PROGRAM - 10th International Symposium on RAFA 2022

Significance of the Topic

The 10th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2022) gathered leading experts to address critical challenges in ensuring food safety, quality, authenticity and sustainability. By showcasing cutting-edge analytical techniques and data-driven strategies, the conference underlined the vital role of modern instrumentation and metrology in protecting public health, supporting regulatory frameworks and enabling innovation across the food supply chain.

Objectives and Program Overview

The symposium aimed to foster collaboration among academia, industry and regulatory bodies by providing a comprehensive forum that combined workshops, vendor seminars, plenary lectures, parallel oral sessions and poster presentations. Key goals included:

• Presenting recent methodological developments in spectroscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry and omics.
• Sharing experiences from European Reference Laboratories to enhance proficiency testing and standardization.
• Exploring smart sensing, portable diagnostics and data-intensive workflows for on-site and high-throughput analysis.
• Discussing strategies for emerging contaminants, circular economy practices and future trends in food analytics.

Methodology and Instrumentation

RAFA 2022 highlighted a broad array of analytical approaches, including:

• Vibrational spectroscopy (NIR, MIR) combined with chemometrics for rapid compositional screening.
• Liquid and gas chromatography (LC-MS/MS, GC×GC-TOFMS, GC-IMS) for targeted and non-targeted contaminant profiling.
• Ion mobility spectrometry and ambient MS techniques (REIMS, DART) for real-time fraud detection.
• NMR and stable isotope ratio analysis for authenticity and traceability assessments.
• PTR-MS and sensor platforms for headspace volatiles monitoring and process control.
• Microfluidics and paper-based assays for on-site mycotoxin and pesticide screening.
• Data fusion, machine learning and AI workflows to integrate multi-omics datasets and ensure model robustness.

Main Outcomes and Discussion

The sessions underscored progress in achieving lower detection limits, higher throughput and improved selectivity across diverse food matrices. Reference laboratory networks demonstrated the value of proficiency testing in harmonizing results. Workshops on metrology emphasized the need for traceable measurement data. Speakers showcased applications in allergen quantification, PFAS monitoring, mobile LIBS screening, circular food production risk assessment, and the impact of emerging omics tools on understanding food-health interactions.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Advances shared at RAFA 2022 enable:

• Enhanced QA/QC protocols for industry and regulatory laboratories.
• Rapid on-site testing solutions for field and processing environments.
• Comprehensive multi-residue and multi-class screening methods.
• Improved authenticity verification to combat adulteration.
• Data-driven decision support for food safety risk management.

Future Trends and Potential Uses

Looking ahead, integration of AI-driven data interpretation, smart sensors connected via IoT, and green sample preparation strategies will further transform food analytics. Emerging priorities include circular economy applications, personalized nutrition profiling, real-time process analytical technologies, and standardized omics reference databases to support regulatory and industrial implementation.

Conclusion

RAFA 2022 provided a dynamic platform where interdisciplinary collaboration accelerated knowledge transfer and set the stage for next-generation food analysis. By uniting metrological rigor, advanced instrumentation and digital innovation, the symposium charted a course toward more efficient, reliable and sustainable food control strategies.

References

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