Organizing Committee
Biography
Kalanithi Nesaretnam obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Reading, UK in 1996. She is currently a Minister at the Malaysian Embassy based in Brussels, Belgium. She is also the Regional Manager for the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in Europe. Kala started her career at MPOB as a scientist studying the effects of palm oil and its phytonutrients in food, nutrition and health. Kala has a number of patents and several publications to her credit and is best known for her contribution to the field of research in tocotrienols and breast cancer. She was awarded the Gold Medal for excellence in research by MPOB in 2001 and won the prestigious World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Best Woman Inventor in 2006.
Research Interest
Kala is well respected in the scientific community. She was a founding member of the Malaysian Chapter of the Society for Free Radical Research (SFRR) and is the Past-President for SFRR Asia. Prior to her current position she was for six years, Director at MPOB in charge of the Division covering sustainability. She has been instrumental in persuading the oil palm industry to adopt sustainable practices.
Biography
Michael Granvogl has completed his PhD as well as postdoctoral studies at the Chair for Food Chemistry (Technical University of Munich) under the supervision of Prof. Peter Schieberle. Actually, he is an â€Associate Professor†at the same facility
Research Interest
He has published about 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has been serving as a reviewer for about 20 different journals. Furthermore, he is well-known as a presenter around the globe participating in the most important conferences about flavor chemistry, Maillard chemistry, and food safety related topics.
Biography
Chen Situ is a Lecturer in Food Safety and Therapeutics of Queen’s University Belfast and Queen’s University is a member of the 24 Russell Group Universities in the UK. Trained as a medical doctor, Dr Situ obtained her PhD in Medicine at Queen’s University and has since specialized in development of immunodiagnostics for screening and rapid detection of chemical contaminants, therapeutic drug residues and hormones in foods and biological samples utilizing both conventional and emerging technological platforms such as biosensor, proteomics and nanotechnology. After actively participating and playing major roles in a series of EU Framework Programme projects (FP4 – FP6), Dr Situ recently coordinated an EU funded (> €1M) PF7 international collaborative research project (2009-2013) with partners from Belgium, France and UK. Over the years, Dr Situ has strengthened ties with industrial sectors of diagnostic and food through joint research and commercialization activities to transfer basic research into marketable technologies and end-products.
Research Interest
The other area of Situ’s research focuses on exploring natural products for their potential applications in human health, animal health and welfare, to address the ever-increasing concerns over food safety and security, public health in relation to the development and emergence of antibiotic resistance due to extensive use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, as well as in agricultural food production. Situ’s research has been supported by the governments of the EU, China, UK, as well as the industry. Strong international links have also been developed through collaborative research and education with leading universities and research institutes in the USA, EU and China.
Biography
Sylvia Pfaff (female) studied food chemistry in Hamburg. She works as a consultant for the food industry since 1996. Her main work experiences are food safety and quality management, allergen management, GMO issues, hygiene and packaging. Dr. Pfaff was in all research projects directly involved. She has therefore intense experience with innovation projects on national and European level; close networks to food companies, traders and science. At FIS Europe she works on several projects concerning integrated management systems for the food business where consumer issues are important. She organises seminars, workshops and focus groups regularly. She was involved in the EU research projects SPAS, Consumer Choice and EuroPrevall. She was engaged in EU project eFoodChain (until 2013) where the electronical exchange of business data is analysed and a framework is developed. Currently she works with the German Patient Organisation on allergen management and allergen labelling.
Research Interest
Profile FIS Europe:
FIS Europe was launched in 2006 after 10 years of activities in the food sector. FIS Europe was established to bridge the knowledge gap between food science and food business. In Europe almost 95 % of foods are manufactured by small and medium enterprises (SME). These SMEs are not in the position to follow the changing food law requirements and innovations. They do not have the resources to take part in research projects let alone have their own departments for research and development. FIS Europe will bridge this gap and take part in European research projects on behalf of food SMEs. The results are expressed in articles and seminars for the food business.
The core activities are research, information gathering (e.g. articles in journals, book chapters) and consulting for the food business. The knowledge is based on the academic background of Dr. Sylvia Pfaff (see below), the experience of former work in different institutes and the input and exchange with research projects.
FIS Europe is well known for the expertise in private and legal requirements (such as International Food Standard, British Retail Consortium Standard Global Food, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 22.000, HACCP and EU food law). With this a very good relationship to a huge network of stakeholders (enforcers, food manufacturer, retailers, consumer associations, NGO´s, laboratories, certification bodies and consultants) in the European food chain is established.
