It is our great pleasure to welcome you in Bragança, Portugal, for the International Seminar
“ArtiSaneFood – Biopreservation and Risk Modelling Approaches”, which is organised as
the final scientific event of the PRIMA-funded project “Innovative Bio-interventions and Risk
Modelling Approaches for Ensuring Microbial Safety and Quality of Mediterranean Artisanal
Fermented Foods (2019-2023)”. The core objective of the ArtiSaneFood International Seminar
is to present to the scientific community the project’s main results, which deals with the
application of natural preservatives and biocontrol interventions for improving the safety of
artisanal fermented foods produced in the Mediterranean. The International Seminar is also
intended to provide a forum for the exchange of results from other ongoing research projects;
and for the identification of research needs and pathways for ensuring safety, quality and
recognition of artisanal, traditional and regional foods.
The ArtiSaneFood International Seminar aims to bring together researchers holding an genuine
interest in the creation of the ArtiSaneFood nucleus platform that could promote and sustain the
development of future industry-driven national and international projects, in the wider
context of ensuring quality, valorisation, nutrition, beneficial health effects and societal
impact. The International Seminar reunites researchers in the fields of food preservation and
processing, chemistry of extracts, functional foods, biotechnology, microbiology, molecular
biology, and predictive modelling. The scientific programme includes lectures, technical
communications and e-poster presentations allocated in the following sessions:
o Bio-preservatives as agents to ensure quality of artisanal foods;
o Bioprotective lactic acid bacteria in artisanal foods;
o Microbiome characterisation of fermented foods;
o Challenge testing and predictive modelling in artisanal foods; and
o Miscellaneous topics on quality of traditional foods
We, as food researchers based in a Mediterranean mountain region, are aware that the
production of artisanal foods plays a key role in the development of rural regions, since the
agricultural commodities used as raw materials are generally produced locally, allowing and
stimulating local commercialisation and employment. It was therefore inspiring for us to have
received a total of 70 submissions from researchers concerned about and actively working
towards the valorisation of Mediterranean traditional foods.
We look forward to lively discussions, and hope that this meeting will give all of us the
opportunity to share ideas, strengthen cooperation, and engage in future research and
divulgation endeavours such as the ArtiSaneFood nucleus platform.
