Symposium 2006

Preface

The 2006 Edition of the International Symposium on Probiotics was a ringing success supported by more than 300 registered participants. The impressive participation from targeted groups as well as the strong evaluation sheets received from attendees confirms the importance of updating the most recent advances concerning prebiotics and probiotics (p/p), both in the context of medical applications and as in the maintenance of healthy food habits. The organizers and sponsors are the pillars supporting the fruition of the Symposium every second year, and they have successfully attained their objectives of transferring advanced scientific knowledge and facilitating it’s adaptation to the every day practice of those professionals involved with day to day applications to consumers concerning p/p.  

The quality of the conferences and of the workshops of the programme has allowed both participants and speakers to increase and share knowledge and secrets, as well as to update the needs and concerns of different professional environnements involved with p/p. On site companies and organizations operating table tops have allowed closer contacts with attendees that were looking for first hand information concerning products and services suiting their interests.

The proliferation of conferences on p/p in most geographical areas of the globe confirms the rising interest for p/p in daily food consumption, as well as commercial and medical applications.

The explosion of commercial activity involving p/p maintains pressure on the need for ongoing research to understand the metabolic reactions they are involved with. It also intensifies the need for health and food professionals to have continued access to accurate information and recommendations they can transfer to consumers concerning p/p and their daily applications.

The sequence of themes chosen for the Symposium has evolved from the identification of and the familiarization with the micro-organisms involved to the very specific knowledge of their interaction with the host and the reactions thereof. While maintaining a high priority on the need for scientific proof, we must include the commercial and societal outcome of p/p in our future meetings.

Please save the dates of November 6 and 7, 2008 in your calendar for the 2008 Edition of the Symposium that will be held in the beautiful historic City of Quebec which will be celebrating its 400 hundredth birthday. Our speakers will discuss p/p applications in many new potential food and health dimensions (please visit probiomtl.org). A workshop for health professionals is scheduled for the afternoon of the first day, one for commercial applications is scheduled for the second day as well as one for upcoming research scientists.

Interviews  recorded during our 2006 Symposium, click here.