Dr. Johan Robbens from ILVO-Marine in Belgium will be one of the keynote speakers at WEFTA 2026 in Reykjavík, 12. – 16. October.
His presentation, “Algae and the Challenges for Food”, will address the opportunities and challenges of using algae as ingredients in future foods. Algae offer a wide range of valuable compounds, including proteins, lipids and flavour components, but their use in food requires careful consideration of quality, sensory properties, food safety, processing and regulatory requirements.
The lecture will use flavour as a central theme, showing how chemical analysis and sensory evaluation can guide species selection, processing and product development. Dr. Robbens will also highlight that algal ingredients must be evaluated in the final food product, as attractive properties in the biomass do not always translate directly into consumer-friendly foods.
Dr. Robbens leads the Marine Biotechnology and Food Integrity unit at ILVO-Marine. His research focuses on algae for food and feed, marine biotechnology, valorisation of marine resources and side streams, food safety and biosensors.
All further information and registration for WEFTA 2026 can be found here.