Welcome to the course, presentation of teachers, experts and avatars

Hi and welcome to this course. Surely you know much about how food is produced, stored and sold. And you are expert in nutritional facts. But, if you try to look in a different direction, you will see for instance all those packaging that surrounds us, and all that comes in contact with foods and drinks. Are they necessary? Is this healthy for us? Is this a real progress? And so…we though to prepare this course. The opinions are quite different, and we will try to represent all of them, from the minimizers to the maximizers. While you are going to see all points of view, you’ll have time to make up your own. Enjoy a journey that you probably have never done. Stay with us and you are guaranteed to learn a lot.

We will answer these questions: a. What are the risks for global health and for the environment derived from packaging? b. Which professional figures are involved in creating, testing and using packages and how are these connected ? c. Is research in chemistry, biology and material science contributing towards safer food? d. What is the role of consumers and how can they make informed choices? What measures do the industry, governments and the EU put in place to ensure safe packaging ? e. How can information and comunication technologies reach the general public and help in daily choices ?

At the end of this course you should be able to

• Reflect on the importance of safe food packaging and kitchenware in your daily life and choices
• Evaluate how chemicals can migrate from packaging and slowly affect our endocrine health
• Assess how chemical and biological tests are done and evaluate their importance for safety
• Describe the professional roles of all stakeholders in the business of food safety in general
• Discuss the topics of the course with increased knowledge and contribute to global awareness
• Interpret information and news with increased critical sense, especially when dealing with consumers’ health and protection

Few lines on the main educators

Claudio Medana is full professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino. He is in charge of the Unit of Mass Spectrometry of the department and his recent research activity is focused on the development of analytical mass spectrometry methods for the identification and determination of bioactive molecules (metabolites, drugs, toxics).

Giorgio Merlo is associate professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics, at the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino. He runs research programs in development of the brain and of the endocrine system, with a specific interest in gonadotropic hormones. Recently his activity focuses also on some genetic determinants of intellectual disability.

Patrizia Bovolin is associate professor of Comparative Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino. Her research focuses on the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (i.e., some plasticizers used in food-contact materials) on adipocytes and neural cells. Recently she has also been studying the role of the endocannabinoid system in neuronal development, focusing on the neurons controlling food intake and reproduction.

Natalia Drabinska is a scientist at the Department of Chemistry and Biodynamics of Food of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences. She graduated her PhD in human nutrition, and her research concentrated on supplementation of a gluten-free diet with prebiotics in children with celiac disease. Recently her activity focuses on the effects of diets on the human body, metabolomics as well as analysis of volatile organic compounds for diagnostic purposes

Amparo Lopez-Rubio is a permanent scientist at the Packaging Group from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. She has broad experience in the development and characterization of materials for food applications and some of her research activities deal with the study of new biopolymer sources which can be used to develop bio-based and biodegradable packaging structures for food packaging applications.

Antonio Martínez-Abad is a postdoctoral researcher from the Packaging Group from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. He has a broad expertise in several fields, including the development of novel biodegradable food packaging materials from renewable resources, having a unique knowledge on glycomic sequencing of carbohydrate fractions, of special interest in this type of applications.

Maria José Fabra is a postdoctoral researcher also from the Packaging Group from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. She has extensively work with biopolymers for food applications, specifically for use as coating materials for increasing postharvest quality of fresh produce. She also works on developing active food packaging structures through different strategies.

Marta Martínez-Sanz is a postdoctoral researcher from the Packaging Group from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. Her expertise is focused on bio-based materials obtained from plant-derived resources, especially cellulose-based materials and she has unique knowledge on advanced characterization tools applied to food related materials.

Isabel Hoffmann Hoffmann is the CEO of Tellspec, a disruptive company that offers rapid nondestructive sensors for food quality and safety. She has presented at conferences around the world and her awards in technology and entrepreneurship include the 2018 EIT Women in Innovation award presented by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.