<h3><strong>Invitation to the <a href="https://gcms.cz/events/53">RAFA</a></strong></h3>
<p>On behalf of the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague, Czech Republic) and Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), part of Wageningen University &amp; Research (The Netherlands), we are delighted to invite all food scientists from academia and industry and representatives of national and international agencies, control authorities, governmental and commercial laboratories to attend the <strong>Virtual event highlighting current Trends &amp; Views on RECENT ADVANCES IN FOOD (RAFA 2021)</strong>.</p>
<h4><a href="https://www.rafa2021.eu/registration.html"><strong>FREE REGISTRATION</strong></a> at RAFA 2021 is OPEN!</h4>
<p><em>(Registration deadline November 1, 2021)</em></p>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_2021_14c13ac008/RAFA-2021.jpg" alt="RAFA 2021"/></p>
<h3><strong>RAFA 2021 PROGRAM</strong></h3>
<h3><strong>Wednesday - November 3, 2021</strong></h3>
<p>(Chairs: Jana Hajslova (UCT Prague) &amp; Michel Nielen (WFSR))</p>
<h5><strong>9:00-13:00 Series of vendor webinars I</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/webinars?search=RAFA"><strong>LCMS RAFA Webinars</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinars?search=RAFA"><strong>GCMS RAFA Webinars</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=10"><em>Agilent Technologies</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=11"><em>Axel Semrau GmbH &amp; Co. KG</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=24"><em>LECO</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=4"><em>PerkinElmer</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=50"><em>Phenomenex, Inc. - Torrance, CA</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=7"><em>Restek</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=55"><em>SCIEX</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><em>SepSolve Analytical Ltd</em></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=1"><em>Shimadzu Europa GmbH</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=3"><em>Thermo Fisher Scientific</em></a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>13:45-14:00 Welcome at RAFA 2021</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Jana Hajslova</strong> &amp; <strong>Michel Nielen</strong>, RAFA chairs</li>
</ul>
<h4><strong>Session 1 Analytical challenges I</strong></h4>
<h5><strong>14:00-14:20 L1 Fighting food frauds exploiting chromatography-mass spectrometry &amp; infrared technologies: scientific literature vs real industrial approaches</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Michele Suman</strong> (Barilla G. R. F.lli SpA, Advanced Laboratory Research, Parma, Italy)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>14:20-14:40 L2 How can we measure and tackle the world wide occurrence of mycotoxins in view of climate change?</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Rudolf Krska</strong> (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, IFA-Tulln, Austria)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>14:40-15:00 L3 Potential of imaging mass spectrometry in characterisation of food crops</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Chiara Dall ́Asta</strong> (University of Parma, Parma, Italy</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>15:00-15:20 L4 Dimensional Chromatography with Quadruple Parallel Mass Spectrometry, LC3MS4, for Infant/Adult Formula Analysis</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Craig Byrdwell</strong> (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research, Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, USA)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>15:20-15:30 L5 Towards decentralized food safety: a FoodSmartphone perspective</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Georgina Ross</strong> (Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>15:30-15:40 Chat discussion with speakers L1-L5</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Led by Jana Hajslova &amp; Michel Nielen</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>15:40-16:00 Refreshment break</strong></h5>
<h4><strong>Session 2 Metabolomics</strong></h4>
<h5><strong>16:00-16:20 L6 Metabolomics and lipidomics approaches to advance food Science and nutrition research</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Alejandro Cifuentes</strong> (National Research Council of Spain, Madrid, Spain)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>16:20-16:40 L7 Confidence in metabolite annotations from high-resolution MS/MS in food digestion along the human GI tract</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Olivier Fiehn</strong> (UC Davis West Coast Metabolomics Center, Davis, USA)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>16:40-17:00 L8 Deciphering the gut microbiota function by LC/GC-MS metabolomics approaches</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Josep Rubert</strong> (Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>17:00-17:20 L9 One class modelling, a simple approach to botanical authentication</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>James Harnly</strong> (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, USA)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>17:20-17:40 Chat discussion with speakers L6-L9</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Led by Jana Hajslova &amp; Michel Nielen</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>17:40-18:30 Opportunities for networking (tbc)</strong></h5>
<h3><strong>Thursday - November 4, 2021</strong></h3>
<p>(Chairs: Jana Pulkrabova (UCT Prague) &amp; Stefan van Leeuwen (WFSR))</p>
<h4><strong>Session 3 Food fraud &amp; authentication</strong></h4>
<h5><strong>09:00-09:20 L10 From targeted to non-targeted analysis for food authentication: challenges of change</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Carsten Fauhl-Hassek</strong> (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>09:20-9:40 L11 Diving into the beer metabolome and discover signatures of materials, technologies and reactions</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Michael Rychlik</strong> (Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>09:40-10:00 L12 Alternative proteins for conventional animal products in China: regulatory process</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Yongning Wu</strong> (China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>10:00-10:10 L13 Wine varietal identification: solution of an uneasy task</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Leos Uttl</strong> (University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>10:10-10:20 L14 The story of a leaf: a 2-tiered system for tea authenticity</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Di Wu</strong> (Queen&#39;s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>10:20-10:40 L15 Food authenticity from a regulatory science perspective</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Franz Ulberth</strong> (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Geel, Belgium)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>10:40-11:00 Chat discussion with speakers L10-L15</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Led by Jana Pulkrabova &amp; Stefan van Leeuwen</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>11:00-11:20 Refreshment break</strong></h5>
<h4><strong>Session 4 Analytical challenges II</strong></h4>
<h5><strong>11:20-11:40 L16 Comparison of analytical methods and results:  “Devil is in the details”</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Katerina Mastovska</strong> (Eurofins Scientific, USA)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>11:40-12:00 L17 Scientific and regulatory challenges and developments for EU Reference Laboratories in food safety areas</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Piotr Robouch</strong> (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Geel, Belgium)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>12:00-12:20 L18 Transition to a circular economy: analytical challenges for contaminants in the food chain</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Stefan van Leeuwen</strong> (Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), part of Wageningen University &amp; Research, The Netherlands)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>12:20-12:30 L19 Smartphone-based pesticide residue screening: goals achieved &amp; challenges to be faced</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Aristeidis Tsagkaris</strong> (University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>12:30-12:50 L20 Determining the source of our soya using an analytical toolbox</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Christopher Elliott</strong> (Queen&#39;s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>12:50-13:10 Chat discussion with speakers L16-L20</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Led by Jana Pulkrabova &amp; Stefan van Leeuwen</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>13:10-13:20 Summary of RAFA 2021, Trends &amp; Views</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><strong>Michele Suman</strong> (Barilla Food Research Labs, Parma, Italy)</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>13:20-13:30 Announcement of RAFA 2022</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Jana Hajslova &amp; Michel Nielen, RAFA chairs</li>
</ul>
<h5><strong>13:30-18:30 Series of vendor webinars II</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/webinars?search=RAFA"><strong>LCMS RAFA Webinars</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinars?search=RAFA"><strong>GCMS RAFA Webinars</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=10"><em>Agilent Technologies</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=8"><em>Bruker Daltonics</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><em>Büchi Labortechnik AG</em></p>
</li>
<li><p><em>Milestone Helping Chemists</em></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=50"><em>Phenomenex, Inc. - Torrance, CA</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><em>R-Biopharm AG</em></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=7"><em>Restek</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=52"><em>Syft Technologies GmbH</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=3"><em>Thermo Fisher Scientific</em></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=5"><em>Waters Corporation</em></a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://www.rafa2021.eu/programme.html"><strong>RAFA 2021 Programme details including Abstracts and Invited speakers info</strong></a></h3>


