PROGRAM - 6th International Symposium on RECENT ADVANCES IN FOOD ANALYSIS (RAFA)

Importance of the topic

The safety, quality and authenticity of food and feed are critical for public health, regulatory compliance and consumer confidence. Advanced analytical methods enable rapid detection of contaminants, toxins, residues and adulterants across complex matrices.

Objectives and overview

The 6th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2013) gathered researchers, industry experts and regulators to present state-of-the-art methodologies, share case studies and discuss new challenges in food and feed analysis.

Methodology and instrumentation

Key techniques showcased at RAFA 2013 included:

• Chromatography–mass spectrometry: LC–MS/MS, UPLC–HRMS, GC×GC–TOF MS, GC–QTOF, GC–MS/MS
• High-resolution and accurate-mass analyzers combined with ion mobility and ambient ionization (DART, ASAP, DESI, LESA)
• Spectroscopic platforms: infrared, near-infrared, Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), fluorescence imaging
• Automated sample preparation: QuEChERS, SPE, immunoaffinity, accelerated solvent extraction, microextractions
• Chemometric and bioanalytical tools: metabolomics, proteomics, molecular biology assays and biosensors

Main results and discussion

RAFA 2013 featured:

• Plenary lectures on foodomics, new contaminants and regulatory perspectives
• Oral sessions covering rapid methods, nanoparticles, contamination risk assessment, authenticity testing, flavor markers, mycotoxins, pesticides, veterinary drugs and allergens
• Hands-on workshops on spectroscopy, chemometrics, ambient MS and career guidance
• Extensive poster sessions presenting over 300 studies on method development, validation and application in real samples

Benefits and practical applications

The advances presented improve screening throughput, sensitivity and specificity for multi-residue analysis, enable on-site or near-real-time testing, strengthen fraud prevention and support routine and regulatory laboratories with robust workflows.

Future trends and potential applications

Emerging directions include portable and ambient mass spectrometry for field use, machine learning for complex data interpretation, integrated foodomics approaches for comprehensive quality control and mobile device-based sensors for consumer-level monitoring.

Conclusion

RAFA 2013 highlighted multidisciplinary innovations that are redefining food and feed analysis, fostering collaboration between academia, industry and regulators to ensure safer, more authentic and higher-quality products.

References

The conference program did not list specific literature references.