FIS Europe has a very close contact to individual companies and associations of the food sector. The feedback and contribution of SMEs in research projects and dissemination of research results to SMEs is easily arranged. Additionally, FIS Europe covers the link to suppliers of the food manufacturers (e.g. raw materials, packaging materials, software and equipment). This broad network is linked to the scientific consortia in food research.
Biography
Beate Kettlitz After finishing her studies of food chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin, in 1975, Beate Kettlitz worked at the Hygiene Inspection Services in Potsdam and was there in charge of foodstuffs. These tasks mainly included operative services - such as control of food producing facilities, stores, kitchens, producing meals for hospitals, school's and other facilities, to check for good hygiene practices and to give advice. After the successful achievement of a special professional certificate in the field of hygiene practice in 1978, she continued her professional engagement in the Regional Hygiene Institute of Potsdam. She became responsible for the control and professional advice for dairy products, dietetic products, baby food and other foodstuffs as field and later department manager. After her arrival in Brussels in 1991 she worked as an adviser on technical regulatory aspects for the food industry. As of May 1999, Beate Kettlitz started her professional carrier as a food policy adviser at BEUC,which lasted until April 2005. In April 2005 Beate Kettlitz jointed FoodDrinkEurope (former CIAA) as a Director for Food Safety, Science and R&D.
Research Interest
• Regulatory measures for multiple use substances, illustrated on the example of chlorate
• The use of food safety management systems for the mitigation of acrylamide
• How to deal with potential food safety challenges
Biography
Shu Geng recieved his Ph.D. degree from Kansas State University, USA, and worked as a Biostatistician in Regulatory Office of the Upjohn Company from 1972 to1976. From 1976 to 2009, he was a Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and served a term as Associate Dean of college of the University of California at Davis. He has founded the School of Environment and Energy of Peking University at Shenzhen since 2008 and served as its founding dean. Currently, he serves as the Term President, The joint Research Center of the National Food Safety Center, Zhuhai, China. He is a consultant and adviser of more than 20 international companies, governmental agencies and research institutes. He organized and chaired more than a dozen international conferences on environmental and agricultural sustainability in the last ten years.
Positions: Term President, Joint Research Centre, National Food Safety Centre, Zhuhai, Chinaï¼› Endowed Chair Professor and Director of the Food Safety and Health Center, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China; Professor and Founding Dean of School of Environment and Energy, Peking University and Chair of Advisory Committee of Green Economy Program, HSBC Business School, Peking University; Professor Emeritus of Plants Sciences, University of California at Davis, California; Executive Chief Editor of Journal of Integrative Agriculture of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Research Interest
His research areas include environmental ecology, food safety, bioenergy, simulation models, and risk assessment. He has published 140 referred scientific papers. Dr. Geng is the founder and President of AUCE.org (Association of US-China Exchange) and is the founder and PI of the isDwa (International Safe Drinking Water Alliance) project in the University of California, Davis. Dr. Geng is an elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Society of Agronomy.
Biography
Jerzy Radecki obtained his M.Sc. degree at the Department of Organic Chemistry of Nicholas Copernicus University in Toruń in 1973. In 1980, he received a Ph.D. degree at the same University. Since 1980 till 1998, he was worked at the Olsztyn University of Agriculture and Technology. In 1993, he received a D.Sc. degree at this University. In 1985 he visited St. John’s College of Oxford University. He spent one year (from June 1989 to May 1990) as post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Analytical Chemistry of University of Sao Paulo. In 1990, he was granted with a fellowship in the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, Japan.
Since 1998, he is working as a head of Department of Biosensors in the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn.
Jerzy Radecki is the editor-in-chief of the “Polish Journal of Environmental Studies†(http://www.pjoes.com) from 1992.
He is the co-ordinator of Safety Food Network ( www.pan.olsztyn.pl/interfood/), founder and the local co-ordinator of Polish Supramolecular Chemistry Network
( http://www.gscn.org ). He was a coordinator of EU Marie Curie Host Fellowships grants for Transfer of Knowledge (ToK): “Cenexfood†and “Food-Biosens†(http://biosensors.pan.olsztyn.pl).
He was the Polish representative of COST Action CM1005 “Supramolecular Chemistry in Waterâ€.
Generally, his research interest concerns the developing of the new sensors and biosensors based on the intermolecular recognition processes occurring at the border of the aqueous and organic phase. Particularly, he is interested in functionalization of surface of solid electrodes, gold as well as carbon, with “host†molecules, which are responsible for selective and sensitive “guest†molecules (analytes) recognitions. The modified surfaces are characterized by electrochemical techniques and microscope: atomic force and scanning tunnelling. He is working on not only analytical aspects of developed sensors, but on the elaboration of the mechanism of analytical signal generation as well.