RAFA 2021 - VIRTUAL & FREE OF CHARGE - PROGRAM

<p>On behalf of the <strong>University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague</strong> (UCT Prague, Czech Republic) and <strong>Wageningen Food Safety Research</strong> (WFSR), part of <strong>Wageningen University &amp; Research</strong> (The Netherlands), we are delighted to invite all food scientists from academia and industry and representatives of national and international agencies, control authorities, governmental and commercial laboratories to attend the 10th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2022).</p>
<h3><strong>Registration for RAFA 2022 is OPEN.</strong></h3>
<h4>👉<a href="https://www.rafa2022.eu/registration.html"><strong>Register here</strong></a></h4>
<h5>After successful submission of your registration, you will receive by e-mail:</h5>
<ul>
<li>(i) an automatic confirmation of receipt indicating the total amount of payment due (either for bank transfer or for on-line payment by card),</li>
<li>(ii) login to Member section where you can administrate your profile, submit your abstracts, and from July 2022 register for satellite workshops and seminars.</li>
</ul>
<p>As soon as payment of registration fee is processed, you will also receive by e-mail (iii) confirmation of payment.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5><strong>Deadlines for registration</strong></h5>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>May 15, 2022:</strong> Deadline to apply for Young researcher travel grant</li>
<li><strong>June 15, 2022:</strong> Reduced registration fee deadline</li>
<li><strong>July 15, 2022:</strong> Deadline to apply for participation as a Sponsor or Exhibitor</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<h5><strong>The regular registration fee will include:</strong></h5>
<ul>
<li>Attendance at all scientific sessions, workshops, seminars, vendor seminars and other satellite events</li>
<li>Access to the poster and exhibition area</li>
<li>Conference kit (name badge, conference bag, conference documents, certificate of participation, certificate of presentation on request)</li>
<li>Final programme</li>
<li>E-Book of abstracts</li>
<li>Coffee breaks</li>
<li>Buffet luncheons</li>
<li>Welcome drink</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>RAFA 2022 PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE – General schedule (tentative)</strong></h3>
<p>The scientific committee and the organizers of the 10th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2022) aim to prepare a balanced program with many top quality presentations followed by stimulating discussions, several satellite events, a large state-of-the-art exhibition and an attractive social program. Scientific contributions will be presented by leading scientists through keynote lectures and by contributed oral and poster presentations.</p>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_RAFA_2022_PROGRAMME_AT_A_GLANCE_4fa7c1acf9/RAFA-RAFA-2022-PROGRAMME-AT-A-GLANCE.webp" alt="RAFA: RAFA 2022 PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE"/></p>
<h3><strong>INVITED SPEAKERS</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Prof. Chiara Dall&#39;Asta</strong>, University of Parma, Italy</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Vincent Baeten</strong>, Walloon Agricultural Research Centre, Gembloux, Belgium</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Jacob de Boer</strong>, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Christopher Elliott</strong>, Queen&#39;s University Belfast, Belfast, Great Britain</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Carsten Fauhl-Hassek</strong>, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Jana Hajslova</strong>, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Amadeo R Fernández-Alba</strong>, European Union Reference Laboratory for Pesticide Residues in Fruit &amp; Vegetables, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Christoph von Holst</strong>, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Geel, Belgium</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Hans-Gerd Janssen</strong>, Unilever Research and Development, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Christian W. Klampfl</strong>, Institute of Analytical and General Chemistry/Department of General Chemistry Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Jacob van Klaveren</strong>, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Achim Kohler</strong>, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), As, Norway </li>
<li><strong>Prof.Rudolf Krska</strong>, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, IFA-Tulln, Austria</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen</strong>, Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), part of Wageningen University &amp; Research, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Katerina Mastovska</strong>, Eurofins Scientific, US Food Division, United States</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Clare Mills</strong>, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Hans Mol</strong>, Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), part of Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Nicola Randall</strong>, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, United Kingdom</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Josep Rubert</strong>, Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Michael Rychlik</strong>, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin</strong>, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany</li>
<li><strong>Prof. Jens Sloth</strong>, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Michele Suman</strong>, Barilla Food Research Labs, Parma, Italy</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Frans Verstraete</strong>, European Commission, DG Health and Consumers (DG SANTE), Brussels, Belgium</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.rafa2022.eu/speakers.html"><strong>Details and CVs of speakers and the overview of challenging topics to be presented.</strong></a></p>
</blockquote>
<h3><strong>WORKSHOPS &amp; SESSIONS ON NOVEL CHALLENGES</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Workshop on <strong>&quot;Vibrational spectroscopy and chemometrics&quot;</strong></li>
<li>Workshop on <strong>&quot;Analysis of contaminants &amp; migrants in circular food production&quot;</strong></li>
<li>Tutorial on <strong>&quot;Data quality and smart data handling in food analysis&quot;</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>INTERACTIVE SEMINAR: BE ACTIVE AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Step by step strategies for fast development of smart analytical methods</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>EU REFERENCE LABORATORIES COLLOQUIUM</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Workshop on &quot;Experiences, achievements and challenges of EU Reference Laboratories&quot;</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>VENDOR SEMINARS &amp; EXHIBITION</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>Vendor seminars introducing recent instrumentation and analytical strategies for advanced food quality and safety control</li>
<li>Exhibition of modern instrumentation, laboratory equipment, chemicals and consumables</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS, MEDIA PARTNERS</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=10"><strong>Agilent Technologies LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=10"><strong>Agilent Technologies GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=3"><strong>Thermo Fisher Scientific LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=3"><strong>Thermo Fisher Scientific GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_RAFA_2022_GOLD_SPONSORS_903eacef3f/RAFA-RAFA-2022-GOLD-SPONSORS.webp" alt="RAFA: RAFA 2022 GOLD SPONSORS"/></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=5"><strong>Waters Corporation LCMS</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=5"><strong>Waters Corporation GCMS</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_RAFA_2022_SILVER_SPONSORS_eba74731e1/RAFA-RAFA-2022-SILVER-SPONSORS.webp" alt="RAFA: RAFA 2022 SILVER SPONSORS"/></p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=11"><strong>Axel Semrau LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=11"><strong>Axel Semrau GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=8"><strong>Bruker Daltonics LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=8"><strong>Bruker Daltonics GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=7"><strong>Restek LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=7"><strong>Restek GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=52"><strong>Syft Technologies LCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=52"><strong>Syft Technologies GCMS</strong></a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_RAFA_2022_BRONZE_SPONSORS_587b47e3af/RAFA-RAFA-2022-BRONZE-SPONSORS.webp" alt="RAFA: RAFA 2022 BRONZE SPONSORS"/></p>
<p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_RAFA_2022_MEDIA_PARTNERS_e4c11fc4ec/RAFA-RAFA-2022-MEDIA-PARTNERS.webp" alt="RAFA: RAFA 2022 MEDIA PARTNERS"/></p>


