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LABIP Expert Workshop 2024 “AI tools for fermentation modeling” 7-8 November 2024

LABIP will have its 2024 Expert Workshop 7-8 November 2024 at the Lesaffre facilities in Lille, France with the overall title “AI tools for fermentation modeling”

With the Expert Workshop 2024 LABIP will give its members the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experienced researchers within this field regarding the future application of AI tools for fermentation modeling.

9 well-known experienced researchers have signed up to give their views on this topic at the Expert Workshop.

There is currently a growing acknowledgment that fermentation processes can provide new sustainable solutions to improve food, feed and dietary supplements

In this context Artificial Intelligence AI and modeling can provide fast, useful and reliable tools to develop new functional and beneficial micro-organism.

The Expert Workshop will address and elucidate different issues of applying AI tools and fermentation modeling for functional and beneficial microbes such as Lactic Acid Bacteria, Yeasts, Molds, Firmicutes and other relevant microbes.

The program for the Expert Workshop:

Venue: Lesaffre Campus 101 rue de Menin, 59700 Marcq en Baroeul, France

Thursday 7 November 2024:

12:00                   Arrival and Lunch

13:00                   Welcome and introduction to the Expert workshop / Sophie Legrain, LABIP

1.        Definitions

“Beyond the buzz – What is AI? How can it be leverage for bioscience” / Mathieu Clement-Zika, Lesaffre, FR

2.        Predictability

“Ominicrobe a user-friendly database linking fermented food, microbial taxonomy and functionalities of microbial species” / Helene Falentin, INRAe , FR

“Alpha Food” / Claus Heiner Bang- Berthelsen, DTU, DK

15:30                   Coffee

3.        Metabolic modeling/genomics

“non-GMO improvement of yeasts and LAB guides by metabolic models” / Kiran Patel, Cambridge University, UK

“Revealing the dynamics and mechanisms of bacterial interactions in cheese production with metabolic modeling” / David Sherman, INRAe, FR

 “Data-driven or mechanistic models for fermentation: can we do both / Bas Teusink, VU Amsterdam, NL

18:00                   End of day 1.

                                 Transfer to Hotel Najeti Lille Nord, Airfield Park, 59910 Bondues.

19:00                   Drinks and Dinner

Friday 8 November 2024

09:00                   Welcome and impressions from day 1 / Sophie Legrain / LABIP

4.        Application and upscaling

“Efficient optimization of plant-based products by application of fermentation technology” Sanne Wiersma, WUR, NL

“Integrating genetic algorithms and language models for enhanced enzyme design” / Yves Gaetan Teukam, University of Eindhoven, NL

“GEMs, kinetic modeling and fluid dynamics for scaling up fermentation processes” / Carl Johan Franzen, Chalmers, SE

11:00                   Panel discussion and recommendations / Sophie Legrain, LABIP

12:00                   End of Expert Workshop and Lunch

14:00                  Departure

The outcome of this Expert Workshop will be published in a LABIP position paper.

Francesco Carratta from Nestle, R&D, CH will be the lead writer of this position paper.

LABIP Members can attend the Expert Workshop by e-mail to LABIP Secretary esbenlaulund@live.dk by Monday 30 September 2024

Sophie Legrain from Gnosis by Lesaffre elected as President of LABIP

At the Steering Group meeting in LABIP held 6 December 2023 Sophie Legrain from Gnosis by Lesaffre was unanimously elected as President of LABIP.

Sophie Legrain

Sophie replace Esben Laulund from Chr. Hansen as President.

At the LABIP General Assembly held at the LAB 14 Symposium in August 2023 our long serving secretary and one of the founding fathers of LABIP Aat Ledeboer stepped down as secretary and was replaced by Esben Laulund.  

The LABIP Steering Group now consist of the following members:

Sophie Legrain, Gnosis by Lesaffre. Chairman

Arjen Nauta, Friesland-Campina. Treasurer

Bruno Pot, Yakult

Jean-Philippe Obert, IFF

Raish Oozeer, Danone

Patrick Derkx, Chr. Hansen / Novonesis

Stephane Duboux, Nestle

Esben Laulund , Secretary

LABIP Awards at the LAB 14 Symposium

The LABIP awards are given within the following categories:

–                        The LABIP award for Mid-career Senior Researcher – accompanied with 2500 €

–                        Best Poster :   LABIP will give 3 prizes each of 500€

The LABIP 2023 Award for Mid-career Senior Researcher:

The prize gives for the persons work in relation to :

  • Relevance to industrial application.
  • Upfront and novel research findings.
  • High Scientific Quality
  • The person to be able to bridge the gap between Research and Industry
  • Have proven to be a project manager
  • Have a high personal integrity

The prestigious LABIP Mid-Career Senior Research Scientist was awarded to associate Professor Giovanna Felis from Verona University in Italy for her outstanding work in relation to the elaboration and introduction of the new taxonomy of the former lactobacillus genus. 

The LABIP 2023 Awards for best posters:

The Steering Group of LABIP selected 3 poster from the + 200 poster presented that live up to high scientific excellence and also have an industrial relevance within the areas of :

  • Understanding how to apply LAB strains in an novel way
  • How to get LABs to produce important compounds – like vitamins in situ
  • How to do metabolic adaptation of LABs

The 3 LABIP poster prizes were awarded to: 

Xiangang Li from Technical University of Dresden, Germany

For the poster: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as an aroma-producer in sour beer fermentation

Yui Liu from Wageningen University, The Netherlands

For the poster: Good things come in small packages – delivery of vitamin K2 to human cells by extracellular vesicles from Lactococcus cremoris

Sybille Tachon, from University of Marseille, France

For the poster Metabolic adaptation of Lactic Acid Bacteria

From Left: Esben Laulund, LABIP. Xiangang Li, Yui Liu, Sybille Tachon, Giovanna Felis