The sensors he is working on could be divided into two main groups. One is based on ion-channel mimetic mode, in which the intermolecular recognitions phenomena are traced by changes of the accessibility redox marker present in the aqueous solutions, towards the electrode surfaces. The another type of sensors are based on redox active monolayer deposited on the surface of solid electrodes. The redox centres play double role: as the recognition units as well as transductor. For sensors fabrications he has applied the synthetic receptors such as: corroles, calix[4]pyrroles, calixarenes, dipyrrometenes, oligocarbazoles macrocyclic polyamines. In biosensors, naturally occurring “host†molecules – mainly proteins and single strands of DNA are accommodated.
The developed sensors and biosensors are worked on the amperometric, voltammetric, impedimetric as well as potentiomteric mode.
Research Interest
The intensive development of science and technology has brought longevity and higher standards of living but paradoxically also generated new threats to human health. Good health is jeopardised by chemical compounds, both organic and inorganic, found in waste by-products of numerous technological processes. Moreover, pharmaceuticals and pesticides introduced into the food chain and their biological change by -products may have a negative impact on human life and the environment.
Therefore it is vital to formulate an integrated natural environment control system allowing continuous monitoring and facilitating observation of the movement of toxic and potentially toxic compounds in the environment, tracing how they are incorporated into the food chain and enabling their chemical analysis. To achieve this aim is necessary to develop new analytical methods for chemical contamination control in food, water and the natural environment in which food is produced.,br>
The special attention is currently focused on the implementation of nanosystems and smart miniaturized systems in the food, natural environment and medical sectors.
Nano systems are defined as systems that provide information on the analyzed sample involves component build using micro and nano technologies.
Joining in this vivid area, we are working on the development of new materials / analytical devices that could contribute to food and medical diagnosis applications.
Tools will be designed to work as sensors of electrochemical modes of operation. Low cost, quick analysis and miniaturisation of analytical equipment justify such selection.
The working mechanism of the proposed sensors is based on intermolecular (receptor – analysed compound) recognition processes occurring at organic /aqueous interfaces.
The synthetic and naturally occurring receptors are applied as the analytically active elements that decide about selectivity of analytical devices. In order to improve the analytical devices properties such as: sensitivity durability, reusability, we are working on new materials for fabrication of matrix for proper receptors immobilization as well as for new efficient transducers.
Current research:
Sensors and biosensors working based on redox active monolayers:
• Gold electrodes modified with self – assembled monolayer created with porphyrin complexes with transition metals cations – destined for fabrication of genosensors
• Gold electrodes modified with self – assembled monolayer created with ligands chelating the transition metal cations destined for oriented immobilization of His-tagged proteins
• Genosensors created based on ssDNA strand functionalized with redox active compounds destined for detection of viruses
Sensors and biosensors working based on ion-channel mimetic mode:
• Gold electrodes modified with self – assembled monolayer created with calixarenes destined for determination of neurotransmitters in human plasma
• Gold electrodes modified with self – assembled monolayer incorporated juvenile hormone binding protein for screening of its interactions with hormones or their analogs
• Immunosensors for detection of Prunus Necrotic Ringspot viruses in plant extracts
• immunosensors for detection of Avian Influenza virus H5N1
Key words: sensors, biosensors, redox active monolayers, food analysis, protein- protein, proteins - small molecules interactions , DNA probes.
Biography
Mohamed F. R. Hassanien is currently working as a Professor of Biochemistry at Zagazig University (Egypt). Prof. Hassanien obtained his Ph.D. (Dr.rer.nat.) in Food Chemistry from Berlin University of Technology (Germany, 2004). As post-doctoral researcher, Prof. Hassanien continued his research in ranked universities in different countries such University of Helsinki (Finland), Max-Rubner Institute (Germany), Berlin University of Technology (Germany), and University of Maryland (USA). In 2010, he was invited to be visiting Professor (100% research) at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. In 2012, he was invited to be visiting Professor (100% teaching) in School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russian Federation. Prof. Hassanien published more than 120 papers, reviews in international peer-reviewed journals with high impact factor as well as some books and book chapters (recent h-index is 23). He was participated and invited speaker in several international conferences. Since 2003, Prof. Hassanien is a reviewer and editor in many highly-cited international journals. Prof. Hassanien received Abdul Hamid Shoman Prize for Young Arab Researcher in Agricultural Sciences (2006), Egyptian State Prize for Encouragement in Agricultural Sciences (2009), European Young Lipid Scientist Award (2009), AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards (Egypt) in Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (2013), and Atta-ur- Rahman Prize in Chemistry (2014).
