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Vol.
28 No. 2
March-April 2006
Carotenoids
by George Britton
When the first satellite meeting on the chemistry of carotenoids
was held in Trondheim, Norwary, in 1996, only 30 participants
attended. But almost 300 came from nearly 40 countries to
the 14th
International Symposium on Carotenoids held 17–22
July 2005. The growing attendance clearly illustrates interest
in carotenoids and the diversification of the field, especially
in the areas of human nutrition and health, which are of particular
public concern.
The 1996 meeting proved to be the first of a series of IUPAC
International Carotenoid Symposia, the latest of which was
held in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)
in Edinburgh, Scotland, with George Britton from the University
of Liverpool as chairman. Much of the framework of the symposium
was put in place by Andrew Young from Liverpool John Moores
University, before George Britton took on the role for the
last few months.
The program in Edinburgh was designed to encourage an integrated,
interdisciplinary approach for tackling key issues and to
stress the importance of a solid foundation of knowledge of
the fundamental physical and chemical properties of carotenoids
for understanding and controlling biological
functions and actions. The excellent facilities and services
of the EICC helped the symposium to maintain the tradition
of a friendly, lively atmosphere and stimulating formal and
informal discussions. Generous financial support from commercial
sponsors in many countries made the symposium possible.
In the formal scientific program, about 220 papers were presented,
80 as lectures or selected oral communications in plenary
or parallel sessions, and 140 as posters. As with previous
symposia, the texts of plenary and invited lectures will be
published in Pure and Applied Chemistry [see
PAC
78(8), 1477-1557 (2006)], with Richard Cogdell
and Peter Bramley as symposium editors. For the first time,
the book of abstracts has also been published as an issue
of Carotenoid Science (Volume 9, July 2005, Hideki
Hashimoto, ed.), the journal of the Japanese Society for Carotenoid
Research.S
In the opening session on “Skin Protection by Carotenoids,”
lectures by Helmut Sies, Peter Schroeder, and Regina Goralczyk
concentrated on molecular studies and insights into the mechanism
of the photoprotective effect of beta-carotene in human skin.
Two plenary sessions emphasisedthe importance of interdisciplinary
approaches and studies. In the session “Oxidation and
Breakdown Products,” topics included the chemistry of
the oxidative breakdown of carotenoids (presented by Catherine
Caris-Veyrat) and the significance of such oxidation and its
products for human health (presented by Werner Siems). In
a highly informative and entertaining lecture, Roman Kaiser
used example extracts to illustrate the role of “Carotenoid-Derived
Aroma Compounds in Flower Scents.” The important influence
of the natural physical states of carotenoids and of interactions
with proteins on properties and functions was the subject
of a further session in which Robert Birge and Tom Moore also
reported some novel applications of carotenoids and retinal-proteins.
Jonathan Blount spoke in a session on “Carotenoids and
Nature” that highlighted the role of carotenoids in
coloration and behavior in birds and invertebrate animals.
Two plenary sessions reported progress in studies of carotenoids
in relation to cancer (speakers included John Bertram and
Angelika Herzog) and other aspects of human health (including
an invited lecture by Olaf Sommerburg). In additional plenary
lectures, Frederick Khachik evaluated available procedures
for the analysis of carotenoids by HPLC in his talk “Distribution
and Metabolism of Dietary Carotenoids in Humans as a Criterion
for Development of Nutritional Supplements,” while Aldona
Dembinska-Kiec reported on a major European project and presented
details of her own work on “Beta-Carotene and Angiogenesis.”
The remainder of the program was filled with parallel sessions
covering “Nutrition and Conversion into Vitamin A,”
“Photosynthesis and Photochemistry,” “Eye
Health,” “Biosynthesis,” “Chemistry,”
and “Commercial Production and Applications.”
The standard of posters displayed was high, and prizes for
best poster presentation were awarded to four young researchers:
Marc David Grynbaum (Germany), Thais Guaratini (Brazil), Nicole
Tillinger (Austria), and Tokutake Sashima (Japan). Each received
a copy of The Carotenoids Handbook, from the carotenoids
book series.
As a new venture for the symposia, International Carotenoid
Society Awards were presented to mark distinguished achievements
and dedicated service to the carotenoid field. The Otto Isler
Award was presented to Synnove Liaaen-Jensen for “a
lifetime of achievement in research on carotenoid chemistry
and of dedicated service to the carotenoid field.” Unfortunately,
Norman Krinsky was unable to attend the meeting to receive
the Trevor Goodwin Award for “achievement in research
on carotenoid biochemistry and a lifetime of dedicated service
to the carotenoid field”; the award was presented to
him later. Finally, the President’s Outstanding Service
Award was presented to George Britton “in appreciation
of exceptional service and dedication to the principles and
scholarship of The International Carotenoid Society.”
In addition to an energizing week of inspiring carotenoid
science, participants delighted in exploring Edinburgh and
taking part in a whisky-tasting event and a Scottish-themed
symposium dinner and Ceilidh.
The 15th International Symposium on Carotenoids will be held
in 2008 in Okinawa, Japan, with Hideki Hashimoto from Osaka
City University as chairman. Information about this and other
carotenoidrelated events is on the Web site of the International
Carotenoid Society: www.carotenoidsociety.org.
George
Britton <[email protected]>,
who was program chair of the 2005 conference, recently retired
from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of
Liverpool.
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last modified 10 August 2006.
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