Below is the list of 2025 Annual Meeting Scientific Sessions. Please click on the title to access the full abstract.
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Strategic Contamination Control: Enhancing Quality Assurance, Regulatory Compliance, and Analytical Precision in Food Safety
Track: Quality Assurance & Reference Materials
Chair: Kevin Wakwabubi, F&S Scientific Limited
The increasing complexity of food safety challenges demands robust systems for contamination control. This Workshop explores the critical role of contamination control strategies (CCS) in ensuring food safety and product integrity. By embedding CCS into quality assurance (QA) processes, food manufacturers can effectively prevent, detect and mitigate contamination risks at every stage of production. Aligning CCS with regulatory guidelines, such as those from ISO, FDA and EFSA, ensures compliance with global food safety standards. Additionally, the implementation of CCS improves the accuracy of analytical testing, enhancing the precision of contaminant detection methods for pathogens, toxins, allergens and other foodborne hazards. This abstract examines the interconnectedness of contamination control strategies with quality analysis, regulatory compliance and food safety, providing a comprehensive framework for optimizing food safety outcomes. Through strategic integration, companies can enhance product safety, improve operational efficiency and foster greater consumer confidence in their products.
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Binary Methods: Goals, Performance Statistics, Validation, and Future Harmonization
Track: Bioinformatics, Chemometrics, & Data Analytics
Chair: Michael Sussman, USDA
Food analytical methods are classified as either continuous or categorical based on their response type. When a qualitative method is proposed as a standard assay, it must be validated to demonstrate its suitability for the intended purpose. This validation process depends on the availability of standard reference materials or an established reference method. While international standards provide guidance for this process, misinterpretations of performance characteristics—such as the limit of detection, level of detection, relative limit of detection, and probability of detection, in combination with statistical models ranging from the normal and Poisson distributions to the beta-binomial distribution and beyond —have led to inconsistencies. Adding to this complexity, different validation standards use different validation criteria. As a result, there is a growing need for harmonization to ensure comparability across methods. In this context, the potential application of Bayesian methods also arises. The potential of a Bayesian approach for a practical equivalence procedure has never been developed to provide an equivalence estimate in cases where results from similar matrices are compared. This Workshop will review the goals of categorical testing, current standard methods for validation and determining equivalence and the possibilities for potentially harmonizing or interchanging results from them.
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USDA Organic Certification and the Role of Residue Testing
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: Gwendolyn Wyard, Strengthening Organic Systems, LLC
Organic is the fastest-growing sector in agriculture with U.S. retail sales exceeding $69 billion last year. Inadvertent contamination of organic products from prohibited substances or the compromise of product authenticity by fraud can jeopardize the organic status of an otherwise compliant organic product, and lead to significant economic losses and trade disruption. Organic authenticity is essential for maintaining consumer trust in certified organic products.
Residue testing is a critical monitoring tool that the organic sector uses to evaluate efficacy of contamination prevention measures, demonstrate compliance with organic regulatory requirements, and maintain integrity of organic global supply chains. USDA-accredited certifiers are required to conduct periodic residue testing of organic products to verify that contamination prevention measures are effective. Industry is voluntarily testing as well, and many businesses have implemented highly technical internal residue testing programs to ensure organic integrity.
The landscape of analytical tools available to the food industry is quickly evolving. Testing methodologies are becoming more precise, and businesses have options of testing products at various stages of the supply chain. Developing and implementing an effective residue testing program must be considered on the farm and at each step of the supply chain and must rely on science-based information and product-specific attributes.
This roundtable will explore the requirements, challenges, and successes of using residue testing as a tool for protecting organic integrity. Audience members will gain a strong understanding of the organic regulatory framework, the status of USDA instruction, and critical aspects to consider when developing sampling and testing protocols.
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Wiley Award Symposium: Three Decades of Advances in Analytical Methods for Vet Drug Residues and Chemical Contaminants in Foods and Onwards
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chairs: Alfredo Montes-Niño, Microbióticos Paraguay SRL & Salvatore Parisi, Lourdes Matha Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology
The increasing demand for hygienically safe, legally produced, traceable, and sustainable food and feed commodities is one of the most challenging problems at present. At the same time, the remarkable augment of food and feed contaminants from the qualitative and the quantitative viewpoints is a real public-health emergency. After all, food and feed products can be considered as powerful contaminant collectors with obvious concentration effects during time. Possible contaminants – veterinary drugs, “eternal” pollutants, packaging-related intermediates able to migrate into foods, etc. – have been and still are a strong analytical concern worldwide. The Wiley Award symposium will honor the 2025 Harvey W. Wiley Award winner, Dr. Eric Verdon, with reference to his work and continued cooperation with AOAC in these ambits. Moreover, the discussion will explore past efforts in the last 30 years and future perspectives concerning analytical methods for veterinary drug residues and several contaminants in foods and other products. Different analytical topics will be discussed, including chromatography/mass spectrometry coupled applications with special emphasis on targeted/non-targeted resolution, and the characterization of industrial pigments in fish and seafood commodities. The geographic variability of invited Speakers will demonstrate the strong and synergic effect of cooperative union between different approaches when speaking of consumers’ safety and security. Special attention will be given to the challenges faced by developing countries, where limited analytical infrastructure and regulatory capacity often hinder effective residue monitoring.
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The Future of Microbiological Method Validation: AOAC Appendix J Revision
Track: Microbiology & Molecular Biology Methods
Chairs: David Legan, Eurofins & Laurie Post, Deibel Laboratories
AOAC has embarked on a project to revise and update the microbiological method guidelines presented in “Appendix J”. This project recognizes that both technology and user needs have changed since the guidelines were first published. At the start of the project, several areas were seen as deserving of consideration including:
Working group members and other relevant experts will discuss progress, addressing these questions and much more.
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Contaminants in Cannabis: Understanding the Industry’s Testing Landscape
Track: Hemp & Cannabis
Chair: Jini Glaros, CannaCAS
Cannabis products sold across the United States are commonly tested for various contaminants and adulterants to ensure consumer safety and purity. However, there is a great amount of debate regarding what testing is necessary and what analytes should be part of a testing panel. As the industry matures, these conversations become more and more common and recently, studies have started to emerge that provide scientific evidence which support the types of testing that should or should not be conducted. In this symposium, attendees will hear from various speakers who will present data that is directly related to contaminant and adulterant testing to help the audience better understand the industry landscape, so that evidence-based decisions can be made regarding suggested testing panels for cannabis products.
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Using Orthogonal Methods for Botanical ID by Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
Track: Botanicals & Dietary Supplements
Chairs: Cris Amarillas, Eurofins & Marisa Feller, Eurofins
The identification of botanical materials often requires a multi-method approach to ensure high certainty. High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), microscopy, and macroscopic analysis are traditional methods commonly used for botanical identification, with the emergence of genetic testing as a new layer of validation. This session will explore the application of orthogonal methods—combining multiple techniques to enhance confidence in botanical identity assessment, using AOAC OMA Appendix K as a framework. Key topics include strategies for integrating various methodologies such as molecular, chemical, and morphological tests to achieve higher reliability. Additionally, considerations will be given to the challenges of sampling across diverse populations and countries of origin, comparing wild-collected versus cultivated materials, and the impact of processing steps like extraction or microbial reduction. Special focus will pay to the challenges of sourcing botanical reference materials (BRMs) for validation, especially when accounting for phenotypic and genetic variation in plant samples. The session aims to highlight the importance of robust sampling practices and inclusive/exclusive panel design for accurate botanical identification in the face of diverse plant chemovars, chemotypes, and environmental factors.
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Current Developments in Analytical Testing Methods for Contaminants in Foods and Food Packaging
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: Victoria Siegel, Eurofins CAL
The monitoring and evaluation of chemical contaminants is a major challenge facing food suppliers globally. As the presence and impact of different components is researched, new chemicals are being identified as candidates for safety risks, and agencies are in the process of setting guidance or regulatory limits for an ever-increasing list of contaminants. This session will provide updates from method developers on the current approaches and test procedures that may be used to assess the content of chemical contaminants in foods, and food packaging.
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Understanding Nutritional Composition with Updated Methods Fit for Novel Foods
Track: Food Nutrition
Chairs: Jinchuan Yang, Waters & George Joseph, AsureQuality
Novel foods and ingredients can not only help increase the security and sustainability of the consumer food supply but also offer diverse sources for a balanced and healthy diet.
Plant-based proteins are gaining popularity for their sustainability, animal welfare, and health benefits. The pet food and animal feed markets have also grown rapidly. The amino acid analysis requirements for these foods and ingredients are not the same as those for dairy products. AOAC Method 2018.06, designed for dairy, was adapted to suit the new requirements. Optimized conditions achieved robust, repeatable amino acid separation in diverse plant and pet food samples.
Choline intake is critically low in post-menopausal women, impacting cognitive health. This study investigates Whey Protein Phospholipid Concentrate (WPPC) as a novel choline source. A randomized controlled trial will assess WPPC’s bioavailability, safety, and impact on serum metabolites, inflammation, and gut microbiota, supporting its potential role in dietary choline supplementation.
The CPMG pulse sequence, standardized in ISO 16756:2024 | IDF 259:2024, enables rapid, solvent-free fat analysis using TD-NMR. Originally applied to dairy, this method extends to meats and plant proteins, offering accurate, under-a-minute fat measurement. Its broad applicability supports efficient quality control across diverse food matrices within the AOAC food triangle.
The rise of novel foods and emerging ingredients presents significant analytical challenges in ensuring regulatory compliance, nutritional accuracy, and safety. This presentation explores key issues such as matrix interferences, the importance of method validation, and their roles in supporting reliable nutritional labelling and contaminant detection in innovative food products.
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From Raw Materials to Finished Products: Improving Food Safety Across the Food Value Chain via Elemental Analysis
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chairs: Eve Kroukamp, Agilent Technologies & Colleen Bryan, NIST
Metals can enter into foods and food additives through a variety of different means and can impact the quality and safety of foods. As our understanding of these contaminants improves, the regulatory landscape responds by lowering limits of detection and expanding the list of analytes of interest. While some elements are restricted based upon their elemental concentrations, others may require additional scrutiny via speciation studies if their concentrations exceed the allowable limits. In this session we’ll discuss methods and best practices for the characterization of nutritional and toxic elements in foods, food additives and food contact materials.
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Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Modeling for Enhanced Food Safety, Quality Control, and Product Development in a Laboratory Setting
Track: Bioinformatics, Chemometrics, & Data Analytics
Chairs: Chelsea St. Germain, Tate & Lyle & Hong You, Tate & Lyle
The food industry is rapidly evolving with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), enhancing food safety, quality control, sensory analysis, and product development. This session at the AOAC Meeting will explore AI/ML applications in contamination detection, supply chain optimization, sensory and mouthfeel analytics, and regulatory compliance.
AI-driven solutions—such as ML algorithms, computer vision, and predictive analytics—address key challenges in quality control and R&D. Laboratory experiments serve as essential sources of training and testing data for AI/ML models. Case studies will showcase successful AI/ML deployments in experiment management, quality testing, and product development, highlighting the impact of predictive analytics, LLMs, and AI-powered image recognition. Discussions will cover AI-ready data generation, real-time pathogen and contaminant detection, computer vision for defect inspection, and AI/ML applications in sensory analysis and product innovation, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations and streamlining documentation.
By fostering a deeper understanding of AI/ML technologies, this session will inspire food industry professionals to embrace AI-driven innovations. Attendees will gain insights into the latest advancements, best practices, and future trends, empowering them to leverage AI/ML across various aspects of the food industry.
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Molecular-Based Analytical Methods for Safeguarding Food and Dietary Supplement Integrity
Track: Microbiology & Molecular Biology Methods
Chairs: Zhengfei Lu, Herbalife Nutrition & Daniele Sohier, Hygiena
As the food and dietary supplement industry continues to grow, ensuring product quality, safety, and authenticity presents significant challenges. Advances in molecular technologies provide innovative solutions, complementing traditional analytical chemistry. This session explores the transformative role of molecular-based analytical methods in quality control, including DNA-based authentication of botanicals, mushrooms, and complex ingredients, detection of biological contaminants such as pathogens and allergens, and advanced methods for probiotics, from strain identification to viable cell quantification. Discussions will also address tools for detecting adulteration and fraud to safeguard raw materials and finished products.
