Nitte (DU) and University of Maryland, USA, jointly conducted an ASM (American Society for Microbiology) – IUSSTF (Indo – US Science and Technology Forum) virtual course on ‘Microbiological Risk Assessment in Food Safety’. ASM - IUSSTF Professorship was awarded to
Dr Abani Pradhan of University of Maryland to deliver this course in collaboration with Dr Iddya Karunasagar, former Senior Food Safety Officer, FAO and Advisor, Nitte (DU) and Dr Indrani Karunasagar, Director, DST Technology Enabling Center, Nitte (DU).
Food is a highly traded commodity internationally and as per World Trade Organisation (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, food safety standards should be based on risk assessment carried out according to protocols established by the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Food safety risk assessment involves use of various statistical tools to obtain probabilistic assessment of the risk and to assess the impact of risk management measures. The ASM-IUSSF sponsored course comprised lectures on risk assessment models, Monte Carlo simulations and development of risk estimates. Dr Abani Pradhan delivered lectures on these aspects and Dr Iddya Karunasagar spoke with suitable examples on how risk assessments have been used by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to develop international food safety standards.
The course was highly appreciated as it was important for faculty and students in the area of food technology, microbiology, public health and food safety. It attracted 324 registered participants and included faculty and students from Nitte (DU), Pondicherry University, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, State Fisheries Universities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and number of other academic institutions. Daily attendance exceeded 180 participants and in some institutions, the course was screened in a class room with 50 students watching on one large screen.
Before the start of the course, a pre-assessment was carried out. On completion of the course, the participants were provided with feedback form and post-assessment survey done. Over 200 participants returned the forms and obtained e-certificates. Overall the participants graded the course from ‘very good’ to ‘excellent’.
Event Date : 2021-12-13
Venue : DST NU-TEC
Last updated 2022-02-26 05:38:37