A brief summary of emu oil research projects, studies, and presentations.

Report By: Margaret Pounder, AEA President. (Reprinted from AEA EMUpdate, Summer 1998 issue).

SUMMARY: A Long term study was initiated by Dr. John Griswold, Director of the Timothy J. Harnar Burn Center (affiliated with Texas Tech University Medical Center, Lubbock Texas) in 1995 to analyze the potential effects of emu oil in the healing of re-epithelialized burn wounds. The study found that patients "almost unanimously favored emu oil as an end result and during application", and that there was a statistically significant difference in scar reduction and inflammation of the emu oil treated wounds.

By: Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Margaret Craig-Schmidt, Amanda Brown at Auburn University. (Reprinted from AEA News, September 1994 Issue).

SUMMARY: Analysis of fatty acids in emu oil reveals that it contains approximately 70 % unsaturated fatty acids. The major fatty acid found in emu oil is oleic acid, which is mono- unsaturated and which comprises over 40 % of the total fatty acid content. Emu oil also contains both of the two essential fatty acids (EFA's) which are important to human health: 20 % linoleic, and 1 - 2 % alpha-linolenic acid.

By: Dr. Margaret Craig-Schmidt and K.R. Willian at Auburn University. (Abstracts: 88th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, Seattle WA, May 1997).

SUMMARY: A comparison between oil rendered from the fat of the emu, the ostrich and the rhea reveals that the predominant fatty acid in ostrich and rhea oils is palmitic acid, and of emu oil is oleic acid.

By: The AEA Oil Standards Team, Lee D. Smith (Team Leader). (Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue)

SUMMARY: (a) The text part of the Guidelines consists of the Executive Summary, the Introduction, and Background, and gives the requirements for the handling of emu fat to ensure optimum quality of the finished oil, from bird handling and processing to fat handling and cold storage. All farmers, slaughter facilities and processors should have a copy of this text. (b) Actual oil testing criteria are summarized on the Emu Oil Guidelines page. This page is all that would be required by laboratories testing samples of emu oil to make sure the oil satisfies the guidelines for safety and consistency. All oil testing laboratories and oil rendering facilities should have a copy of the Emu Oil Guidelines page. Click here to view the International Emu Oil Guidelines

By: Dr. Ernesto Hernandez at Texas A& M University, Food Protein Research & Development Center. (Reprinted from AEA News, November 1995 issue).

SUMMARY: An outline of the actual processes involved in rendering emu oil from fat, and refining this oil by the RBD process (refining, bleaching and deodorizing).

(1997) By: Dr. Ernesto Hernandez at Texas A & M University, Food Protein Research & Development Center. (Presented at 88th American Oil Chemist's Society annual meeting, May 1997. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997).

SUMMARY: Two different methods for refining oil are outlined: RBD processing, and physical refining. Physical refining uses clay adsorbents rather than chemicals, and may therefore help preserve any biologically active factors in the oil. The method chosen will usually depend on what the oil is going to be used for.

By: Department of Dermatology, at University of Texas Medical School, Houston.

SUMMARY: Testing using the rabbit ear histological assay, with emu oil in concentrations of 25 %, 75 % and 100 % shows that emu oil in concentrations of up to 100 % is non-comedogenic, i.e. it does not clog the pores of the skin.

By: Dr. Alexander Zemtsov, Indiana University School of Medicine: Dr. Monica Gaddis, Ball Memorial Hospital; and Dr. Victor Montalvo-Lugo, Ball Memorial Hospital. (Reprinted from AEA News, October/November 1994 issue)

SUMMARY: Eleven human subjects took part in a double-blind clinical study which compared emu oil with mineral oil in texture, skin permeability and moisturizing properties, as well as comedogenicity and irritability to the skin. No irritation to the skin was observed with either oil. However, comedogenicity of emu oil was significantly lower than that of mineral oil, and all subjects stated a unanimous preference for emu oil.

By: Dr. Leigh Hopkins, AEA Oil Standards Team (Research Leader). (Reprinted from AEA News, Spring 1997 issue).

SUMMARY: When compared with human skin oil, the fatty acid composition of emu oil is found to be quite similar. In both types of oil, mono-unsaturated oleic acid is the most prevalent fatty acid, followed by palmitic acid, then linoleic acid, which is an EFA (essential fatty acid). This similarity may be one of the factors enabling emu oil to have such a positive action on human skin.

By: Dr. William Code. (Presented at the 88th American Oil Chemists Society annual meeting, May 1997. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue).

SUMMARY: In his initial work with an emu oil based cream combined with spearmint oil and lidocaine, Dr. Code has found that this mixture appears to produce a reduced sensation in the skin as compared with another mixture of local anesthetics without emu oil. The goal is to reduce sensitivity to the skin in a safe, fast and effective way for procedures such as suturing or giving injections.

By: Dr. Peter Ghosh at Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Australia and Dr. Michael Whitehouse at University of Adelaide, Australia.

SUMMARY: A combination of emu oil with a suitable transdermal transporter is found to show anti-inflammatory (anti-rheumatic) activity in various rat models.

By: Dr. Michael Whitehouse and Athol Turner, Dept. of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia. (Source: Inflammopharmacology, San Francisco, March 1997 conference proceedings. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue).

SUMMARY: Ongoing studies on the anti-inflammatory activity of emu oils, as tested using the arthritis-induced rat model, indicate that different emu oils vary in their ability to suppress arthritic symptoms and that a chemical test for biological activity is needed rather than continuing to use the rat model.