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The giant honeycomb oyster Hyotissa hyotis occurs at a high density in the shallow subtidal rocky bottom of Jeju Island off the south coast of Korea, where the sea surface temperature ranges from 14[degrees]C to 25[degrees]C seasonally. Unlike other oysters, H. hyotis has an extraordinarily large adductor muscle (AM) that accounts for more than 40% of the total tissue weight. This study analyzed the proximate composition, amino acids, and fatty acids of the AM of H. hyotis in Jeju Island to evaluate the nutritional potential. For the analyses, oysters were grouped based on their reproductive condition as prespawning (May-August), spawning (September-November), and postspawning (December-April). The AM contained a high level of protein (54.7%-69.4%) followed by carbohydrate (16.0%-25.3%) and lipid (4.5%-9.9%) throughout the year, indicating that the AM is enriched with protein. The total amino acids (TAA) in the AM ranged from 9.4 to 12.9 g/100 g dry weight annually, and essential amino acids accounted for up to 36.7% of the TAA. Like other marine bivalves, the AM contained a high level of taurine, which accounted for 26.5%-28.5% of the total free amino acids. The AM also included high levels of essential fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid, as these fatty acids accounted for 35.9%-37.0% of the total fatty acids. The AM of prespawning oysters collected during May and August contained comparatively higher total proteins and carbohydrates. Results suggested that, like scallops and pen shells, the AM of the giant honeycomb oyster is highly suitable as seafood, and H. hyotis should be considered as a species of high potential for future aquaculture efforts. KEY WORDS: honeycomb oyster, Hyotissa hyotis, adductor muscle, proximate composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid profile, spawning, INTRODUCTION The giant honeycomb oyster Hyotissa hyotis (Linnaeus, 1758) is distributed widely on the subtidal hard bottom of shallow tropical or subtropical waters from the Indo-Pacific to the eastern Pacific [...]

Background Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an infectious intestinal disease caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) that is now re-emerging and causing concern within the poultry industry. Previously, the supplementation of antibiotics in feed was the most popular control strategy against C. perfringens. However, with the ban on supplementing growth-promoting antibiotics in livestock feed, alternatives to antibiotics will be essential in order to control necrotic enteritis. A possible alternative to antibiotics could be the medium or long chain fatty acids (MCFA or LCFA) as these are able to destroy cell membranes which in turn results in the death of bacteria. In this study, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of different combinations with microencapsulated caprylic acid (C8: 0), capric acid (C10: 0), lauric acid (C12: 0) and myristic acid (C14: 0) against C. perfringens and in vivo control the NE-inducing C. perfringens in broiler chicken were analyzed. Results The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay results revealed that three different combinations of medium/long chain fatty acids varied in antimicrobial activities against C. perfringens type A strain (CVCC52, quality control), C. perfringens type A strain (C8-1), C. perfringens type G strain (D25) and C. perfringens type G strain (MZ1). Specifically, combination of C12: 0 and C14: 0 (C12-14) showed the highest antimicrobial activity against the four strains of C. perfringens (MIC [less than or equai to] 12.5 [mu]g/mL, MBC = 50 [mu]g/mL), followed by the combination of C10: 0 and C12: 0 (C10-12) (MIC, MBC [less than or equai to] 50 [mu]g/mL). The in vivo study, 189 of 818-crossbred chickens that were fed a wheat-based diet and randomly divided into nine groups, with six treatment groups supplemented with either a high dose (1 g/kg) or low dose (0.5 g/kg) of three combinations respectively. The remaining three groups comsisted of a positive group supplement with avilamycin (0.01 g/kg), an infected control and an uninfected control. All chickens were challenged with C. perfringens from day 14 to day 17, except those in the uninfected control group. On day 20, the duodenum and jejunum necrotic lesions scores were calculated and the results showed that there was significant decrease in the C12-C14 high dose group (1.43 [+ or -] 0.23, 0.48 [+ or -] 0.13) and the C10-12 high dose group (1.52 [+ or -] 0.19, 0.48 [+ or -] 0.11) compared to the infected group (2.86 [+ or -] 0.21, 1.20 [+ or -] 0.28). Conclusions This finding indicated that dietary microencapsulated C12-C14 and C10-C12 could inhibit the growth of C. perfringens in chickens, which proves is viability to serve as an alternative to antibiotics used for necrotic enteritis caused by C. perfringens. Keywords: Necrotic enteritis, Clostridium perfringens, Medium chain fatty acid, Antimicrobial activity, Broiler chicken, Author(s): Nanshan Qi[sup.1], Shaobing Liu[sup.1,3], Fangquan Yan[sup.2], Bing Chen[sup.2], Shilin Wu[sup.2], Xuhui Lin[sup.1], Zhuanqiang Yan[sup.4], Qingfeng Zhou[sup.4], Shenquan Liao[sup.1], Juan Li[sup.1], Minna Lv[sup.1], Haiming Cai[sup.1], Junjing Hu[sup.1], Jianfei Zhang[sup.1], Youfang [...]