Research Interest
Hassanien’s current research interests are chemistry of bioactive compounds and impact of processing on functionality and properties of food components.
Biography
Eulogio J. Llorent-MartÃnez (Jaén, Spain, 1981) obtained his PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2008 in the University of Jaén, Spain. After a postdoctoral contract in the University of Madeira (Portugal), he returned to Spain and is currently working at the Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry (University of Jaén).
Research Interest
Some of his research interests include the development of automated luminescence sensors with applications in the clinical, food and environmental fields; the analysis of natural products in plants and foods by HPLC-MS/MS; the quantification of trace elements in foods by ICP-MS; and the analysis of contaminants in foods by GC-MS. He has published 60 papers in international reputed journals, has presented several oral communications in international conferences, and is a member of the editorial board of different scientific journals.
Biography
Malcolm Elliott graduated with First Class Honours in Plant Sciences from The University of Wales in 1963. His PhD in plant biochemistry (1966) was followed by a period as a Fulbright Scholar and Research Staff Biologist at Yale University (1967-1969). He returned from the USA to the post of Lecturer in Plant Biochemistry at The University of Leicester (1969-1971), then he became Professor and Head of The School of Life Sciences at De Montfort University, (1971-1994), Chairman of The College of Deans at De Montfort University (1989-1993) then Founding Director of The Norman Borlaug Institute for Global Food Security (1994 to 2011) and Editor in Chief of the BioMed Central open access journal Agriculture & Food Security (2011 to date). He is the author of several hundred research publications and he has directed the Higher Degree programmes of more than fifty Graduate Students. He was honoured by the award of the Charles University Medal (1992), the Gregor Mendel Gold Medal for Biological Sciences Research of Exceptional Merit (1993), the Jan Evangelista Purkyne Medal (1994) and the DSc (Honoris Causa) of the Bulgarian Academy of Agricultural Science (2006).
Research Interest
He is the author of several hundred research publications on crop improvement (with am emphasis on molecular approaches) and he has directed the Higher Degree programmes of more than fifty Graduate Students. He was honoured by the award of the Charles University Medal (1992), the Gregor Mendel Gold Medal for Biological Sciences Research of Exceptional Merit (1993), the Jan Evangelista Purkyne Medal (1994) and the DSc (Honoris Causa) of the Bulgarian Academy of Agricultural Science (2006).
Biography
Carla Vartanian is certified in Clinical Bioethics from Harvard Medical School. . She graduated from the American University of Beirut with a B.S in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Masters in Nutrition Science and later completed her Clinical Nutrition Diploma with the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism in which she is actively involved by conducting nutrition support workshops for dietitians and physicians. Throughout her career, her areas of interest in nutrition focused on research and education as she has participated in many international scientific meetings, been teaching nutrition in two different universities in Beirut and publishing nutrition and health articles in the Middle East for many years. Carla is currently serving as the public relations chair at the American Overseas Dietetic Association, working as a consultant in therapeutic nutrition education and presenting her own weekly nutrition and health awareness TV show in Lebanon. She is an active member of more than ten different nutrition and dietetic associations around the world. Her latest international recognitions include the award of teaching excellence and the successful member of the year recognition by the World Public Health Nutrition Association in 2012
Research Interest
Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Dietetics, Food Allergies, Community Nutrition, Sports Nutrition.
Biography
Sharma is working as Principal Scientist at the Division of Food Science & Postharvest Technology, IARI, New Delhi. He is associated with release of mango hybrids like Pusa Arunima, Pusa Surya, Pusa Lalima, Pusa Shresth, Pusa Pitamber etc. and standardization of several fruit production and postharvest management technologies, He has published 50 research articles in International journals, 65 in National journals, and authored 12 books. He is recipient of Rajiv Gandhi (2013) award and Education award (2011) of Govt. of India He has received Dr. R.N. Singh award of IARI, New Delhi twice and also Dr Rajinder Prasad award of the ICAR, New Delhi twice. He is also recipient of Himachal Shri Award. He has served as International Mango Registrar of ISHS, for about 5 years (1999-2004). He is a member, editorial board of 10 international journals including Scientia Horticulturae, International Journal of Fruit Science (U.K.), American Journal of Plant Sciences (US), Journal of Food Processing and Technology (US), and Stewart Postharvest Reviews (UK), and Chief Editor of International Journal of Processing and Postharvest Technology, India
Research Interest
Pre and post harvest management of fruits and vegetables, minimal processing of fruits and vegetables, eco-friendly approaches for post harvest management of fruits and vegetables