PROGRAM - 5 International Symposium on RECENT ADVANCES IN FOOD ANALYSIS (RAFA)

Significance of the topic

The 5th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2011) brought together analytical chemists, researchers, industry specialists and vendors to address emerging challenges in food safety, quality and authenticity. By focusing on state-of-the-art tools and methodologies, RAFA 2011 highlighted the critical role of advanced analytical chemistry in guaranteeing consumer protection and supporting regulatory compliance across the food chain.

Objectives and overview of the conference

RAFA 2011 aimed to:

• Showcase novel techniques for detecting contaminants (environmental toxicants, mycotoxins, natural toxins, processing by-products and veterinary residues).
• Demonstrate rapid and high-throughput methods for routine quality control and screening.
• Explore authenticity and traceability approaches for food products.
• Investigate emerging topics such as nanoparticles in food, flavour profiling and allergen detection.
• Foster collaboration between academia, industry and vendors through workshops, vendor seminars and poster sessions.

Held on November 1–4, 2011 at the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, the symposium featured plenary lectures, parallel oral sessions, vendor showcases, satellite workshops and poster presentations.

Methodology and structure

RAFA 2011 combined diverse formats to maximise interaction and knowledge transfer:

• Plenary sessions introduced EC research priorities, nanotechnology in the food chain and high-impact detection strategies.
• Parallel oral sessions covered topics such as food contaminants, rapid methods, authenticity, food allergens, nanoparticles, natural toxins and general food analysis.
• Vendor seminars provided hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge instrumentation and workflows.
• Satellite workshops addressed career opportunities for young scientists and applications of infrared/Raman spectroscopy in agricultural products.
• Poster areas and E-presentations facilitated informal discussions and networking.
• Special open days by the NanoLyse and CONffIDENCE FP7 projects showcased collaborative results on nanoparticle characterization and rapid contaminant screening.

Main themes and discussions

Key topics of RAFA 2011 included:

• Environmental contaminants: methods for PCBs, PAHs, perfluorinated compounds and heavy metals in food and feed.
• Mycotoxins and natural toxins: multi-residue LC–MS/MS assays and immunoassays for fungal, marine and plant-derived toxins.
• Rapid methods: high-throughput LC–MS/MS, DART–MS, immunosensors and biosensors for on-site screening.
• Authenticity and traceability: isotope ratio analysis, metabolite profiling, fingerprinting and chemometrics.
• Food allergens: advanced LC–MS techniques, real-time PCR, SPR and lateral-flow devices for multiplex allergen detection.
• Nanoparticles in food: emerging analytical approaches including field-flow fractionation, ICP-MS and SPR biosensors.
• Flavour and quality markers: omics-based profiling, gas chromatography-olfactometry and PTR-MS for aroma analysis.

Benefits and practical applications

Attendees gained insights into validated protocols and collaborative networks for food analysis. The symposium enabled:

• Access to comparative instrument demonstrations and vendor-supported seminars.
• Cross-disciplinary exchange between regulatory bodies, research institutes and instrument manufacturers.
• Identification of best practices for method validation, proficiency testing and reference material use.
• Discussion of industry needs versus scientific capabilities to shape future research priorities.

Future trends and perspectives

RAFA 2011 underscored ongoing developments:

• Integration of high-resolution accurate-mass spectrometry and ion mobility for non-target screening.
• Miniaturised, on-chip and lab-on-a-chip platforms for rapid field testing.
• Holistic omics and metabolomics approaches for comprehensive food profiling.
• Smart sampling materials and molecularly imprinted polymers for selective analyte capture.
• Advanced data analytics, automation and artificial intelligence to manage complex datasets.

Conclusion

RAFA 2011 successfully demonstrated the breadth of analytical innovations driving food safety and quality. By fostering collaborations across the food analysis community and showcasing rapid, robust and cost-efficient methods, the symposium set the stage for future breakthroughs in ensuring the safety, authenticity and traceability of food and feed.