Background/objectives Diet westernization in Hong Kong may increase trans fat intake, whereas it may decrease intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The present study was to determine the current breast milk fatty acid composition and trans fat intake by Hong Kong lactating mothers. Methods Sixty lactating women were recruited for the study. Each participant donated 15 ml of milk at week 4 and 6 after delivery. Dietary data were collected using a 3-day food record method, covering 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. Milk fatty acids were analyzed using a gas chromatography method. Trans fat consumption was assessed using the Nutrition Data System for Research or calculating the intake based on percentage of trans fatty acids in the breast milk. Results Linoleic acid, [alpha]-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid in breast milk were 16.23%, 1.52%, 0.59%, and 0.66% total milk lipids, respectively. Mean daily intakes of total fat, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, were 79, 24, 29, and 18 g, respectively. Total trans fat intake was estimated to be 1.15-1.20 g daily and accounted for 0.50-0.52% total energy. Conclusions Breast milk of Hong Kong Chinese lactating women contained relatively higher contents of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids compared with those of Western countries. Compared with the previous study conducted in 1995, breast milk total trans fatty acids in 2018 still remained low. Total trans fat intake by Hong Kong lactating women in 2018 was a half of WHO's recommendation that total trans fat intake should be, Author(s): Pui Sze Peggy Yip [sup.1], Ting Fung Judith Chan [sup.1], Zouyan He [sup.1], Lai Kwok Leung [sup.1], Suk Fong Sophie Leung [sup.2], Zhen-Yu Chen [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Food [...]

Breast cancer is a worldwide commonly found malignancy in women and effective treatment is regarded as a huge clinical challenge even in the presence of several treatment options. Extensive literature is available demonstrating polyphenols as phytopharmaceutical anticancer agents. Among the polyphenols, quercetin and curcumin have been reported to have a strong potential against breast cancer. However, so far, no comprehensive study has been performed to demonstrate the anticarcinogenic effects of curcumin, quercetin, and their combinations with somatostatin on the fatty acid profile of breast cancer cell membranes. We used MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells incubated with curcumin and quercetin for 24 h, in the absence and presence of somatostatin, at their [EC.sub.50] concentrations to evaluate membrane fatty acid based functional lipidomics together with the followup of EGFR and MAPK signaling pathways. The two cell lines gave different membrane free fatty acid reorganization. In MCF-7 cells, the following changes were observed: an increase of [omega]6 linoleic acid in the cells incubated with somatostatin + quercetin and quercetin and a decrease of [omega]3 acids in the cells incubated with somatostatin + curcumin compared to somatostatin and significant increases of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), mono-trans arachidonic acid levels and docosapentaenoic acid for the cells incubated with somatostatin + quercetin compared to the control cells. In MDA-MB231 cells, incubations with curcumin, quercetin, and somatostatin + quercetin induced the most significant membrane remodeling with the increase of stearic acid, diminution of [omega]6 linoleic, arachidonic acids, and [omega]3 (docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids). Distinct signaling pathway changes were found for these cell lines. In MCF-7 cells, separate or combined incubations with somatostatin and quercetin, significantly decreased EGFR and incubation with curcumin decreased MAPK signaling. In MDA-MB231 cells, incubation with curcumin decreased AKT1 and p-AKT1 (Thr308) levels. Incubation with curcumin and quercetin decreased the EGFR levels. Our results showed that cytostatic and antioxidant treatments can be combined to induce membrane