Designed to gather diverse perspectives, this session will examine challenges and opportunities in adopting molecular tools for quality control in dietary supplements and food. It targets professionals using molecular analytical tools and participants in AOAC programs like AIMS, SPADA, and BIDSI. By sharing case studies, emerging technologies, and best practices, the session aims to inspire innovative approaches and promote cutting-edge molecular technologies to meet evolving industry demands.
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Navigating the Landscape of Accredited Dietary Fiber Methods
Track: Food Nutrition
Chairs: David Mangan, Neogen & Tadas Kargelis, Neogen
Since the adoption of the ‘Prosky’ method (AOAC 985.29) for dietary fiber analysis, there have been an additional 13 AOAC methods recommended by the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) and included in Codex Alimentarius (CXS-234), latest being the AOAC 2017.16 method adopted as Codex Type I method in 2022. AOAC 2022.01, an extension of AOAC 2017.16 that enables the separate measurement of soluble and insoluble fiber, has been referred by the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) to CCMAS in October 2024, and it is expected to be adopted as a Codex Type I method to replace the current Type I standard, AOAC 2011.25. Given the complex nature dietary fiber as an analyte and the presence of so many AOAC methods, navigating appropriate method selection can be extremely cumbersome.
This session will aim to give an opportunity for industry and academia to share latest updates on dietary fibre (DF) methodology, issues that have emerged and solutions proposed in this field of analysis. The session will hopefully drive meaningful discussion on the current landscape of DF analysis and support an ongoing AOAC program aimed to address method selection and other existing issues or gaps in the field.
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Cannabis Pesticides Testing: Analytical Challenges and Addressing Evolving Regulatory Gaps in Consumer Safety
Track: Hemp & Cannabis
Chair: Dan DeLurio, Restek & Erik Paulson, Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs
Since the establishment of state cannabis programs, contaminants testing of cannabis and its derivatives has become a typical regulatory requirement intended to protect patients and consumers. Pesticide residues particularly, a common contaminant, may pose significant and often undetermined risks to cannabis users who regularly ingest or inhale a wide variety of products available on the market. Currently, pesticide testing regulations vary widely from state to state, with discrepancies in the lists of pesticides tested and the number of targets analyzed. This inconsistency has raised concerns among industry experts about the adequacy of pesticide testing scope. In addition to state-to-state variation, there is also growing concern that some states’ pesticide regulations may fail to address the full range of risks associated with cannabis products on the market. Without an evolving and comprehensive testing framework, many consumers may unknowingly be exposed to harmful pesticide residues. This session will explore these challenges within the current testing and regulatory landscape by presenting real-world pesticide data that characterizes ongoing risks to public health and key industry stakeholders. Attendees will gain insight into emerging analytical challenges related to expanding pesticide testing in complex cannabis matrices, as well as methods and techniques to overcome these laboratory hurdles.
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Best Practices and Practical Applications for Non-Targeted Analysis
Track: Bioinformatics, Chemometrics, & Data Analytics
Chair: M. Lorna De Leoz, Agilent Technologies
Non-targeted analysis (NTA) has emerged as a crucial analytical technique for identifying chemicals without prior knowledge of their composition. This symposium delves into the harmonization of methods, best practices, and practical applications of NTA across food safety, environmental monitoring, and authenticity testing.
Key topics will include:
Method Harmonization: Strategies for standardizing NTA methods to ensure consistent and reliable results across different research communities.
Best Practices: Guidelines and tools to improve transparency, reproducibility, and performance metrics in NTA.
Practical Applications: Case studies showcasing the use of NTA in food safety, such as honey authenticity verification using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics techniques, and the detection of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in food contact materials using high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Join us to explore the advancements in NTA and its critical role in ensuring food and environmental safety, enhancing analytical reliability, and protecting public health.
