YSU FACULTY OF BIOLOGY TAKES PART IN THE 2ND CONGERESS OF BLACK SEA ASSOCIATION

The Black Sea Association of Food Science and Technology (B-FOST) is a non-profit network consisting of the countries of the region which unites individual scientists and scientific organizations working in the field of food safety.

The head of the State Service for Food Safety, Ministry of Agriculture of the RA Georgi Avetisyan, the head of the State Scientific Committee of the RA Professor Samvel Harutyunyan, the President of the Armenian Farmers Association Roza Tsarukyan were present at the ceremony of opening.

Scientists invited from various countries as well as the representatives of the laboratories inspecting food quality made reports and presented their experience in the sphere to their Armenian colleagues.

The head of the Chair of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology of YSU Professor Armen Trchunyan, the Associate Professor of the same chair Inga Bazukyan, researchers of the chair Diana Soghomonyan and Lusine Hakobyan performed their reports as well. The reports covered the issues of food quality and safety, increasing of populations’ self-consciousness as food consumers.

The reports also referred to responsibility increase among the companies developing their activity in industry as food suppliers. The issues related to wine isotopic qualification. This theme is important for Armenia as our country is wine producer. A special training was organized with this aim.

The Assistant of the Chair of Physical and Colloid Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry of YSU, the director of the Armenian Association of Food Safety and Technology Karine Grigoryan mentioned that they actively cooperate with different companies, universities and organizations.

“This congress has been held in Armenia for the first time and our main goal is make the congress useful for our country”, said Karine Grigoryan,- “for this reason we planned two trainings related to the seven principles of the system of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point in food (HACCP) and installation of HACCP in food production as well as to hygienic design for food factories”.

Karine Grigoryan expressed special thanks to YSU Rector Aram Simonyan and the head of the Chair of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology of the Faculty of Biology for support, and to the colleagues-for the participation. The representative of UNIDO Armenian office Anahit Simonyan attached importance to holding the congress in Armenia. “The participation of eminent scientists from the countries members of the Black Sea Association of Food Science and Technology in this congress is a great honour for us. It seems the international events held in Armenia are going on and presenting our scientific potential to the international society”.

Vanadzor State University has participated in the congress for the first time. The Dean of the Faculty of Biology of Vanadzor State University Zaruhi Vardanyan mentioned that the theme of the report was chosen the biological and medicinal significance of Black Elderberry.