PURPOSE

To broaden and spread the theoretical and practical knowledge about innovative methods for rapid detection, enumeration, isolation and identification of foodborne and waterborne microorganisms and their metabolites.

Designed for: directors and technicians of industries, consultancies and laboratories of food and feed, and other sectors (microbiological, biotechnological, clinical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, environmental, etc.); inspectors and other administration staff; university professors and technical staff, graduate and postgraduate students; people from other research centres; etc.

Lecturers and lectures:

• Dr. José Juan Rodríguez Jerez (UAB): Overview on rapid methods, automation and miniaturization in microbiology
• Dr. Armand Sánchez Bonastre (UAB): Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and massive genome sequencing applied to food safety
• Dr. Beatriz Quintanilla Casas (University of Copenhagen): Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in the food industry. From laboratory to production
• Ms. Laura Verdú Ortiz (AINIA, centro tecnológico): Microbiological stability and shelf-life studies: adapting to new consumer trends
• Dr. Javier Pérez de Juan (CNTA): Food alerts, pathogenic microorganisms and risk assessment
• Dr. Daniel Ramón Vidal (Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera): The future of the application of microbiome knowledge in the agri-food chain
• Mr. David Tomás Fornés (WG Standardisation in food chain microbiology): Listeria in the food industry: new species, new methods and new regulation

3-day laboratory sessions:

• sample preparation and plating
• rapid viable cell count methods
• environmental control
• chromogenic culture media
• miniaturization
• diagnostic kits
• methods based on ATP – bioluminescence, colorimetry, others
• immunological detection methods (ELFA, latex agglutination, lateral immunomigration, immunoprecipitation)
• molecular detection methods (other than PCR)

Demonstrations:

• Applications of predictive microbiology: practical use of available resources (Barcelona Public Health Agency)
• Food safety: tools for a preventive approach (bioMérieux Iberia)
• Zoning in the food industry. Classification of risk areas, flows and control measures (AENOR)
• Microbiological risks in HACCP systems? At last, identify them properly at your company! (The Enemy in your Kitchen)

And also:

• 2 open discussions (Risks: analysis, assessment, communication / Instrumentation, world trade trends, other current topics)
• Exhibition from 13 microbiology companies: Avantor (VWR International Eurolab), Deltalab member of SCGP, Hygiena Diagnostica España, Illumina Productos España, Interscience, LGC Standards, MicroPlanet Laboratorios, Neogen / Bioser, Scharlab, Sysmex España, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Werfen 

For more information please visit the University website.