Running from Sunday October 29 through October 31, 2017, international food safety experts will gather at Cornell University for a symposium on the validation of nonthermal technologies, hosted by the university’s Department of Food Science. This symposium will address critical issues related to the validation of nonthermal processing methods used for controlling pathogens in foods and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, such as those set by the Food Safety Modernization Act. Leading experts from the U.S. and around the world—including representatives of U.S. regulatory agencies and the food industry—will discuss best practices and challenges related to the validation and adoption of nonthermal technologies for microbial inactivation. The symposium was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and contributions from the Department of Food Science at Cornell University, the Cornell Institute for Food Systems Industry Partnership Program and the New York State Association for Food Protection. The symposium has the support of the Nonthermal Processing Division of the Institute of Food Technologists and the European Federation of Food Science and Technology.

Topics that will be covered include the following:

• Overview of nonthermal processing methods for microbial inactivation: high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, high pressure homogenization, light-based treatments (UV, pulsed light), cold plasma, irradiation
• Mechanisms of inactivation of different types of microorganisms by nonthermal methods
• Critical issues for the adoption of novel processing methods for microbial inactivation to ensure compliance with FSMA
• Validation of nonthermal processing methods: regulatory requirements and best practices
• Round table discussion on validation and regulatory aspects of nonthermal involving academic researchers, industry and regulatory representatives
• Visit of the Cornell Food Science facilities and demonstration of various nonthermal technologies: high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, membrane filtration (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis), supercritical CO2, UV, pulsed light, LED light

For more information, please visit foodscience.cals.cornell.edu/news-events/symposium-2017.