Efstathios (Stathis) Giaouris
University of Aegean, School of the Environment, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene
The role of milk and dairy in healthy and sustainable food systems
The session examines the role of milk and dairy products to both nutritional health and environmental sustainability.
Topics include improving milk quality through probiotic supplementation, enhancing microbial safety using UV-C
processing, and assessing calcium bioavailability. The effect of dairy consumption to cardiovascular and metabolic
health, as well as factors influencing milk composition at the farm level.
- Christos Apostolopoulos, FrieslandCampina Hellas, Greece
“The dairy products through the nutrition and sustainability lenses” - Connie Weaver, San Diego State University, USA
“Assessing bioavailability with a focus on calcium” - Sabita Soedamah-Muthu, Tilburg University, the Netherlands
“Dairy consumption in relation to prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, original cohort analyses and meta-analyses
latest evidence”
Milk and Dairy Components – Designed to Deliver
Milk and dairy products are not only central to global nutrition but are also evolving to meet the demands of
sustainable and health-conscious food systems. This session explores the multifaceted roles of dairy components—
from their nutritional value and bioavailability to their technological properties. Through a series of expert talks, we
will examine how dairy can contribute to healthier diets while providing the right performance and taste.
Photis Papademas, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus “Non-bovine milk”
Lina Zhang, Jiangnan University, China “Bioactive proteins (Lactoferrin)”
Marie-Caroline Michalski, INREA Lyon, France “Saturated milk fat”
Biotechnology in the dairy sector
Biotechnology and biosolutions are playing an important role in advancing the dairy sector by enhancing efficiency,
sustainability, and innovation across the value chain. Through advanced microbial fermentation, enzyme engineering, and
genetic tools, biotechnology enables the production of high-quality dairy products. The development of improved dairy
cultures, enzymes, and probiotics that enhance texture, flavor, and nutritional value of dairy products or reduce waste by
extending product shelf-life are examples of emerging innovations. Recombinant DNA technology allows the production of
specific milk proteins or enzymes in microbial systems, reducing dependency on animal sources. In parallel, the integration
of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) offers powerful tools to further transform the sector. Combined, biotechnology, AI,
and big data provide a robust platform for developing next-generation dairy systems that are smarter, more efficient, and
better aligned with consumer health and sustainability demands
Konstantinos Papadimitriou, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece “Multi-omics of artisanal cheeses: Big data meets tradition”
Violeta Pemaj, University of Peloponnese, Greece “Development of a Miniature Cheese System to Monitor Fermentation and Assess Quality in White Brine Cheese”
José Arnau, 21st BIO, Denmark “Precision Fermentation: The Future of Healthy and Sustainable Nutrition”
Production of safe, stable and Nutritious Milk and Dairy Products
Within the dairy chain, processing of milk plays an extremely important role. First and foremost, it is required to improve
the safety and extent the shelf-life of products, thereby ensuring that products can be safely distributed all over the world.
This shelf-life extension can be achieved through heat treatment, but also through fermentation, drying or salting. In
addition, processing is also important to ensure the creation of product functionalities which are preferable by consumers.
Such processing can be optimized by new tools such as machine learning and advanced processing analytics.
Stathis Giaouris, University of the Aegean, Greece “Biofilm formation by foodborne Campylobacter strains and effectiveness of lactic acid as biofilm-inhibitor and eradicator”
Matthias Eisner, Yili Innovation Center Europe, The Netherlands “Optimizing Dairy Product Formulation with Machine Learning”
Stefan Heinrich, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany “Structuration of plant-based milk powder for improved reconstitution”
Nikolaos Rachaniotis
Fran Casinoa, Venetis Kanakarisb, Thomas K. Dasaklisa, Socrates Moschurisc, Spiros
Stachtiarisc, Maria Pagonid and Nikolaos P. Rachaniotis
Emmanuella Magriplis, PhD, RD
Associate Professor in Nutritional Epidemiology & Public Health
Laboratory of Dietetics & Quality of Life
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition,
Agricultural University of Athens|
Visiting Professor, Public Health Laboratory, Department of Medicine, University of Patras
Dr. Anestis Vlysidis – National Technical University of Athens
Dr. Dimitris Ladakis – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Colette Crowley, Univresity College Cork, Ireland
Professor Alan Kelly
University College Cork, Ireland
Photis Papademas, Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science,
Cyprus University of Technology
Konstantinos Papadimitriou
Laboratory of Food Quality Control and Hygiene
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Cyrielle Fanget
Norbert Raak
Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Katt Dybdal-Grasberger
Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark