Explain to us the partnership between World Dairy Summit 2010 and the DIAA.
David Everett: The IDF WDS2010 has joined forces with the Dairy Industry Association of Australia (DIAA) to bring this conference across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand for the first time. DIAA Cheese Science will be the fourth in the Australian quadrennial series of cheese conferences. This has always been a well regarded event by both industry and academia because of its focus on the practical science underpinning new technological developments.
Is there more to cheese research than simply characterising the micro-flora and flavour volatiles?
Everett: Indeed there is. This conference will showcase new developments and trends in cheese research. One future path is to utilise cheese as a vehicle for the delivery of health functional properties, adding to and capitalising on what is now known about the benefits of milk fat components.
Research is also needed to reduce the time and energy intensive nature of cheese manufacture to produce a more healthy product in a more efficient manner. Finally, research is needed to produce a stable and consistent product for the consumer. But this is not to diminish the importance of small-scale artisanal manufacture for the cheese aficionado!
Give us a flavour of what the conference will cover.
Everett: The DIAA Cheese Science conference will focus on new and innovative practices in cheese manufacture (large- and small-scale), control of consumer aspects such as flavour during ripening and delivery of probiotic health benefits, spoilage control, low-salt and low-fat cheese quality, the impact of microstructure on flavour and health functional properties, as well as an update on the European PDO (Protected designation of origin) system and the resultant impact on cheese quality. The proceedings of the conference will be published in the Australian Journal of Dairy Technology.
Will the speakers be Australasian-based?
Everett: No, this is truly an international conference. I’m proud to tell you that the following invited keynote speakers have already been confirmed:
Dr David Everett (University of Otago, New Zealand), researches on interactions of colloidal components in dairy foods to create flavour and texture. He’s editor of the ‘International Dairy Journal’ and will chair the IDF WDS2010 DIAA Cheese Science conference.
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