MICROORC participated in the Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2025 (Microbiotec’25), held from 4–6 December in Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal. The project was represented through an oral presentation titled “The role of food cultures and fermentates in the shelf life of soy-based burgers”, delivered by Beatriz Nunes Silva, Joost de Mooij, Verónique Zuliani, and Paula Teixeira.
The talk, presented under the conference theme Food Microbiology & Biotechnology, highlighted how food cultures and fermentates can support safer, longer-lasting soy-based burgers, an important step toward reducing food waste and improving shelf-life prediction methods within plant-based foods. The work showcased ongoing research developed in the context of MICROORC, contributing to the project’s broader goal of enabling more sustainable and reliable shelf-life determination practices.
Hosted every two years, Microbiotec brings together national and international researchers, industry partners, and young scientists entering the field. As stated by the organisers, the congress aims to “promote knowledge and discussion among researchers, and between academia and industry,” providing a vibrant forum for exploring innovations and challenges in microbiology and biotechnology.
MICROORC’s contribution at Microbiotec’25 reflects the project’s commitment to strengthening collaboration across disciplines and sectors while advancing solutions that can meaningfully reduce food waste through improved microbiological and biotechnological approaches.

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