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Bioinformatics in Foodborne Pathogen Genomics: From Sequence to Safety
Track: Bioinformatics, Chemometrics, & Data Analytics
Chairs: Pat Bird, bioMérieux & John Mills, bioMérieux
As the global food supply chain becomes increasingly complex, ensuring food safety is paramount. Bioinformatics, the integration of computational biology and data analytics, is increasingly playing a crucial role in enhancing food safety through improved detection, surveillance, and management of foodborne pathogens and contaminants. This symposium will explore the innovative applications of bioinformatics tools in the realm of food safety, from genomics-based pathogen detection to predictive models for contamination risk assessment. Presenters will discuss how next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metagenomics have revolutionized the identification of foodborne threats, enabling rapid and accurate diagnostics. Additionally, the potential for bioinformatics to inform outbreak investigations, trace food origins, and optimize regulatory frameworks will be examined. By leveraging large-scale datasets, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, bioinformatics offers novel solutions for proactively managing food safety concerns. This symposium will bring together experts in bioinformatics, microbiology, and food safety to share cutting-edge research, highlight current challenges, and explore future directions in the integration of bioinformatics into food safety practices.
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Complementary Analytical Methods and Robust Sampling for Comprehensive Quality Evaluation of Botanical and Fungal Dietary Supplements
Track: Botanicals & Dietary Supplements
Chair: Coleton Windsor, Nammex
The complexity of botanical and fungal dietary supplements poses significant challenges for their accurate identification and quality evaluation. Reliance on a single analytical method often falls short in capturing the multifaceted nature of these products, such as their chemical profile, genetics, macroscopic features, and organoleptic properties. Complementary approaches that integrate multiple testing methods (e.g. DNA based techniques, chromatography, spectroscopy, microscopy, and colorimetry) can provide quantitative and qualitative data, offering a more robust characterization. This session will discuss the application of multiple validated analytical methods, the role of authentic reference materials, and the design of robust sampling frames to ensure scientific rigor in assessing the identity and quality of dietary supplements. Emphasis will be placed on addressing emerging challenges in evaluating complex matrices, such as multicomponent formulations, closely related species, and various extract processing methods.
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Contaminated: Determination of PFAS in Everyday Foods and Drinks
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: John Schmitz, Eurofins
Contamination in food and beverages due to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been a concern for many years. The AOAC standard method performance requirements (SMPRs) for PFAS were released in late 2023 with many method submissions made for consideration for first action status. For both method reviewers and users, the primary concern in implementing any PFAS method is balancing sample preparation time, instrument sensitivity, result accuracy, method precision, and the scope of applicable matrices and analytes. Reliable analysis of PFAS in foods is critical for transparent reporting by food manufacturers and regulatory agencies. However, such analysis presents significant challenges. This symposium brings together leading scientific experts to discuss advancements in PFAS analysis, covering key aspects, such as cleanup, concentration, separation, and detection of PFAS in alcohol drinks, milk and infant formula, specifically, with an overall focus on food.
Current trends in PFAS analysis are expanding to include small and highly polar ultrashort-chain compounds, as well as the integration of simultaneous pesticide screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Incorporating these targets in a single sample preparation and analysis workflow would be ideal to a streamlined process. Additional concerns are reducing background levels of PFAS contamination and maintaining no/low carryover in the presence of high-level detections.
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Beyond the Known: Advances in Suspect Screening and Non-Targeted Analysis
Track: Food Authenticity & Food Fraud
Chairs: Thomas Gude, GmbH & Lukas Vaclavik, Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing
The globalization of food and dietary supplement supply chains has introduced new challenges in ensuring product safety and authenticity. As food systems grow more complex, advanced analytical methods are essential to detect emerging contaminants, food contact material migrants, and other threats. Non-targeted analysis (NTA) and suspect screening workflows have become vital tools, offering comprehensive approaches to identifying both known and unknown contaminants while verifying authenticity through chemical fingerprints.
This session will explore advancements in analytical technologies and software interpretation tools driving the evolution of NTA workflows. Leading scientists will share case studies highlighting the application of these tools in food safety and authenticity testing, focusing on detecting emerging contaminants, food contact migrants, and authentication. Discussions will address the challenges of managing complex data and efforts to standardize workflows across sectors. A Q&A session will provide attendees the opportunity to engage with experts, share insights, and explore the future of NTA in food and dietary supplements. Join us to learn how these workflows are shaping the future of food safety.
