Inside RAFA 2024: A Conversation With Event Chairs on Food Analysis Breakthroughs and Challenges
Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen and Professor Jana Pulkrabová discuss key themes that will be covered at RAFA 2024.
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The food analysis field has evolved significantly in recent years, reflecting the growing complexity of food systems and the heightened demand for robust safety and quality standards. As food supply chains expand globally, ensuring the integrity and safety of food products has become increasingly challenging. Issues such as food fraud, contamination and the introduction of novel food ingredients have underscored the need for advanced approaches to testing and analysis.
At the upcoming 11th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2024), academic experts, industry leaders and representatives from key regulatory bodies will explore these issues and some of the innovative technologies being developed to address them.
In this interview, two of the RAFA 2024 chairs – Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen, senior scientist at Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), and Professor Jana Pulkrabová, head of the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition at UCT Prague – discuss the key themes that will be covered at the event and share their thoughts on what the future holds for the food analysis field.
Anna MacDonald (AM): Can you tell us about some of the key themes that RAFA 2024 will focus on?
Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen (SL) and Professor Jana Pulkrabová (JP): RAFA 2024 will address a range of critical issues in food analysis, including emerging contaminants, food authenticity and traceability, food allergens, sensory analysis and food additives.
The symposium will place special emphasis on advanced analytical techniques such as chromatographic, mass spectrometric and spectroscopic analyses, including multiomics. It will also explore the growing importance of big data processing and artificial intelligence in ensuring food quality, safety and authenticity.
AM: Are there any speakers or sessions at the event that you would particularly like to highlight?
SL and JP: We are honored to welcome top-class speakers from leading research institutions, academia, the food industry, European Union Reference Laboratories and international regulatory authorities, such as the European Food Safety Authority. These experts will speak on critical topics such as alternative proteins, natural toxins, PFAS and the latest advances in analytical strategies. Through the RAFA 2024 sessions, we aim to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of both current challenges and future applications in the field of food analysis.
AM: Why is this an important event for the food analysis community?
SL and JP: The RAFA series was established in 2003 as a result of scientific cooperation between UCT Prague (Czechia) and WFSR (Netherlands). It offers food scientists and industry professionals a unique opportunity to discuss the latest developments in food analysis. As a multidisciplinary event, it connects academia, industry and regulators and enables an exchange of ideas that leads to new collaborations and inspires future research projects.
The continued success of RAFA, which attracts 700–800 participants, is testament to its importance in shaping the future of food safety and quality.
AM: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest emerging issues in this field?
SL and JP: One of the biggest emerging issues in food analysis is the detection and monitoring of emerging contaminants, including microplastics and environmental contaminants such as PFAS, which require advanced analytical techniques. Another major challenge is ensuring the authenticity and traceability of food, especially with the increase in alternative proteins and complex supply chains.
In addition, rapid technological advances, such as high-resolution mass spectrometry and portable devices, are transforming food safety analysis. With the increasing use of plant-based foods and biodegradable packaging, innovative testing methods are needed to address the new challenges in quality, safety and migration analysis. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to interpret big data is becoming increasingly important in tackling these complex problems.
AM: Looking ahead, what do you believe will be the most transformative technologies in food analysis over the next decade, particularly in addressing emerging contaminants and ensuring food authenticity?
SL and JP: In the next decade, we will see cutting-edge breakthroughs in multiomics techniques that will enable a more comprehensive understanding of food composition and contaminants. We expect the integration of advanced chromatographic, mass spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques to play a key role in the investigation of emerging contaminants.
In addition, the use of artificial intelligence and big data analytics will revolutionize the assessment of food authenticity, enabling faster and more accurate analyses that ensure safety and traceability in the food supply chain.