fatty acid changes, including lipid isomerization as specific free radical driven process, and to influence signaling pathways. This study aimed to contribute to the literature on these antioxidants in the treatment of breast cancer to clarify the effects and mechanisms in combination with somatostatin. Key words: somatostatin, curcumin, quercetin, breast cancer, cell signaling, membrane fatty acid profile. Le cancer du sein est une maladie frequente chez les femmes a l'echelle mondiale et son traitement efficace est considere comme etant un immense probleme clinique, meme en presence de plusieurs options therapeutiques. Il existe une grande quantite de donnees publiees decrivant les polyphenols comme etant des agents phytopharmaceutiques anticancereux. Parmi les polyphenols, on a rapporte que la quercetine et la curcumine sont potentiellement fort utiles contre le cancer du sein. Cependant, jusqu'a maintenant, aucune etude exhaustive n'a tente de montrer les effets anticancerigenes de la curcumine, de la quercetine et de leur association avec la somatostatine sur le profil des acides gras membranaires des cellules de cancer du sein. A l'aide de cellules de cancer du sein MCF-7 et MDA-MB231 incubees avec de la curcumine et de la quercetine pendant 24 h, en absence ou en presence de somatostatine et a leur concentration efficace mediane, nous avons evalue la lipidomique fonctionnelle basee sur les acides gras membranaires ainsi que suivi les voies de signalisation des recepteurs du facteur de croissance epidermique (EGF pour << epidermal growth factor >>) et de la MAP kinase. Les deux lignees cellulaires ont donne differentes reorganisations des acides gras libres. Dans les cellules MCF-7, nous avons observe les modifications suivantes : hausse de l'acide linoleique [omega]6 avec l'association somatostatine + quercetine et la quercetine, et abaissement des acides gras [omega]3 plus marque dans les cellules incubees avec l'association somatostatine + quercetine qu'avec la somatostatine, ainsi qu'une augmentation notable plus importante des taux d'acides gras mono-insatures, d'acide arachidonique mono-trans et d'acide docosapentaenoique pour les cellules incubees avec l'association somatostatine + quercetine que chez les cellules temoins. Pour les cellules MDA-MB231, l'incubation avec de la curcumine, de la quercetine et l'association somatostatine + quercetine a entraine le plus important remodelage membranaire avec une hausse de l'acide stearique, un abaissement des acides gras linoleique [omega]6, arachidonique et [omega]3 (acides docosapentaenoique et docosahexaenoique). Nous avons observe des modifications distinctes des voies de signalisation pour ces lignees cellulaires. Pour les cellules MCF-7, l'incubation avec de la somatostatine ou de la quercetine separement ou en association entrainait une inhibition marquee de la voie de signalisation des recepteurs de l'EGF, et l'incubation avec de la curcumine entrainait une inhibition de la voie de signalisation de la MAP kinase. L'incubation des cellules MDA-MB231 avec de la curcumine a entraine une diminution des taux d'AKTl et de p-AKT1 (Thr308). L'incubation avec de la curcumine et de la quercetine entrainait une diminution des taux des recepteurs de l'EGF. Nos resultats ont montre que des traitements cytostatiques et antioxydants peuvent etre associes pour produire des changements dans les acides gras membranaires, y compris une isomerisation lipidique en tant que processus specifique entraine par les radicaux libres, ainsi que pour influencer les voies de signalisation. Cette etude visait a ajouter aux connaissances publiees quant a l'utilisation de ces antioxydants dans le traitement du cancer du sein, en vue d'en clarifier les effets et les modes d'action en association avec la somatostatine. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: somatostatine, curcumine, quercetine, cancer du sein, signalisation cellulaire, profil des acides gras membranaires., Introduction Cancer is a deadly global disease and a critical barrier in the cumulative life span of the affected population (Bray et al. 2018). On the basis of the recorded [...]

