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Programme

Proposed Outline

The proposed programme will include 2-days for Young Scientists and 2-days for the AOAC Africa Conference.

We encourage all participants to attend the full Thursday and Friday sessions to give all our speakers the opportunity to present to the full delegation.  The conference will end with our to-be-expected amazing closing dinner at the Olympus Sky Bar at Emperors Palace – always an event not to be missed.

 

TimeDescriptionSpeaker
11:00Registration for Young Scientist Conference OpensMarcia Room
12:30Opening Session (this will be in the Galleria Lunch venue)Dr Owen Fraser, President AOAC Africa
13:00Lunch 
14:00Visit to National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA)Young Scientists Only
18:30Social event at Tribes Restaurant, Emperors PalaceYoung Scientists & AOAC Africa Board

Tribes Restaurant @ Emperors
Tribes African Grill Restaurant at Emperors Palace

VENUE:  MARCIA ROOM @ EMPERORS PALACE
Time Description Details/Speaker
08:30 Delegates Arrival & Registration
Opening Session
09:00 Welcome and Opening Dr Owen Fraser, AOAC Africa President
09:10 Opening Remarks Dr Blaise Ouattara, FAO
09:20 Framing Remarks Anselm Riungu, SGS
Session 1
09:30 Addressing emerging and future issues that will impact AOAC Africa‘s Young Scientists now, in the near and mid horizon future Dr Owen Fraser, AOAC Africa, response by Anselm Riungu, SGS
09:45 Mentoring a next generation of scientists challenges and opportunities Prof. Lise Korsten, University of Pretoria
10:00 Panel Discussion Prof. Lise Korsten; Anselm Riungu, Dr Blaise Ouattara
10:30 Refreshment Break & Group Photo
Session 2 – Food Safety challenges, current and emerging food safety issues
11:30 PFAS – from ppb to ppq quantitation – getting ready for the 2035 ban proposed by the European Union Volker Kruft, Sciex
11:45 Microplastics in food – emerging concerns within marine food sources Tameka Taylor, Morgan State University
12:00 Monitoring Antimicrobial resistance in agricultural environmental settings Dr Loandi Richter, University of Pretoria
12:15 Question & Answer Session All presenters
12:45 Lunch
Session 3 – Food Safety challenges, current and emerging food safety issues (cont.)
14:00 Targeted proteomics: an emerging technique in food safety and authenticity Dr Karim Dhanani, Facts SA
14:15 Emerging trends in nutrition science Mark Hollingsworth, The Nutrition Society
14:30 Ethics in Analytical Science Tameka Taylor, Morgan State University
14:45 Question & Answer Session All presenters
15:15 Refreshment Break Anselm Riungu
16:00 Action Points & Manifesto Anselm Riungu
16:30 AOAC Africa Conference official Exhibitor Welcoming Reception Assembly Room II
 

VENUE – ASSEMBLY ROOMS

Time Description Speaker
08:00 Registration opens
09:00 Welcome Address Dr Owen Fraser, President AOAC Africa
09:30 Declaration from the Youth Conference Anselm Riungu, SGS
SESSION 1: The broader context around Safe and Sustainable Food Systems in Africa: AOAC Africa’s role in in meeting the challenges Chair: John Bee
10:00 The macro environment: economic and social challenges in Africa related to food safety, their relevance to analytical capacity and vice-versa Dr Eve Gadzikwa, SADCAS / Dr Blaise Ouattara, FAO-RAF
Ndwakhulu Mukhufhi, NMISA / Margie Lungu, PAQI
Francis Juma, Food Safety Africa
11:00 Contextualising to analytical capacity on the continent – the Laboratory Performance Benchmarking Program (LPBP) outcomes in detail Dr Maria Fernandes-Whaley, NMISA
11:30 Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Networking
SESSION 2: Ethics in analytical science in Africa
11:45 Ethics in science – overview perspective from Nutrition Society Mark Hollingsworth, The Nutrition Society
12:00 Laboratory Accreditation Standards in Africa Dr Eve Gadzikwa, SADCAS
12:15 Question & Answer Session All
12:45 Exhibitor Networking
13:30 Lunch  The Galleria
SESSION 3: Analytical Method Alignment, Laboratory Standards and Performance
14:30 Analytical method development, scope extension & alignment needs Dr Liberty Sibanda, Randox
14:45 Meeting the standard –ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Roselinda Kisero, Larbcorpt Testing Laboratories LTD
15:00 ISO 16140-3:2021 & Microbiological methods verification DeAnn Benesh, Neogen
15:15 Question & Answer Session
All
15:30 Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Networking
SESSION 3: Analytical Method Alignment, Laboratory Standards and Performance (cont.)
16:00 Lab accreditation, consistency of interpretation Gregory West, International Accreditation Service Inc.
16:15 Beyond laboratory QMS – achieving and sustaining laboratory standards and performance by design Dr Eve Gadzikwa, SADCAS
16:30 Establishing Working Groups around priority topics Dr Erin Crowley, Q-Laboratories
16:45 What are the challenges in lab standard performance and method alignment and how do we overcome it – an open discussion  John Bee + All presenters
17:30 Close of Day 1 – Free Evening