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Maintaining Public Trust in Food Safety and Quality: Expanding Testing Strategies to Address Emergent Contaminants and the Complexities of Ultra Processed Foods
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: Dominika Gruszecka, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Contaminants and unwanted materials in foodstuffs pose risks to consumers and damage brand reputation for producers. Identification and screening measures providing a rapid response prevent recalls and reduce public risk. Contaminated products erode consumer trust. Empowering laboratories to enhance strategies for identifying contaminants before they become a public hazard helps combat this distrust. Food additives such as food dyes or sanitizers spark debate among health-conscious consumers. Trace pesticides or sterilizers like ethylene oxide – intended to be adequately removed before a product reaches consumers – may remain on products at unsafe levels, and many are restricted for items intended for global trade. We hear of heavy metals found in children’s products as we vigilantly monitor foods for the youngest of our population. Identification of source contamination is crucial for the prevention of future issues. Traditional analytical methods focused on metals, pesticides, and adulterants must expand to encompass increasingly complex food products and contaminants. PFAS is an ever-growing list of contaminants to test, while ultra-processed foods pose complexities in matrix effects that impact accurate testing. This session will set the stage to discuss setbacks when testing complex foods, strategies used to overcome those challenges, and brainstorm forward-looking ideas for emergent contaminants.
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Advanced Analytical Methods in Nutraceutical Development: From Probiotics to Bioactive Compounds
Track: Botanicals & Dietary Supplements
Chairs: Marielle Weintraub, Eurofins & Hong You, Tate & Lyle
As consumer demand for science-backed nutraceuticals grows, the need for robust, validated analytical methods has never been more critical. This symposium brings together leading experts to explore cutting-edge tools and strategies that are shaping the future of nutraceutical quality control and innovation.
The session will begin with a presentation on the Quantification of Hyaluronic Acid Using HPLC-UV, showcasing the precision and reliability of high-performance liquid chromatography in measuring bioactive components. The next speaker will address Technologies for the Enumeration and Identification of Probiotic Multi-Strain Blends, highlighting new techniques that overcome traditional limitations in strain-level characterization.
Expanding the conversation into emerging ingredients, the third talk will focus on the Characterization of Novel Sources of Extracellular Vesicles as Nutraceutical Ingredients for Brain Health, offering insights into isolation, analysis, and functional assessment of these promising biomolecules. Finally, the session will conclude with a case study from a finished product manufacturer on the Challenges and Innovative Strategies of Identifying Individual Probiotic Species in Multi-Species Formulations using in-house quality control methods.
Attendees will gain practical knowledge of advanced analytical platforms, validation strategies, and the regulatory considerations essential to supporting claims and ensuring product integrity in a competitive marketplace.
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Probiotics Redefined: Strains, Standards and Solutions
Track: Botanicals & Dietary Supplements
Chairs: Zhengfei Lu, Herbalife Nutrition & Binu Koshy, U.S. Pharmacopeia
The global probiotic market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by consumer awareness, technological advancements, and demand for functional food. This surge has driven significant transformations in probiotic manufacturing, with modern products featuring complex formulations that combine multiple strains, prebiotic and postbiotic ingredients, and innovative delivery systems. While probiotics are regulated under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) guidelines, quality standards need to be developed to address the unique challenges posed by these emerging products. The rapid introduction of new strains and combinations, coupled with expanded use in vulnerable populations, highlights the urgent need for rigorous safety evaluations and quality specifications. Beyond safety, the clinical efficacy of probiotics hinges on two critical factors: the specific strain and the quantity of viable microorganisms. Ensuring product quality demands fit-for-purpose analytical methods to confirm strain identity and verify the presence of adequate live bacteria through the product’s shelf life in diverse formulations and delivery forms. This need requires not only innovative testing methodologies but also robust evaluation programs to manage the life cycle of these methods. This session will convene leading experts to explore these challenges and foster collaboration on setting quality standards for probiotics. Join us to navigate the intersection of science, innovation, and regulation and shape the future of safe, high-quality probiotic products.
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Looking to the Future: How Molecular Confirmation Impacts Food Safety: Will Colony Confirmation Still Be Used in 10 Years?
Track: Microbiology & Molecular Biology Methods
Chair: Nisha Corrigan, Hygiena
The rise of molecular confirmation methods in food microbiology is transforming how we manage microbial risks and impacting various aspects of the industry. This session explores these shifts across three critical areas: laboratory management, regulatory frameworks, and manufacturing.