Background/Objectives Hypercholesterolaemic effects of saturated fatty acids (SFA) may be influenced not only by the chain length, but also by their specific location within the triacylglycerol (TAG) molecule. We examined the hypothesis that dietary fats rich in SFA, but containing mostly unsaturated fatty acids in the sn-2 position with most SFA in sn-1 and -3 (palm olein [PO] and cocoa butter [CB]) will have similar serum lipid outcomes to unsaturated olive oil (OO). Subjects/Methods Thirty-eight participants (20-40 yr, 18.5- [less than or equal to] 27.5 kg/m.sup.2) completed a 4-week randomised 3 × 3 crossover feeding intervention, preceded by 2-week run-in and separated by 2-week washout periods. Background diet contained 35 percentage of total energy (%E) fat, 18%E protein, 48%E carbohydrates, differing in test fats only (palm olein (PO), CB, OO; 20%E). Total cholesterol (TC)/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio and related variables; TC, HDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), TAG, apoA1, ApoB, ApoA1 (apolipoprotein A1)/ApoB (apolipoprotein B), lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), NEFA, LDL sub-fractions, were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Data were analysed using mixed effects longitudinal models with a P-value < 0.05 considered significant. Results Changes in plasma fatty acids (P < 0.05) confirmed compliance; C18:1 increased with OO compared to PO and CB; C16:0 decreased with OO and C18:0 increased following CB. No differences were seen for TC/HDL-C (mean [95%CI] change for PO, 0.08[0.00, 0.15] mmol/L; CB, 0.06 [-0.05, 0.16] mmol/L; and OO, -0.01 [-0.15, 0.13] mmol/L; P = 0.53] or any other parameter including LDL sub-fractions. OO decreased IDL-A compared to PO (-2.2 [-4.31, -0.21] mg/dL, P = 0.03). Conclusion In healthy young participants, plasma lipid responses to PO and CB, enriched in SFA but having primarily unsaturated fatty acid in the sn-2 position of TAG, did not differ from OO., Author(s): Welma Stonehouse [sup.1], Bianca Benassi-Evans [sup.1], Genevieve James-Martin [sup.1], Mahinda Abeywardena [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Health and Biosecurity, Adelaide, Australia Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) [...]

Serine-rich splicing factor 3 (SRSF3) plays a critical role in liver function and its loss promotes chronic liver damage and regeneration. As a consequence, genetic deletion of SRSF3 in hepatocytes caused progressive liver disease and ultimately led to hepatocellular carcinoma. Here we show that SRSF3 is decreased in human liver samples with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), or cirrhosis that was associated with alterations in RNA splicing of known SRSF3 target genes. Hepatic SRSF3 expression was similarly decreased and RNA splicing dysregulated in mouse models of NAFLD and NASH. We showed that palmitic acid-induced oxidative stress caused conjugation of the ubiquitinlike NEDD8 protein to SRSF3 and proteasome-mediated degradation. SRSF3 was selectively neddylated at lysine 11 and mutation of this residue (SRSF3-K11R) was sufficient to prevent both SRSF3 degradation and alterations in RNA splicing. Lastly, prevention of SRSF3 degradation in vivo partially protected mice from hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, and inflammation. These results highlight a neddylation- dependent mechanism regulating gene expression in the liver that is disrupted in early metabolic liver disease and may contribute to the progression to NASH, cirrhosis, and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma., Introduction Serine-rich splicing factor 3 (SRSF3) is the smallest member of the SR protein family (1, 2) that functions to promote RNA splicing by recruiting components of the spliceosome at [...]