RAFA 2022 - REGISTRATION & Invited speakers

<p><strong>We are excited to announce that registration for the 12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2026), along with the call for abstracts and travel grants for young scientists, is now officially open!</strong></p><h3><strong>Key dates</strong></h3><ul><li><strong>May 31, 2026: </strong>Application for Young scientist travel grant</li><li><strong>June 30, 2026</strong><ul><li>Application for participation as a Sponsor or Exhibitor or Media partner</li><li>Abstract submission for oral presentation</li><li>Reduced registration fee</li></ul></li><li><strong>August 31, 2026:</strong> Abstract submission for poster presentation</li><li><strong>September 30, 2026: </strong>Last minute posters submission</li><li><strong>November 3 - 6, 20026</strong>: 12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2026) in Prague, Czech Republic</li></ul><h3><strong>Registration</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Registration for RAFA 2026 is OPEN!</strong></a></p><p><strong>Early-bird registration until 30 June, 2026</strong></p></blockquote><p>After successful submission of your registration, you will receive by e-mail (i) an automatic confirmation of receipt indicating the total amount of payment due (either for bank transfer or for on-line payment by card), (ii) login to Member section where you can administrate your profile, submit your abstracts, and from <strong>September 2026</strong> register for satellite events, workshops and seminars. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your registration please contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><p>As soon as payment of registration fee is processed, you will also receive by e-mail (iii) confirmation of payment.</p><h4><strong>Important notice:</strong></h4><p>Registration fee of those who have submitted an abstract for oral or poster presentation has to be received until <strong>September 30, 2026</strong>, otherwise these contribution(s) will not be included into the Book of Abstracts and the Conference programme.</p><h4><strong>Registration Fees</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Smart rate (Until 30 June, 2026): </strong>€ 655</li><li><strong>Regular registration (Until 30 September, 2026):</strong> € 855</li><li><strong>Late registration (From 1 October, 2026):</strong> € 955</li><li><strong>Student rate*&nbsp;</strong><ul><li><strong>Until 30 June, 2026: </strong>€ 465</li><li><strong>From 1 July, 2026:</strong> € 605</li></ul></li></ul><p><i>* The proof of student status (e.g. copy of a student identify card) is requested as an attachment of the registration form.</i></p><h5><strong>The regular registration fee will include:</strong></h5><ul><li>Attendance at all scientific sessions, workshops, seminars, vendor seminars and other satellite events</li><li>Access to the poster and exhibition area</li><li>Conference kit (name badge, conference bag, conference documents, certificate of participation, certificate of presentation on request)</li><li>Final programme</li><li>E-Book of Abstracts</li><li>Coffee breaks</li><li>Buffet luncheons</li><li>Welcome drink</li></ul><p>In the registration form you can r<strong>egister free of charge for the welcome drink</strong> and you can also order <strong>ticket(s) for the conference dinner (€ 85).</strong></p><p><i>Please note that your registration is firm when your payment has been received.</i></p><h3><strong>Abstract submission</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>CALL for ABSTRACTS is OPEN!</strong></a></p><p>In order to submit an abstract, you must <strong>first register to attend RAFA 2026</strong>. <strong>After registration</strong> you will receive an <strong>access to the Member section </strong>where you can <strong>submit your abstract(s).</strong></p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;After successful submission of your abstract you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt of submitted abstract via e-mail. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your abstract please check at first your spam box-mail and then contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><p>Please ensure that your abstract does not contain spelling, grammatical or scientific errors. Even though modifications of your submitted abstract will be allowed in the Abstract section of the Member section until the deadline for the abstract submission, please be confident on the lack of errors in your final version prior to starting the submission process.</p><p>The abstract will be reproduced exactly as submitted. No proofreading will be done, although some corrections may be requested by the reviewers.</p><p>If you need to withdraw your abstract, a written statement reflecting the reasons for this decision must be sent to <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong> no later than <strong>September 30, 2026</strong>.</p><h4><strong>Important notice:</strong></h4><blockquote><p><strong>1 registered participant can submit no more than 2 abstracts.</strong></p></blockquote><p>To apply for a young scientist’s oral presentation, as an indication please respect the rule that you should be born in 1991 or later.</p><p>The <strong>text of the abstract </strong>should be<strong> limited to 3000 characters including spaces</strong>. Tables and pictures are not allowed.</p><p><strong>Abstracts of oral presentations and posters</strong> will be included into the "<strong>e-Book of Abstracts</strong>" only after receipt of the conference registration fee. Any payment of the registration fee has to be received until <strong>September 30, 2026</strong>, otherwise contribution(s) will not be included into the e-Book of Abstracts and the Conference programme.</p><h3><strong>Special opportunities for young scientists:</strong></h3><ul><li>Dedicated slots for oral presentations within the main scientific programme</li><li>Competitive travel grants for young scientists</li><li>Award(s) for the best poster presentation(s)</li></ul><p>Whether you are a PhD student or an early-career researcher, RAFA 2026 offers a unique opportunity to present your work, gain international exposure and connect with leading experts in the field.</p><p><strong>Be part of this inspiring scientific event and join us in Prague!</strong></p>