Day 2 – AOAC Africa 4th Annual Conference 2023

Time Description Speaker
08:30 Contextual session giving evolution of trade in African
ingredients and foodstuffs, rejection levels from ARSO, AfCFTA
Dr Hermogene Nsenginama, ARSO
SESSION 4: Key Analytical areas
08:45 Climate change and impact on mycotoxins occurrence and detection and emergency of diseases Prof. Mulunda Mwanza, North-West University
09:00 Explaining the inaction regarding the management of fumonisin contamination in Sub-Saharan Africa Prof. Limbikani Matumba, (Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
09:15 Optimization of aflatoxin detection methods in dried fish Prof. Mulunda Mwanza, North-West University
09:30 Emerging challenges for heavy metal determination in foods – increase need for speciation
09:45 Question & Answer Session  All presenters
10:00 Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Networking
10:30 Microbiology – working in a constantly variable microbial world Prof. Lucia Anelich, Anelich Consulting
10:55 Nutritional composition – quantification of sugars & sweeteners in foods Dr Averalda van Graan, SAFOODS & Dr Bianca van der Westhuizen, Nutrition Society of South Africa
11:10 Dietary supplements and indigenous remedies – analytical
challenges & solutions
Prof. David Katerere, Tshwane University of Technology
11:25 Questions & Answer Session All presenters
SESSION 5: Innovations in analytical methodologies 
11:30 Nucleic acid as target for microbiological analysis Dr Millan Patel, Pathogen DX
11:45 Regulatory challenges DeAnn Benesh, Neogen
12:00 Food Safety Risk and Compliance tracking Database for Africa – Federated Early warning system and establishing a public platform to inform policy development: AOAC Africa as major contributor Winta Sintayehu, African Union
12:15 Question & Answer Session All presenters
12:30 Exhibitor Networking
13:00 Lunch
SESSION 6: Immediate future challenges and opportunities relating to Safe and Sustainable Food Systems in Africa: AOAC Africa’s role in in meeting the challenges
14:00 Environmental testing and its role in improved management of food loss and waste Prof. Lise Korsten, University of Pretoria
14:15 Food adulteration, food fraud and testing for food authenticity Arne Dübecke, TCF²
14:30 African novel ingredients – food safety risk assessment, analytical challenges and regulatory considerations Reuben Gisore, ARSO
14:45 Question & Answer Session All presenters
15:00 Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Networking
15:30 Is Africa ready for Laboratory 4.0? What does it look like? What are the benefits? Wesley Feldmann, Lablink
15:30 The laboratory we want for Africa – Safe and Sustainable Food Systems in Africa: the role of the African analytical community in meeting the challenges Louis van Huyssteen, Microsep, Clemens Aepli, H.Ludi, Dr Owen Fraser, GoBiosis
16:30 Summary / Key outtakes and action points John Bee / Rapporteurs
17:00 Closing Session Dr Owen Fraser
17:15 Close of Conference
15:30 Official Conference Closing Dinner Olympus Sky Bar, Emperors Palace


Olympus Sky Bar @ EmperorsOlympus Sky Bar - Johannesburg