Background Colorectal adenomatous polyps (CAPs) are considered precancerous lesions of colorectal cancer (CRC). The gut microbiota participates in the process of digestion and, in the process, produces metabolites, mainly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), secondary bile acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota constituents and metabolites in the faeces of CAP patients to identify microbiota or metabolites that can be used as sensitive biological predictors and to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of CAPs. Methods 16S rRNA sequence analysis was used to detect microbial changes in the faeces of CAP patients. qPCR analysis was used to evaluate the ability of the microbiota to produce metabolites, and the contents of metabolites in faeces were detected by ion chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Results Based on the detection of the gut microbiota, patients with CAPs had increased abundances of Bacteroides and Citrobacter, and the abundances of Weissella and Lactobacillus were decreased. We also explored gene expression, and the abundance of butyrate-producing bacterial genes was significantly increased in the faeces of CAP patients, but those of secondary bile acid-producing and CLA-producing bacterial genes showed no differences in faecal samples. The acetic acid and butyric acid contents were increased in the faeces of the CAP group, and the healthy control group had higher t10,c12-CLA contents. Conclusion The gut microbiota analysis results, assessed in faeces, showed that Bacteroides and Citrobacter were positively correlated with CAPs, which indicated that changes in specific genera might be detrimental to intestinal health. In addition, t10,c12-CLA played an important role in protecting the intestine. Keywords: Colorectal adenomatous polyps, Microbiome, 16S rRNA, SCFA, Bile acid, CLA, Author(s): Ciyan Chen[sup.1,2,3,4], Min Niu[sup.1,2,3], Junxi Pan[sup.1,2,3], Na Du[sup.5], Shumin Liu[sup.1,2,3], Huanqin Li[sup.5], Qiuyue He[sup.1,2,3], Jian Mao[sup.1,2,3], Yong Duan[sup.1,2,3] and Yan Du[sup.1,2,3] Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant [...]

Influence of the extractant and pH on the efficiency of the preconcentration of organic compounds dissolved in water is studied in freeze extraction. The revealed trends are discussed in terms of the proposed theoretical model; some new experimental proofs to it are presented. The advantages of the method proposed over liquid extraction (concentration factor) and directed low-temperature crystallization (selectivity) are demonstrated. Keywords: freeze extraction, GC determination, carboxylic acids [C.sub.2]-[C.sub.8]; acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, caproic, enanthic, and caprylic acids. DOI: 10.1134/S1061934811060025, Isolation and preconcentration are the most laborious steps in sample preparation to the analysis and require a lot of complex equipment. One can say that, nowadays, a wide selection of [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2010.06.010 Byline: A. Hasan (a), S.J. McCormack (b), M.J. Huang (c), B. Norton (a) Keywords: Phase change materials (PCM); Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV); Thermal regulation enhancement Abbreviations: PCM, phase change material; PV, photovoltaics; BIPV, building integrated photovoltaics; CFD, computational fluid dynamics; PV/T, photovoltaic thermal; DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; RT20, commercial paraffin based phase change material; SP22, commercial blend of salt hydrate and paraffin phase change material; CL, eutectic mixture of capric lauric acid; CP, eutectic mixture of capric-palmitic acid; CaCl.sub.2, calcium chloride hexa hydrate Abstract: Regulating the temperature of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) using phase change materials (PCMs) reduces the loss of temperature dependent photovoltaic (PV) efficiency. Five PCMs were selected for evaluation all with melting temperatures [approximately equal to]25[+ or -]4[degrees]C and heat of fusion between 140 and 213kJ/kg. Experiments were conducted at three insolation intensities to evaluate the performance of each PCM in four different PV/PCM systems. The effect on thermal regulation of PV was determined by changing the (i) mass of PCM and (ii) thermal conductivities of the PCM and PV/PCM system. A maximum temperature reduction of 18[degrees]C was achieved for 30min while 10[degrees]C temperature reduction was maintained for 5h at -1000W/m.sup.2 insolation. Author Affiliation: (a) Dublin Energy Lab., Focas Institute, School of Physics, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin St., Dublin 8, Ireland (b) Department of Civil, Structure and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 1, Ireland (c) Centre for Sustainable Technologies, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, N. Ireland, BT370QB, UK Article History: Received 22 September 2009; Revised 20 May 2010; Accepted 21 June 2010 Article Note: (miscellaneous) Communicated by: Associate Editor Harvey Bryan

