The much-anticipated Fouling and Cleaning in Food Processing 2025 conference in Dresden has brought together over 120 experts, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the latest advancements in hygienic design, cleaning, digitalisation, and sustainability. This year’s conference showcased a robust lineup of presentations bridging innovation with practical implementation, offering invaluable insights into the future of food safety and processing.

Key Presentations and Discussions

The conference featured several presentations by EHEDG members, each offering cutting-edge solutions and knowledge in the areas of food processing, hygiene, and technology. Highlights included:

• Cleaning in Place in Dairies assisted by Digital Twin – Alan Friis from FORCE Technology presented how digital twins are transforming cleaning practices in dairy processing.
• Predictive Fouling Detection in Dairy Industry Heat Exchangers using Deep Learning Models – Jialing Yin from Fraunhofer IVV demonstrated the power of deep learning models to predict fouling in dairy industry heat exchangers, providing a technological solution for more efficient cleaning.
• Investigating Surfaces and their Cleanability – Natacha Holmud from FORCE Technology discussed the importance of surface materials in ensuring efficient cleaning, a critical aspect of hygienic design.
• Hygienic Design: Business Benefits, Functional Performance, and Cost of Ownership – Dimitri Tavernarakis from Mondelez highlighted the business advantages of hygienic design, with a focus on long-term functional performance and cost considerations.
• Hygienic Design for Water and Energy Savings – Irene Llorca from AINIA presented on how implementing hygienic design principles can lead to substantial savings in water and energy consumption.
• Cleaning in Practice – The Next Level of Hygiene – Hein Timmerman from Diversey offered insights into the practical applications of advanced cleaning technologies for enhanced hygiene in food processing.
• Real-world Case Studies – Enrico Visconti from Habasit shared valuable real-world examples that showcased the practical implementation of food safety and hygiene technologies.
• Cleaning Validation, Verification, and Monitoring – Dirk Nikoleiski from Commercial Food Sanitation provided an in-depth look into cleaning validation practices and the importance of effective monitoring in food processing facilities.

Young Researcher and Best Poster Awards

A key highlight of the event was the recognition of emerging talent in food safety and processing. EHEDG proudly supports the Young Researcher Award, which celebrates the next generation of innovation in the industry. This year, Marc Mauermann, Chairman of the FCFP 2025, along with Hein Timmerman and Jörg Zacharias, had the honour of selecting the winners of the Best Poster Award and Young Researcher Award.

• Best Poster Award: Congratulations to Maro Malliaroudaki, Ph.D., who took home 1st place for her outstanding contribution to the field.
• Young Researcher Award: Matti Heide was awarded 1st place for his innovative research, which demonstrated great promise in advancing food safety and hygienic practices.

The high quality of contributions made this a tough decision for both the audience and the Scientific Committee. Special congratulations also go to Sebastian Gottschall from Fraunhofer IVV, whose work was highly commendable.