Day 1 – 8 September 2026
08:15–09:00 Registration and welcome coffee
09:00–09:30 Opening remarks
09:30–10:00 Plenary Lecture
10:00–11:15 Session 1: Sustainable food ingredients through biotechnological innovation
- Tailored enzymatic processes for clean-label ingredient production
- Biotechnological valorization of food industry by-products
- Microbial and algal systems for sustainable ingredient production
- Novel plant protein processing using mild biotechnologies
- Integrative biorefineries for multifunctional ingredient streams
11:15–12:30 Session 2: Fermentation and upcycling in food systems
- Lactic acid and fungal fermentations for flavor and nutrition
- Industrialization of traditional fermentations
- Multi-strain and co-culture fermentations
- Bioprocessing of food waste streams for functional protein and aroma generation
12:30–14:00 Lunch and poster viewing (part I)
14:00–15:15 Session 3: Microbiome-active foods and health functionality
- Plant-derived prebiotics, fibers, and postbiotics
- Food-microbiota interaction in human nutrition
- Safety and functional assessment of biotech-derived food ingredients
- Evidence-based microbiome modulation strategies
15:15–15:45 Coffee break
15:45–17:00 Roundtable 1: Clean-label biotech – aligning innovation with consumer expectations
- What qualifies as “natural” in a biotech-driven food system
- Consumer perception and science-based communication
- Translating health benefits into trust and market success
17:00–18:00 Poster flash talks and innovation pitch session
18:00–19:00 Apéro and networking reception
19:30–22:00 Conference dinner
Day 2 – 9 September 2026
08:45–09:30 Plenary Lecture
09:30–10:45 Session 4: Enabling technologies in food biotechnology
- AI, machine learning, and omics in food fermentation and formulation
- Biosensors and smart diagnostics for process control
- Biopolymer packaging and shelf-life monitoring
- Digital twins and model-based optimization in biotech food production
10:45–11:15 Coffee break and poster viewing (part II)
11:15–12:30 Session 5: Ethics, regulation, and societal impact of food biotech
- Harmonization of EU regulatory frameworks for biotech-enabled foods
- Public-private partnerships for innovation scale-up
- Life cycle analysis and circularity metrics in food biotech
- Ethical dimensions of food biotechnology in global food systems
12:30–13:30 Lunch
13:30–14:30 Roundtable 2: Policy pathways to enable sustainable food biotechnology
- Risk perception vs. benefit communication
- Addressing regulatory bottlenecks
- Stakeholder engagement in food innovation policy
14:30–15:00 Closing and awards ceremony