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.11.032 Byline: Raki Almohamad (a), Francois J. Verheggen (a), Frederic Francis (a), Georges Lognay (b), Eric Haubruge (a) Abstract: Aphidophagous predators adapt their foraging behaviour to the presence of conspecific and heterospecific larvae. We studied the effect of the presence of conspecific larvae and their tracks on the oviposition site selection of an aphid-specific predator, Episyrphus balteatus DeGeer (Diptera: Syrphidae), in two-choice experiments using a leaf disc bioassay. Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the volatile chemicals released from odour extracts of E. balteatus larval tracks. The behavioural effects of these volatile substances on hoverfly females were also evaluated. Our experiments demonstrated that E. balteatus females were deterred from ovipositing when presented with a Vicia faba leaf with aphids and conspecific larvae. The oviposition-deterring stimulus was also active when females were presented with a leaf that contained conspecific larval tracks. A mixture of chemical compounds was found in the volatile pattern of odour extracts of larval tracks. The main volatile chemicals were 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, 2-methylpropanoic acid, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, hexanoic acid and phenol. Females also laid significantly fewer eggs in response to odorant volatiles emitted from larval extracts. These results highlight that predatory hoverfly females avoid ovipositing in aphid colonies in which conspecific larvae or their tracks are already present, suggesting that this behaviour constitutes a strategy that enables females to optimize their oviposition site and reduce competition suffered by their offspring. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Functional & Evolutionary Entomology, Belgium (b) Department of Analytical Chemistry, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Belgium Article History: Received 14 June 2009; Revised 4 September 2009; Accepted 7 November 2009 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 09-00390

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2009.02.006 Byline: M. Veerappan (a), S. Kalaiselvam (a), S. Iniyan (a), Ranko Goic (b) Keywords: Phase change material; Thermal energy storage; Analytical model; Solidification; Melting Abstract: This paper investigates the phase change behavior of 65mol% capric acid and 35mol% lauric acid, calcium chloride hexahydrate, n-octadecane, n-hexadecane, and n-eicosane inside spherical enclosures to identify a suitable heat storage material. Analytical models are developed for solidification and melting of sphere with conduction, natural convection, and heat generation. Both the models are validated with previous experimental studies. Good agreement was found between the analytical predictions and experimental study and the deviations were lesser than 20%. Heat flux release at the wall, cumulative energy release to the external fluid, are revealed for the best PCM. The influence of the size of encapsulation, initial temperature of the PCM, the external fluid temperature on solidified and molten mass fraction, and the total phase change time are also investigated. Author Affiliation: (a) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600025, India (b) Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, Croatia Article History: Received 4 May 2007; Revised 14 February 2009; Accepted 19 February 2009 Article Note: (miscellaneous) Communicated by: Associate editor Halime Paksoy

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2008.08.012 Byline: Ali Karaipekli, Ahmet Sari Keywords: Capric-myristic acid; Vermiculite; EG; Form-stable composite PCM; Thermal properties; LHTES Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) can be incorporated with building materials to obtain novel form-stable composite PCM which has effective energy storage performance in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems. In this study, capric acid (CA)-myristic acid (MA) eutectic mixture/vermiculite (VMT) composite was prepared as a novel form-stable PCM using vacuum impregnation method. The composite PCM was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) analysis technique. Thermal properties and thermal reliability of the composite PCM were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The CA-MA eutectic mixture could be retained by 20wt% into pores of the VMT without melted PCM seepage from the composite and therefore, this mixture was described as form-stable composite PCM. Thermal cycling test showed that the form-stable composite PCM has good thermal reliability and chemical stability although it was subjected to 3000 melting/freezing cycling. Thermal conductivity of the form-stable CA-MA/VMT composite PCM was increased by about 85% by introducing 2wt% expanded graphite (EG) into the composite. The increase in thermal conductivity was confirmed by comparison of the melting and freezing times of the CA-MA/VMT composite with that of CA-MA/VMT/EG composite. The form-stable PCM including EG can be used as energy absorbing building material such as lightweight aggregate for plaster, concrete compounds, fire stop mortar, and component of interior fill for wallboards or hollow bricks because of its good thermal properties, thermal and chemical reliability and thermal conductivity. Author Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, GaziosmanpaAa University, 60240 Tokat, Turkey Article History: Received 29 January 2008; Revised 23 May 2008; Accepted 17 August 2008 Article Note: (miscellaneous) Communicated by: Associate Editor Halime Paksoy