Reflections from the President EuroFoodChem XXIII
The central theme, CHEMISTRY OF WINSAF—Waste-less, Innovative, Safe, Attractive, and Sustainable Food Production – framed discussions on by-product valorisation, novel foods, sensors, contaminants, nutrition, and sustainable systems.
Highlights included plenary lectures from Vincenzo Fogliano (Wageningen University) on future food design, Vural Gökmen (Hacettepe University) on Maillard reaction products, Michael Murkovic (Graz University of Technology) on heat-induced contaminants of food, and Peter Šimko (Slovak University of Technology) on packaging interactions. Michaela Musilová (XtremeFrontiers) explored foods for space missions, while Manuel A. Coimbra (University of Aveiro) and Robert Wolff (SINTEF) addressed clean-label strategies and seafood by-product valorisation.
Keynotes by Benedikt Cramer, Paola Dugo, Urszula Gawlik-Dziki, Lenka Kouřimská, Elisabeth Koch (EuChemS Young Researcher Award), and Jane Parker further enriched the programme.
Workshops offered practical skills: literature and patent searching (Juliana Bezáková, SCSTI), career insights (How to Be Successful in Science and Business, with Michaela Musilová and Ján Hrouzek, moderated by Milan Čertík), and best practices in publishing (David Peralta, Wiley-VCH).
Beyond science, EuroFoodChem XXIII fostered community, bridging chemistry with engineering, nutrition, education, and policy. Bratislava’s accessibility and charm added cultural depth to the scientific exchange.
I am grateful to the Division of Food Chemistry of EuChemS, the Scientific Committee and the Local Organizing Committee, partners, sponsors, and all participants whose contributions made this congress outstanding. I look forward to continuing this momentum at EuroFoodChem XXIV, 15–18 June 2027 in Parma, Italy, as we shape a sustainable, safe, and innovative future for food chemistry.
