Programme

We have an fantastic lineup of speakers preparing to join us this August, including:

Giles Yeo, Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology at Cambridge University:
Invited Lecture: “The Role of Cheese in a Post-Ozempic World”

Benjamin Wolfe – Tufts University:
Updates from the Wolfe Lab on food microbiome research, exploring how experimental evolution, metagenomics, and microbial community reconstruction are advancing our understanding of cheese and other fermented foods.

Sabrina Longley – Nettlebed Creamery / University of Reading Food and Microbial Sciences Unit:
Research using a validated human gut model to examine how cheese consumption influences gut microbial communities, with particular attention to changes in beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactococcus.

Igor Baroja – Leartiker Food Technology Centre:
An investigation of biogenic amine formation in cheese, linking microbial community composition, including the presence of Lactobacillus parabuchneri, to food safety risks and structural defects.

Stefan Irmler – Agroscope:
New research on the formation of biogenic amines including histamine in cheese, combining pilot-plant experiments and a real-world case study on the role of Latilactobacillus curvatus in Raclette and other cheese varieties.

Stephen Fitzgerald – Roslin Institute:
The STEC landscape: current insights and future directions.

Alison Low – Roslin Institute:
New approaches to controlling STEC in farm, animal, and food environments, including the use of phage, vaccination strategies, and other emerging tools to manage pathogen risk.

Ivan Larcher – The Cheese School of Castlemaine:
Practical workshops for cheesemakers addressing technical challenges such as preventing discolouration in blue cheeses and encouraging healthy rind development in bloomy-rinded styles.

Sara Hall – The University of Bristol:
Results from multidisciplinary PhD research measuring environmental, animal welfare, and socio-economic indicators across UK dairy systems to better understand pathways toward sustainable production.

Bruno Martin – INRAe:
Findings from the INTAQT project, which is developing science-based tools to assess and authenticate the quality of livestock products across different European production systems.

Cheddar Workshop – Westcombe Dairy collaborative trial:
A presentation of results from an experimental Cheddar-making workshop with eight UK producers exploring how different cheddaring methods influence the sensory character of the finished cheese, including an interactive audience tasting.