For lab managers, the use of molecular techniques like PCR provides more precise pathogen identification, such as for Aspergillus. However, challenges persist in traditional plating methods, highlighting the need for seamless integration of molecular diagnostics in laboratory workflows. Attendees will gain practical insights into overcoming these hurdles.
On the regulatory front, the growing reliance on molecular confirmation is driving changes in federal, public health global food safety validation standards. This session will explore the evolving regulatory landscape, including new compliance requirements, and their broader implications for public health and international trade.
For manufacturers, molecular confirmation promises enhanced pathogen detection, but raises concerns around cost, scalability, and consistency in production settings. Industry experts will discuss the advantages of these technologies for improved public health and food safety, while addressing the challenges of ensuring both regulatory compliance and consumer confidence.
Join us as we look to the future and explore how molecular confirmation is reshaping the industry toward safer, more reliable food systems.
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Analyzing Chemical Contaminants: From PFAS to Natural Toxins
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: Quynh Le, Neogen
Accurate detection of food contaminants is essential for ensuring food safety and maintaining regulatory compliance amid growing global concerns. The analysis of chemical contaminants requires robust, innovative, and reliable methods. These challenges demand technologies that deliver high sensitivity, reproducibility, and throughput. This session highlights four major analytical advancements addressing critical contaminant detection gaps across diverse food matrices.
First, the EDGE PFAS™ system demonstrates efficient, automated solvent extraction for extracting Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from shellfish, offering high reproducibility and simplified sample handling. Second, an AI-based model using Generative Limited Sample Model (LSM) AI, a novel approach designed to eliminate analytical variability and standardize MOSH/MOAH analysis across laboratories. This innovation allows laboratories to move beyond subjective, manual data processing and embrace fully automated chromatographic deconvolution, matrix effect correction, and AI-driven regulatory compliance workflows. Third, a robust analytical method that enables almost 400 both polar and non-polar pesticides in tea to be analyzed under ESI and APCI utilizing a single dual source LC-MS/MS without running GC-MS/MS for nonpolar analytes. The method demonstrates low detection limits and minimal matrix effects. Finally, in response to the emerging risk of Ciguatera Poisoning (CP) in European subtropical regions of the Atlantic Coast of Europe, an integrated analytical framework combining with toxicology assay such ass LC-MS and the N2a-MTT cell assay was developed to allow the characterization of Caribbean ciguatoxins.
Together, these innovations represent a significant advancement in food contaminant analysis, supporting harmonized, efficient, and regulation-compliant testing across multiple chemical hazards and complex food matrices
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Exposing Food Fraud: Novel Methods for Food Authenticity Testing
Track: Food Authenticity & Food Fraud
Chairs: M. Lorna De Leoz, Agilent Technologies & Kasi Somayajula, The Coca-Cola Company
Food adulteration poses a serious global public health risk and is an utmost concern in food industry and regulation. Food fraud or food adulteration involves the deliberate addition or substitution of cheaper adulterants or the mislabeling of food and food products for economic gain. Factors such as supply chain disruptions, globalization, commodity-specific shortages, and rising popularity of online food purchases have all contributed to unprecedented food fraud threats for food & beverage manufacturers. The whole food supply chain is impacted by food fraud, resulting in economic and reputational damages, but most importantly, it poses a grave threat to consumer health. For example, the 2008 melamine-tainted infant formula scandal affected 300,000 infants and young children, resulting in six fatalities. This malpractice costs billions of dollars in global losses annually.
Due to the deliberate nature of food fraud and the extensive efforts by perpetrators to avoid detection, combating food fraud necessitates a comprehensive approach to detect and ensure effective oversight. There is an ongoing need to establish universally accepted analytical methods while constantly improving them to outpace sophisticated and dynamic deceptive practices by fraudsters. This symposium features leading scientific experts who will discuss novel approaches to determining the authenticity of food and food products.
