Course
Genetics and physiology of food-associated micro-organisms
8th edition
Background
There is considerable public interest in the microbial quality, safety and functionality of food. This is clearly reflected in consumer demands for foods that are more convenient, fresher, more natural, less heavily preserved and less reliant on added preservatives. Such developments may include a reduction in the intrinsic preservation efficacy of foods and innovations in this area will be difficult to achieve without a greatly improved understanding of the physiology of spoilage microbes and food-borne human pathogens. Novel effective procedures will be developed only if they are based on a thorough basic understanding of the genetics and physiology of the micro-organisms of concern including their virulence characteristics. Micro-organisms deliberately used in food and feed, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and fungi, play an important role in food and feed fermentations and the production of safe and wholesome foods and are therefore included in the course.
Target group
Persons interested in this advanced course should have a graduate level in life sciences or a comparable background. The course may attract microbiologists, food scientists, and biotechnologists.
Course aim
This advanced course aims to develop expertise in (functional) genomics, ecology and physiology of food-associated micro-organisms, in particular with respect to their reactions to a variety of stresses that can be imposed deliberately on micro-organisms during food processing, by food preservation techniques including fermentation, during distribution and storage, and in the human GI-tract.
Course design
The course will be composed of
- lectures with ample opportunity for discussions
- an interactive session on communication skills
- a guided tour at Wageningen UR campus
- a site visit with presentations and a lab/pilot scale research facilities tour at Wageningen Food and Biobased Research.
Programme topics
- Bacillus sporulation and germination
- Responses to novel preservation techniques
- Single cell analysis and heterogeneity
- LAB bacteriocins and applications
- Spoilage fungi
- Fungi in biotechnology
- Bacteriophages in LAB
- Stress response and virulence in food pathogens
- Pathogen-host interactomics
- Eco-physiology of the human GI-tract
- Signal transduction
- Microbial transporters
- Robustness biomarkers
- Small RNAs
- Biocide & antibiotic resistance
- Phenotype genotype matching
- Microbial systems biology
Organisation
Course coordinators
- Prof Tjakko Abee, Laboratory of Food Microbiology - Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Other faculty
- Prof C Hill, University College Cork and Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Cork, Ireland
- Prof B Kallipolitis, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Prof H Ingmer, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Dr R Notebaart, RadboudUMC Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Dr J Dijksterhuis, Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Dr MHJ Wells-Bennik, NIZO food research, Ede, The Netherlands
- Prof M Kleerebezem, Prof J. Wells, Host-Microbe Interactomics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Prof EJ Smid, Dr HMW den Besten, Prof MH Zwietering, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Prof HAB Wösten, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Dr M Nierop Groot, Prof J Hugenholtz, Food and Biobased Research, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands
General information
Date & duration
The course is scheduled from Monday 21 November (starting at 8.45 a.m.) till Wednesday 23 November 2016 (closure at 1.30 p.m.).
Study load
The study load of this course is 0.8 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
More information about the contents of the course can be obtained from:
Prof. Tjakko Abee
phone: +31 317 484981
email: Tjakko.Abee@wur.nl
For organisational matters please contact:
Chantal Doeswijk
The Graduate School VLAG
P.O. Box 17
6700 AA Wageningen
The Netherlands
phone +31 317 485143
email: Chantal.Doeswijk@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
The course venue is Conference Centre Hof van Wageningen. A number of hotel rooms have been blocked at Hof van Wageningen. Accommodation cost are € 75, - (single room; bed & breakfast). Participants have to book their own room by sending an email to: info@hofvanwageningen.nl. Please book your room before 1 October and mention booking code GEN16.
The town of Wageningen is 5 km form Ede-Wageningen railway station and can be reached by taxi or bus. Ede-Wageningen railway station is about one and a half hours from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. For train schedules visit: www.ns.nl
Social programme
There will be drinks and food on Monday evening, 21 November 2016, and a course dinner on Tuesday evening, 22 November 2016.
Registration & course fee
To register please complete the electronic reply form before 17 October 2016.
The number of participants to the course is limited to 40. Registrations are accepted in the order in which the registration form is received.
Instructions for payment, a letter of acceptance and further course details will be sent to the applicants within two weeks after registration and at the latest on 19 October 2016. Cancellation may be made free of charge until 17 October 2016. After this date the charge will be 25% of the fee paid or due. Substitutions may be made at any time until the start of the course. The course fee includes printed materials, coffee/tea during breaks, lunches and two dinners (Monday & Tuesday) but does not cover accommodation. The course fee depends on the participant's affiliation:
| VLAG / WU PhD candidate | € 175 |
| PhD candidates | € 375 |
| University staff / Non -Profit | € 550 |
| Industry / For-Profit | € 1100 |