RAFA 2026 - Registration & Call for Abstracts are now OPEN

<h3><strong>Student and young researcher travel grants</strong></h3><p><strong>The RAFA 2026 Conference Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the offer for 5 travel grants to PhD students and early stage researchers (age limit 35 years) to attend the </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/events/928"><strong>12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2026)</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p>High scientific quality of the contribution submitted either for poster and / or oral/young scientists´ oral presentation will be considered for evaluation.</p><p>For the successful applicants registration fee will be waived and <strong>travel and accommodation costs</strong> will be reimbursed up to the amount of <strong>€ 400</strong> upon submission of a travel and accommodation expense claim after the conference.</p><h5><strong>🎓 Young scientists at RAFA 2026 will benefit from:</strong></h5><ul><li>Dedicated slots for oral presentations within the main scientific programme</li><li>Competitive travel grants for young scientists</li><li>Award(s) for the best poster presentations</li></ul><p>Whether you are a <strong>PhD student</strong> or an <strong>early-career researche</strong>r, RAFA 2026 offers a unique opportunity to present your work, gain international exposure and connect with leading experts in the field.</p><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>Call for RAFA 2026 travel grants is OPEN!</strong></p><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/draft/rafa2026_travel_grant_form.html"><strong>Submit your application here</strong></a></p><ul><li><strong>Deadline for submission</strong> of an application is <strong>May 31, 2026.</strong></li><li><strong>Notification of applications´ evaluation</strong> will be available on <strong>June 23, 2026.</strong></li></ul></blockquote><h3><strong>Registration</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Registration for RAFA 2026 is OPEN!</strong></a></p><p><strong>Early-bird registration until 30 June, 2026</strong></p></blockquote><p>After successful submission of your registration, you will receive by e-mail (i) an automatic confirmation of receipt indicating the total amount of payment due (either for bank transfer or for on-line payment by card), (ii) login to Member section where you can administrate your profile, submit your abstracts, and from <strong>September 2026</strong> register for satellite events, workshops and seminars. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your registration please contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><h3><strong>Abstract submission</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>CALL for ABSTRACTS is OPEN!</strong></a></p><p>In order to submit an abstract, you must <strong>first register to attend RAFA 2026</strong>. <strong>After registration</strong> you will receive an <strong>access to the Member section </strong>where you can <strong>submit your abstract(s).</strong></p></blockquote>

