The EFFoST workshop ‘Nonthermal Processing of Foods’ took place this year from 7-9 October 2020 at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB). After the INSECTA International Conference in May 2020, this is the second event at ATB this year dealing with the topic of ‘healthy food’.
The workshop was organised for the first time by a team from ATB and hosted in collaboration with EFFoST (European Federation of Food Science and Technology) and the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists). “It is a great recognition that this renowned event is coming back to the region after 23 years,” says Dr Oliver Schlüter, spokesperson for the ‘Healthy Foods’ programme area at ATB and organiser of the workshop. The last time the event took place in the Berlin/Brandenburg region was in 2001 at the TU Berlin.
This year's event focused on the topic ‘Nonthermal processes to foster diversity, sustainability and resilience of future food systems’. The workshop provided an overview of the latest developments and processes in nonthermal processing of food, which show great potential for improving food safety and quality. The aim was to highlight both the diversity of the processes and the products to be treated, as well as the resilience and sustainability of various applications that can deliver the best possible holistic food concepts.
The workshop provided a special platform for intensive and trusting professional exchange between newcomers and experts in the field, as well as between science and industry, for international participants from six continents. “We are delighted to have welcomed Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Dietrich Knorr, a pioneer of nonthermal food processing, to our institute for the workshop,” emphasises Dr. Oliver Schlüter. “As a former president of EFFoST and the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), he is a co-founder of this workshop and a mentor to many of us - including myself.”
The workshop's broad scientific programme consisted of six main topics:
- Applications of high pressure treatment
- Applications of pulsed electric fields
- Applications of ultrasonic processes
- Applications of atmospheric pressure plasma and light-based techniques
- Combination processes and sustainability aspects
- Success stories of innovations in food processing
In seven plenary sessions, international participants gave nine short courses and 31 lectures. In addition, further discussions and scientific exchange took place at 14 posters and three company booths.
The three workshop days provided numerous inspiring discussions and exciting networking opportunities. We at ATB would like to express our thanks for the numerous participants, the good scientific exchange and the trust placed in us to host this event at our premises.
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