assessment of organoleptic properties of oils and their acceptability by the European consumer;
c. assessment of extraction, conservation and packaging methods of oils;
d. assessment of risks / benefits of the oils consumption on European consumer's health;
e. oil seeds cultivation: problems and perspectives.
The second phase was dedicated to the preparation and realisation of a final international conference, held in Rome, during which the results collected in the project outputs were presented to public opinion. This phase was also dedicated to the dissemination of the project results through the MAC-OILS website (please see http://www.mac-oils.eu(si apre in una nuova finestra) online), the participation in other seminars, conferences etc. and through specific information campaign activities in order to raise public participation and awareness.
The project idea arose from three different kind of awareness, responding to different needs, leading to the elaboration of three different project outputs:
1. the absence of a comparative and evaluation study concerning all the eight edible oils;
2. the lack of knowledge towards the different kinds of alimentary oils nowadays present on the market;
3. the lack of knowledge about the funding opportunity for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the importance of the link between research and oil production world.
During the first and the second year, eight thematic ateliers were realised, one for each of MAC-OILS target oil: olive, peanut, sunflower, corn, argan, soybean, rice and rapeseed. All the ateliers provided very fruitful discussions on the scientific and technological aspects of oil preparation, composition, cultivation, healthy effects and quality. SMEs and large companies were invited to take part in the ateliers, together with some government bodies and policy-makers. Each work package (WP)-leader elaborated a specific technological audit questionnaire to highlight needs and demands from companies.
The involvement of SMEs was addressed to achieve the goal of promoting the participation of SMEs and oil producers in the thematic ateliers. Many SMEs showed their interest in taking part in the whole project. In order to assure the participation in each thematic ateliers of a convenient and representative number of SMEs, the project exploited the address database of partner Euro Fed Lipid. With its monthly newsletter, Euro Fed Lipid addresses roughly 4 000 professionals globally from oils and fats research and technology. Of these, roughly 50 % can be allocated to industry while the other 50 % are located at universities and research institutions. Thanks to the fulfilling of the technological audit questionnaires, it was partly possible to highlight critical and problematic aspects linked to extraction, production, conservation, packaging and cultivation of oils. MAC-OILS supported SMEs at the end of the project, encouraging their participation in future research projects making them aware of the opportunities offered by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
The specific objectives of the project, they can be summarised as follows:
- gathering the existing know-how at European and extra-European level about the eight target-oils;
- analysis of health benefits and / or risks of oils and nutritional properties of the eight target-oils;
- supporting and informing SMEs across the globe currently producing oils.
Thanks to its relevant objectives and activities, it was established a long-lasting network, that will survive to the end of the project. MAC-OILS also produced a large impact thanks to its multi-regional dimension. In fact, the network strengthened the international cooperation in quality and food safety topics, not only among the EU Member States which participated in the project, but also between the EU and these two important world geographical areas: the Mediterranean Area (with the participation of Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco and Israel) and the Latin America, in particular with Brazil and Argentina, which are part of the Mercosur subregion.
MAC-OILS project focused on new edible oils which may represent a possible alternative to olive oil. Among these, certainly, it must be considered rapeseed oil since its high content in monounsaturated (51-70 %) fatty acids, or oils obtained from new cultivars of soybean, sunflower and peanut also with a high percentage of oleic acid (AO). For example, conventional sunflower oil has a percentage of AO between 14 and 40 %, while in the 'high oleic' variety, AO rises to 75-90 %. In terms of advice to consumers, oils high in AO should be preferable for their greater resistance to oxidation. Moreover, the presence in olive oil a large number of molecules with antioxidant activity represents an added value in terms of health and stability of the product. Similarly, in rapeseed oil, nutritional properties are enhanced by a significant percentage of omega-3 fatty acids (5- 13 %). Vegetable oils high in AO are also a good alternative to olive oil in the preparation of cooked food for both the lower cost and for the greater market penetration worldwide.