Deadline for the RAFA 2026 Young Researcher Travel Grant is approaching

<p><span><strong>The countdown is on for one of the world’s leading conferences dedicated to food analysis. The 12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2026), taking place in Prague from 3–6 November 2026, is approaching two important milestones: the Early Bird registration deadline and the deadline for oral abstract submissions, both ending on 30 June 2026. Researchers, analysts, industry professionals, regulators, and students are encouraged to secure their participation at a reduced registration rate and take advantage of the opportunity to present their latest scientific results to the international food analysis community.</strong></span></p><p><span>RAFA 2026 will once again bring together leading experts from academia, industry, and regulatory organizations to discuss the latest developments in food safety, authenticity, contaminants, non-target screening, PFAS, microplastics, food contact materials, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytical technologies. The preliminary program already features an outstanding lineup of internationally recognized speakers addressing some of the most pressing challenges in modern food analysis and food safety.</span></p><h3><strong>Registration</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Register to attend RAFA 2026!</strong></a></p><p><strong>Early-bird registration until 30 June, 2026</strong></p></blockquote><p>After successful submission of your registration, you will receive by e-mail (i) an automatic confirmation of receipt indicating the total amount of payment due (either for bank transfer or for on-line payment by card), (ii) login to Member section where you can administrate your profile, submit your abstracts, and from <strong>September 2026</strong> register for satellite events, workshops and seminars. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your registration please contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><p>As soon as payment of registration fee is processed, you will also receive by e-mail (iii) confirmation of payment.</p><h4><strong>Registration Fees</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Smart rate (Until 30 June, 2026): </strong>€ 655</li><li><strong>Regular registration (Until 30 September, 2026):</strong> € 855</li><li><strong>Late registration (From 1 October, 2026):</strong> € 955</li><li><strong>Student rate*&nbsp;</strong><ul><li><strong>Until 30 June, 2026: </strong>€ 465</li><li><strong>From 1 July, 2026:</strong> € 605</li></ul></li></ul><p><i>* The proof of student status (e.g. copy of a student identify card) is requested as an attachment of the registration form.</i></p><h5><strong>The regular registration fee will include:</strong></h5><ul><li>Attendance at all scientific sessions, workshops, seminars, vendor seminars and other satellite events</li><li>Access to the poster and exhibition area</li><li>Conference kit (name badge, conference bag, conference documents, certificate of participation, certificate of presentation on request)</li><li>Final programme</li><li>E-Book of Abstracts</li><li>Coffee breaks</li><li>Buffet luncheons</li><li>Welcome drink</li></ul><p>In the registration form you can r<strong>egister free of charge for the welcome drink</strong> and you can also order <strong>ticket(s) for the conference dinner (€ 85).</strong></p><p><i>Please note that your registration is firm when your payment has been received.</i></p><h3><strong>Abstract submission</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Submit your ABSTRACT HERE!</strong></a></p><p>In order to submit an abstract, you must <strong>first register to attend RAFA 2026</strong>. <strong>After registration</strong> you will receive an <strong>access to the Member section </strong>where you can <strong>submit your abstract(s).</strong></p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;After successful submission of your abstract you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt of submitted abstract via e-mail. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your abstract please check at first your spam box-mail and then contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><p>Please ensure that your abstract does not contain spelling, grammatical or scientific errors. Even though modifications of your submitted abstract will be allowed in the Abstract section of the Member section until the deadline for the abstract submission, please be confident on the lack of errors in your final version prior to starting the submission process.</p><p>The abstract will be reproduced exactly as submitted. No proofreading will be done, although some corrections may be requested by the reviewers.</p><p>If you need to withdraw your abstract, a written statement reflecting the reasons for this decision must be sent to <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong> no later than <strong>September 30, 2026</strong>.</p><h4><strong>Important notice:</strong></h4><blockquote><p><strong>1 registered participant can submit no more than 2 abstracts.</strong></p></blockquote><p>To apply for a young scientist’s oral presentation, as an indication please respect the rule that you should be born in 1991 or later.