Prof Pieter Gouws, Jacques Olivier and Michelle Gouws recently represented the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) at the Food Micro 2024 Conference held in Burgos, Spain, where their research was presented. The conference was hosted by the International Committee on Food Microbiology and Hygiene (ICFMH) which discussed global, relevant topics in the field of food microbiology.

Various workshops were hosted at the conference, of which the CFS team attended the Microplastics & Microbiome Interaction sessions. Prof Adreja Rajkovic, from Ghent University in Belgium, hosted the session and facilitated insightful discussions on Microplastics as a vector for pathogens in the food chain, as well as its newly described influence on the development of antimicrobial resistance.

From left to right: Michelle Gouws (PhD Student), Jacques Olivier (MSc Student), Prof. Adreja Rajkovic (ICFMH President, Ghent University), Prof. Pieter Gouws (CFS, Stellenbosch University)

A workshop hosted by Prof Luca Cocolin and Joanna Aldred, shed light on publishing with Elsevier. The workshop was geared towards postgraduate students and young scientists. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific writing was highlighted as one of the key concerns in publishing and brought valuable insights on the ethical use thereof.

Michelle Gouws (left) and Jacques Olivier (right) with the poster of MSc Graduate Karlene Lambrechts, Prof. Pieter Gouws and Dr. Diane Rip.

Three CFS posters were presented at the Conference:

1. Genetic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes from the fish industry in the Western Cape, South Africa using whole genome sequencing
2. The efficacy of metal-free photocatalysts for the solar-driven elimination of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes from water
3. The influence of essential oil compounds in animal feed on the presence of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli after continued exposure to subtherapeutic antimicrobials within food production systems

The conference enabled dynamic conversations between academia, the food industry and international agencies such as the World Health Organization paving the way for future collaboration.

Highlights of the conference include learning about the latest science-based trends for safe food production as well as conversations regarding One-Health with keynote speaker, Prof Bruno González Zorn, who will now be visiting South Africa in September.

Article supplied by: Prof Pieter Gouws