DTU Bioengineering department symposium

Biotechnology can create a sustainable future

Bioteknologi og biokemi Fødevarer, fisk og landbrug

In the upcoming one-day symposium, Bioengineering in food and feed production, DTU Bioengineering bring together industry and academia to highlight biotechnology as a powerful tool to engineer a sustainable future.

The world and humanity face many serious challenges, and some of the solutions provided to address one challenge may actually worsen another. How do we for instance solve the climate crisis while at the same time providing food for the growing world population?

The use of antibiotics and pesticides in food and feed manufacturing has been required to ensure a sufficient production, but the unintended consequences are loss of biodiversity and the development and spread of multi-resistant bacteria, which poses a threat to human and animal health.   

“Biotechnology plays an important role in creating a sustainable future and therefore we highlight this in the symposium Bioengineering in food and feed production, where we point to microbial biotechnology as the means to develop alternative biological compatible disease control measures.

We have speakers from both academia and industry as both play an important role in making the transition to a sustainable future. Through research and knowledge sharing we must develop sustainable, efficient and economically viable bio-based alternatives, and it is at the universities that we conduct the majority of the basic research that the industry can then transform to marketable alternatives, which again translates to a sustainable future,”
says Head of DTU Bioengineering Bjarke Bak Christensen.

"It is at the universities that we conduct the majority of the basic research that the industry can then transform to marketable alternatives, which again translates to a sustainable future."
Bjarke Bak Christensen, Head of DTU Bioengineering

The symposium outlines how microorganisms, microbiomes, enzymes, or peptide/antibody-based solutions that do not harm the environment can be used to replace antibiotics, pesticides and other harmful chemicals that has been used in food and feed production for growth promotion and protection against infections of plants and animals; both terrestrial and aquatic.

Highlights are the discovery and design of enzymes, phages and microorganisms that can be used as alternatives to antimicrobials or pesticides and the technologies supporting the design and production of such organisms or enzymes. Also approaches to determine the degree and specificity of microbial antibiotic resistance are outlined. Bjarke Bak Christensen continues:

“We have made a program, that includes talks by internationally renowned researchers, by scientists from DTU and Danish industries, a poster session and excellent opportunities for networking, and I hope the symposium can pave the way for many new collaboration projects with a clear sustainability agenda. I invite all who are interested to sign up.”

One-day symposium Bioengineering in Food and Feed Production

13. November 2019
8.30- 17.30

Technical University of Denmark
Anker Engelundsvej 1
Building 101A
2800 Lyngby

Free of charge including lunch and coffee brakes.

Sign up here

Registration deadline 1. November