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The Roles of Analytical Methods and Data in Food Allergen Risk Assessment
Track: Gluten & Food Allergens
Chair: Melanie Downs, Food Allergy Research & Resource Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Guidance for food allergen method developers focuses on standard performance parameters. In practice, the critical data parameters may depend on the situation. For method developers and laboratories, understanding the uses of analytical data is beneficial to enable clear communication and ensure methods and data are fit-for-purpose. One emerging application for food allergen analytical data is quantitative food allergen risk assessment, as highlighted by a recent FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens. Even within the heading of risk assessment, situations have different requirements for analytical data. Frameworks for making decisions about precautionary allergen labeling (PAL), including the Allergen Bureau’s Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labeling (VITAL) program, can work best with certain data. Risk assessment conducted in the context of incident management, however, may need to account for the characteristics of available analytical data in different ways. Risk-based approaches for characterizing ingredients derived from allergenic sources have other and very distinct needs for analytical data. This session will bring together international experts on food allergen risk assessment to build critical bridges with method developers and laboratories so stakeholders can work towards the goal of providing safer and broader food choices for allergic individuals.
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Chromatography Frontiers: Method Development for Complex Contaminant Analysis in Food Matrices
Track: Chemical Contaminants & Residues
Chair: Eric Verdon, ANSES
This session brings together a series of analytical updates starting from the collaboratively tested suitability of an LC/MS/MS method for quantifying 128 residual veterinary drugs in six various food matrices (honey, milk, egg, beef, pork liver, and lard) to end with the full display of a reliable sample automatized and LC-GC/hyphenated-chromatographic determination of mineral oil saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons in a broad range of food matrices. In addition, you will hear about the multi-addressing detection and quantification of ergot alkaloids in wheat by triple combination of ELISA, LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS approaches. And it will be possible to learn from a GC-MS/MS headspace method tracking the carcinogenic ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol residues in several multicomponent spice seasoning highly challenging matrices. Interested in these challenges? Please come and have a seat and talk with us.
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Biological Variance: The Achilles Heel for Databases and Authentication
Track: Quality Assurance & Reference Materials
Chair: Benjamin Place, NIST
There are two fundamental truths in analytical chemistry: every measurement has an inherent degree of uncertainty (variance) and the variance will increase as more experimental factors and/or computational steps are included. Variance has a profound effect on databases and authentication. The classic student’s t test determines the significance of the difference of the means of two populations after normalization by the variance. Plant materials will have variance arising from genetics (genus, species, cultivar), environment (season, location, weather), and management (in the field or in the factory). These metadata influence the computed mean and variance of every material. How many samples should be used for a phytochemical database? How many samples should be used for an authentication method? Statistics dictate a rigorous answer while practicality suggest an approach with far less rigor. In addition, how much do we wish to know about the sources and magnitude of variance, how can we make these measurements, and how do we include non-targeted methods of analysis which are far more robust in characterizing a botanical material? This session will consider the number of samples and sample selection necessary to account for variance, methods for computing variance, the accuracy and utility of authentication methods, and the accuracy of phytochemical databases.
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Emerging Microbial and Molecular Biology Methodologies for Environmental Water Testing
Track: Microbiology & Molecular Biology Methods
Chair: Patrick Freeze, Phigenics, LLC
Safe drinking water is essential for public health, where accurate testing is required to ensure its continual quality. However, traditional methods for detecting microbial contaminants are often slow, laborious, and lack sensitivity. As such, this session will explore the latest advancements in microbial and molecular biology, providing rapid and precise tools for identifying pathogens and other biological contaminants in water.
This session will showcase emerging methodologies and innovative approaches in water quality analysis, including, but not limited to:
This session will also address the challenges and opportunities in implementing these novel methodologies for routine water quality testing. Researchers, scientists, and practitioners involved in environmental microbiology, water quality management, and public health will find this session highly informative.
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Funky Food Forensics: Innovative Analytical Techniques for Species Authentication and Fraud Prevention
Track: Food Authenticity & Food Fraud
Chairs: Tina Cai, FDA & Brendan Lichtenthal, Bruker
Fraudulent activities pose significant challenges across various sectors, necessitating robust analytical techniques for effective authentication and prevention. This symposium explores methodologies employed in the detection and mitigation of fraud. Key topics include the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and forensic analysis in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of fraud detection systems.
The symposium will also address speciation among analyzed media and certain regulatory frameworks essential for the implementation of these techniques. By fostering collaboration among researchers and practitioners, this event aims to advance the field of fraud prevention and authentication, contributing to the development of more secure and trustworthy systems.