</p><p>The <strong>text of the abstract </strong>should be<strong> limited to 3000 characters including spaces</strong>. Tables and pictures are not allowed.</p><p><strong>Abstracts of oral presentations and posters</strong> will be included into the "<strong>e-Book of Abstracts</strong>" only after receipt of the conference registration fee. Any payment of the registration fee has to be received until <strong>September 30, 2026</strong>, otherwise contribution(s) will not be included into the e-Book of Abstracts and the Conference programme.</p><h3><strong>Program</strong></h3><h4><strong>Invited Speakers</strong></h4><h5><strong>Food allergen risk assessment: Past, present, future</strong></h5><ul><li>Ben Remington from Remington Consulting Group B.V., Utrecht, the Netherlands &amp; University of Nebraska, USA</li></ul><p>Food allergy and allergen management are global public health issues, and consumer protection depends on transparent and trustworthy labelling. While 30 years of scientific advances show that low level exposures, or reference doses, are unlikely to trigger reactions in most allergic individuals, harmonized and globally aligned regulations are still needed to promote consistent allergen risk assessment and labelling decisions. This presentation will discuss the landscape of allergen risk assessment, global policy developments, current research and future needs in the area.</p><h5><strong>Unmasking hidden adulteration in honey: Strategies for detecting and characterizing honeys produced from sugar-fed colonies</strong></h5><ul><li>Oscar Nuñez Burcio from University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain</li></ul><p>From hive to jar, not all honey tells the same story. This presentation addresses hidden adulteration associated with sugar-fed bee colonies, highlighting implications for authenticity, production practices, and the need for a more precise characterization of honey to ensure consumer trust.</p><h5><strong>Analytical and toxicological methods for safety of food contact materials</strong></h5><ul><li>Erich Leitner from Graz University of Technology, Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Graz, Austria</li></ul><p>Food packaging plays a critical role in protecting and preserving food throughout the supply chain. All packaging materials intended to come into contact with food must comply with strict EU safety rules. Due to increased complexity of packaging solutions, lowering legal limits and increasing numbers of target compounds, we also have to adapt the strategies used to verify and guarantee the safety of these materials.</p><h5><strong>Data-driven strategies to reduce complexity in non-target HRMS analysis of food samples</strong></h5><ul><li>Anneli Kruve from Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden</li></ul><p>LC/HRMS based non-target screening can detect hundreds to thousands of chemical features in complex food and environmental samples. Investigating all of these in detail is practically impossible, so which ones to focus on? Novel computational tools developed in computational mass spectrometry allow predicting the toxicity and concentration of the detected chemical features even if these have not yet been fully structurally elucidated. Combining these predictions enables us to focus on the chemical features possessing high risk.</p><h5><strong>Role of AI in the identification of emerging food systems risks</strong></h5><ul><li>Ákos Bernard Jóźwiak from Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary</li></ul><p>AI-assisted evidence synthesis – spanning curated scientific evidence, exposome data, and network analysis – is the backbone of next-generation emerging chemical food safety risk identification, enabling earlier signals and more resilient surveillance systems.</p><h5><strong>Challenges of microplastics analysis in the context of food safety</strong></h5><ul><li>Dorte Herzke from Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway</li></ul><p>Food and food packaging are major sources of micro- and nanoplastic exposure. Plastics used in processing, storage, and packaging can release particles through heat, abrasion, and degradation. Small particles below 2 µm may cross gut barriers and carry chemicals, highlighting the need for robust and sensitive measurement methods.</p><h5><strong>Never-ending analytical challenges in PFAS analysis of food</strong></h5><ul><li>Darina Dvořáková from University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czechia</li></ul><p>Exploring and monitoring PFAS in food requires advanced strategies. Combining targeted, suspect, and non-target HRMS analysis, determination of total fluorine and sum parameters, and novel sensors provides new insights into PFAS occurrence and supports food safety monitoring.</p><h5><strong>An overview of the latest scientific knowledge on process contaminants in food for appropriate risk management measures</strong></h5><ul><li>Thierry Delatour from Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland.</li></ul><p>Recent scientific findings related to acrylamide and furans formation, occurrence and analytical methods in food provide important insights for risk management.</p>

Deadline for RAFA 2026 Early Registration and Oral Abstract Submission is approaching

<p><strong>Scientific conferences are defined not only by the quality of the research presented but also by the expertise and vision of their invited speakers. RAFA 2026 brings together internationally recognized scientists from academia, industry, and regulatory organizations to address some of today's most pressing challenges in food analysis and food safety. Their lectures will explore cutting-edge analytical techniques, emerging contaminants, food authenticity, artificial intelligence, high-resolution mass spectrometry, allergen risk assessment, PFAS, microplastics, mycotoxins, and many other topics shaping the future of food analysis. This overview introduces the distinguished invited speakers and the scientific highlights they will present at RAFA 2026.</strong></p><h3><strong>Registration</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Register to attend RAFA 2026!</strong></a></p></blockquote><h4><strong>Registration Fees</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Regular registration (Until 30 September, 2026):</strong> € 855</li><li><strong>Late registration (From 1 October, 2026):</strong> € 955</li><li><strong>Student rate* (From 1 July, 2026):</strong> € 605</li></ul><p><i>* The proof of student status (e.g. copy of a student identify card) is requested as an attachment of the registration form.</i></p><h5><strong>The regular registration fee will include:</strong></h5><ul><li>Attendance at all scientific sessions, workshops, seminars, vendor seminars and other satellite events</li><li>Access to the poster and exhibition area</li><li>Conference kit (name badge, conference bag, conference documents, certificate of participation, certificate of presentation on request)</li><li>Final programme</li><li>E-Book of Abstracts</li><li>Coffee breaks</li><li>Buffet luncheons</li><li>Welcome drink</li></ul><p>In the registration form you can r<strong>egister free of charge for the welcome drink</strong> and you can also order <strong>ticket(s) for the conference dinner (€ 85).</strong></p><p><i>Please note that your registration is firm when your payment has been received.</i></p><h3><strong>Abstract submission</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>Submit your ABSTRACT HERE!</strong></a></p><p>In order to submit an abstract, you must <strong>first register to attend RAFA 2026</strong>. <strong>After registration</strong> you will receive an <strong>access to the Member section </strong>where you can <strong>submit your abstract(s).</strong></p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;After successful submission of your abstract you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt of submitted abstract via e-mail. If it will not be delivered within a few minutes after submission of your abstract please check at first your spam box-mail and then contact us at <strong>RAFA2026@vscht.cz</strong>.</p><h4><strong>Important notice:</strong></h4><blockquote><p><strong>1 registered participant can submit no more than 2 abstracts.</strong></p></blockquote><p>To apply for a young scientist’s oral presentation, as an indication please respect the rule that you should be born in 1991 or later.</p><p>The <strong>text of the abstract </strong>should be<strong> limited to 3000 characters including spaces</strong>. Tables and pictures are not allowed.</p><h3><strong>Program</strong></h3><h4><strong>Invited Speakers</strong></h4><h5><strong>It takes a small step to fake food but a giant leap to authenticate</strong></h5><ul><li>Nicolai Zederkopff Ballin from Danish Veterinary, Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Agency, Glostrup, Denmark.</li></ul><p>It takes a small step to fake food but a giant leap to authenticate”: Exploring unresolved issues in food authentication. Food authentication includes not just analytical chemistry, but also nomenclature, validation procedures and reporting of results. These aspects have attracted increasing focus, but setting limits in food authentication has been largely absent. It is therefore time to discuss how to set maximum tolerable levels to enable consistent and comparable results in food authentication.</p><h5><strong>Unravelling the mysteries of modified mycotoxins</strong></h5><ul><li>Franz Berthiller from BOKU University, Vienna, Austria</li></ul><p>Modified mycotoxins are altered forms of mycotoxins, mainly formed by living plants on the field. They are not regulated, yet may contribute to toxicity. The presentations focuses on metabolites of fumonisin B1 and ochratoxin A, formed by maize plants.</p><h5><strong>From bitter to better: Fixing off-flavors in plant proteins</strong></h5><ul><li>Corinna Dawid from Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany</li></ul><p>Uncovering the chemistry behind flavor: the presentation explores how Sensomics and NMR interaction studies reveal the complex interplay between aroma compounds, taste perception, and the polymer matrix in wine.</p><h5><strong>Imaging food: the power and the limits of seeing molecules in food</strong></h5><ul><li>Laura Righetti from Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands</li></ul><p>Imaging techniques enable ‘seeing’ molecules in food and elucidating mechanisms of accumulation and transformation, e.g. during processing. However, their application to food and contaminants remains limited. This talk discusses both instrumental constraints and future opportunities.</p><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_Laura_Righetti_e7bdda9942.jpg" alt="RAFA: Laura Righetti" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_RAFA_Laura_Righetti_e7bdda9942.jpg 157w," sizes="100vw" width="900" height="895"></p><h5><strong>Analysis of critical vitamins: novel structures and novel sources</strong></h5><ul><li>Michael Rychlik Lab from Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany</li></ul><p>Growing population and dietary shifts lead to inadequate intake of folate, B6, and B12. The presentation introduces novel analytical methods (stable isotope dilution assays), identifies new sources, and assesses risks of certain dietary patterns.</p><h5><strong>Sample-to-solution approaches for natural toxin analysis at the point of need</strong></h5><ul><li>Gert Salentijn from Wageningen University &amp; Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands</li></ul><p>Taking analysis out of the lab is not trivial. Going beyond merely translating procedures from the lab to an out-of-lab setting, it requires a fundamentally different perspective on how we develop and deploy the tools to provide information at the point-of-need. In this, both the envisioned test, as well as the envisioned user are critical, and all the steps, from sample to solution, need to be considered.