Food and Packaging Technology

Manfred Eggersdorfer is Senior Vice President for Nutrition Science & Advocacy at DSM Nutritional Products. He studied chemistry at the Technical University Munich and did his PhD in organic chemistry in the field of synthesis and characterization of unusual amino acid. He was post-doc at the Stanford-University,California working with Carl Djerassi on the isolation and characterization of sterols from marine origin. Manfred Eggersdorfer is active as professor for Healthy Ageing at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Groningen. He is member of the Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Curatorial for Innovation, and affiliate of various other organizations.

He is author of numerous publications in the fields of vitamins, innovation in nutritional ingredients, and renewable resources, reviewer for a variety of journals and associate editor of the “International Journal of vitamin and Nutrition Research.

Chemist from University of Patras , Msc in Quality Assurance. Technical Director and co-founder of Food Allergens Lab (analytical laboratory dedicated in food analysis). Thirty years experience on olive oil analysis (QA mamager of Minerva Oleic the greatest Greek extra virgin olive oil Industry). Reviewer of Journal of American Oils Chemistry Society. Member of : Greek National Supreme Chemical Council, Scientific Committee of National Greek Olive Oil Festival, Horizontal Committee of Greek Accreditation Body (ESYD). President of Organizing Committee of Greek National Biotechnology & Food Technology Congress. Greek National Representative in European TWG/FDM (IPPC Directive), Euro Lipid Forum, World Science Poultry Association, Board of Hellenic Chemists Association. 55 Publications mainly on olive oil ( Scopus H index 4). Honored by the MedDiet 2005 award. Presentations in Congresses of Euro Lipid Forum, AOAC, AOCS, WSPA.

Food safety, Food assurance

Dr. Vijai Shukla is an Indian-Danish food scientist, Researcher and Professor in lipidology, and a central figure in the study of essential fatty acids. He is also the President of the International Food Science Center based in Denmark, Fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and Adjunct Professor to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at University of Minnesota. Dr. Vijai K S Shukla is author of nearly 100 original scientific publications, 12 invited review papers, 15 book chapters in the areas of biochemistry, human nutrition, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, enzymology, modern analytical techniques for the separation of lipids and proteins. He is the editor of six books.

Dr. Vijai K S Shukla research interests have ranged from physical phenomena to mechanism of autoxidation, isolation of lipids, spectral phenomena related to lipids, modern analytical methodology and involvement of essential fatty acids in health and diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Batten's syndrome. He has shown essential fatty acid deficiency in multiple sclerosis and Batten's disease. These were related with glutathione peroxidase activity and antioxidants requirements in these diseases. He has also analyzed arctic diet in Greenland Eskimos and compared with Danes elucidating some of the mechanism of coronary heart diseases in these population groups. In his research work, Dr. Shukla employs modern analytical methodology in order to resolve various scientific problems.

Dr. Sandra Poirier has been employed at Middle Tennessee State University, USA, since 2005. She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Family and Consumer Sciences from Florida State University and University of Arizona respectively. Her doctorate was received in 1998 from Florida International University in Miami, Florida with her dissertation in the area of health-related quality of life. Prior to coming to MTSU, Dr. Poirier taught three years at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Additionally, she has worked at the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service, and the Provincial Government of Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Poirier has more than 15 years of international teaching experience working in culturally diverse environments. Her strengths include creating innovative educational programs with a focus on food and culture, identifying appropriate outreach efforts to solve community problems, and empowering students for successful careers. She has been recognized for her ability to create and teach online courses, work as an advisor for student organizations, and creating positive educational environments for optimal learning. She has published over 25 journal articles and been invited to speak in Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Austria, Puerto Rico, and the Andros Island in the Caribbean.

Associate Professor Yiannis Kourkoutas is Head of the Laboratory of Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology at the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, at Alexandroupolis, Greece. He obtained his first degree in Chemistry in 1997 and his PhD in Food Biotechnology in 2002, both from the University of Patras, Greece. He further continued for Post-Doctoral studies at the University of Ulster, UK. His current main research focus is on bioprocesses, novel food product development and nutrition (novel functional foods with potential health benefits, exploitation of agro-industrial wastes, high-added value products, etc). He has more than 200 publications/communications, including 77 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 14 chapters in books, 105 conference proceedings and 4 patents (citations>1400; h-factor: 20). He has been invited as a plenary keynote lecturer and has served as chairman in several conferences. He has participated in many research projects (totaling more than 3,850,000€), coordinating most of them. His funds derive from EU (7th FP), National Grants (Generally Secretary of Research and Technology, Greece) and the Food/Agriculture Industry. He has also served as Associate Editor in scientific journals, as Lead Guest Editor in many special issues, as reviewer in a high number of scientific journals and as evaluator of research proposals in national and European calls.

His works focus its action on the subjects of food and environmental biotechnology and nutrition, with the aim of developing innovative technologies for the production of (a) new functional foods with potential beneficial effects on health (probiotics and prebiotics, natural products with positive effects, pharmaceuticals food, etc.) and (b) high added value products through the exploitation of various waste from the agro-industry by combining modern applications of Biotechnology.