</p><h5><strong>EFSA’s rapid risk assessment of cereulide in infants</strong></h5><ul><li>Hans Steinkellner from European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy</li></ul><p>The EU has established procedures for rapid risk assessment in urgent situations. EFSA’s assessment of cereulide in infants demonstrated its ability to provide robust scientific support within a short timeframe during a crisis.</p><h5><strong>Comprehensive strategies to unmask masked mycotoxins: from food matrix to gut microbiota</strong></h5><ul><li>Milena Stranska from University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czechia</li></ul><p>The lecture will address non-extractable modified mycotoxins and their biological relevance. Bioaccessibility will be assessed using in vitro digestion models with diverse fecal microbiota (toddlers, children, adults) and bioavailability using Caco-2-based intestinal models. High-resolution mass spectrometry will reveal biotransformation pathways and cellular metabolism of free and modified mycotoxins.</p><h5><strong>Food allergen risk assessment: Past, present, future</strong></h5><ul><li>Ben Remington from Remington Consulting Group B.V., Utrecht, the Netherlands &amp; University of Nebraska, USA</li></ul><p>Food allergy and allergen management are global public health issues, and consumer protection depends on transparent and trustworthy labelling. While 30 years of scientific advances show that low level exposures, or reference doses, are unlikely to trigger reactions in most allergic individuals, harmonized and globally aligned regulations are still needed to promote consistent allergen risk assessment and labelling decisions. This presentation will discuss the landscape of allergen risk assessment, global policy developments, current research and future needs in the area.</p><h5><strong>Unmasking hidden adulteration in honey: Strategies for detecting and characterizing honeys produced from sugar-fed colonies</strong></h5><ul><li>Oscar Nuñez Burcio from University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain</li></ul><p>From hive to jar, not all honey tells the same story. This presentation addresses hidden adulteration associated with sugar-fed bee colonies, highlighting implications for authenticity, production practices, and the need for a more precise characterization of honey to ensure consumer trust.</p><h5><strong>Analytical and toxicological methods for safety of food contact materials</strong></h5><ul><li>Erich Leitner from Graz University of Technology, Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Graz, Austria</li></ul><p>Food packaging plays a critical role in protecting and preserving food throughout the supply chain. All packaging materials intended to come into contact with food must comply with strict EU safety rules. Due to increased complexity of packaging solutions, lowering legal limits and increasing numbers of target compounds, we also have to adapt the strategies used to verify and guarantee the safety of these materials.</p><h5><strong>Data-driven strategies to reduce complexity in non-target HRMS analysis of food samples</strong></h5><ul><li>Anneli Kruve from Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden</li></ul><p>LC/HRMS based non-target screening can detect hundreds to thousands of chemical features in complex food and environmental samples. Investigating all of these in detail is practically impossible, so which ones to focus on? Novel computational tools developed in computational mass spectrometry allow predicting the toxicity and concentration of the detected chemical features even if these have not yet been fully structurally elucidated. Combining these predictions enables us to focus on the chemical features possessing high risk.</p><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/RAFA_Anneli_Kruve_5119012e5d.jpg" alt="RAFA: Anneli Kruve" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_RAFA_Anneli_Kruve_5119012e5d.jpg 155w," sizes="100vw" width="899" height="900"></p><h5><strong>Role of AI in the identification of emerging food systems risks</strong></h5><ul><li>Ákos Bernard Jóźwiak from Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary</li></ul><p>AI-assisted evidence synthesis – spanning curated scientific evidence, exposome data, and network analysis – is the backbone of next-generation emerging chemical food safety risk identification, enabling earlier signals and more resilient surveillance systems.</p><h5><strong>Challenges of microplastics analysis in the context of food safety</strong></h5><ul><li>Dorte Herzke from Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway</li></ul><p>Food and food packaging are major sources of micro- and nanoplastic exposure. Plastics used in processing, storage, and packaging can release particles through heat, abrasion, and degradation. Small particles below 2 µm may cross gut barriers and carry chemicals, highlighting the need for robust and sensitive measurement methods.</p><h5><strong>Never-ending analytical challenges in PFAS analysis of food</strong></h5><ul><li>Darina Dvořáková from University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czechia</li></ul><p>Exploring and monitoring PFAS in food requires advanced strategies. Combining targeted, suspect, and non-target HRMS analysis, determination of total fluorine and sum parameters, and novel sensors provides new insights into PFAS occurrence and supports food safety monitoring.</p><h5><strong>An overview of the latest scientific knowledge on process contaminants in food for appropriate risk management measures</strong></h5><ul><li>Thierry Delatour from Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland.</li></ul><p>Recent scientific findings related to acrylamide and furans formation, occurrence and analytical methods in food provide important insights for risk management.</p>

Invited Speakers at RAFA 2026 Symposium

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Type of News

Focus

RAFA provides an overview of contemporary trends in ANALYTICAL & BIOANALYTICAL STRATEGIES IN FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY CONTROL and discusses CHALLENGES / NOVEL APPROACHES IN FOOD AND NATURAL PRODUCTS ANALYSIS.

Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA)

Bruker at ADLM 2026

Beyond ASMS — A Waters Innovation Road Show

Waters Corporation at ADLM 2026

PFAS & Our Planet: Textiles and Materials

Column Chemistry Compass: Navigating the Agilent HPLC and UHPLC Column Landscape

Empowering Omics Research Through Integrated Workflows and Strategic Collaboration