International Association for Cereal Science and Technology

Register now for the 9th International Conference on Dietary Fibre 2026

We are excited to announce important updates regarding the upcoming 9th International Conference on Dietary Fibre 2026, scheduled for October 6-8 in Norwich, UK. The event aims to bring together key players from dietary fibre sectors with four main topics such as:

1)Defining Fibre

2)Fibre in Food Manufacturing

3)Gut Microbiome

4)Mechanisms and Health

Early Bird Registration is possible until 23 of June 2026

We are looking forward for seeing you at the conference. Take the chance of the early bird registration and register here.

Call for Poster Submissions

We warmly invite you to share your work and findings with the global dietary fibre community by submitting a poster abstract. The deadline for oral abstract submissions is considered for the 15 May 2026 and early submissions enables you to use the early bird discount.

Invitation to sponsor

We would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors for their invaluable support in making the 9th International Conference on Dietary Fibre possible. Your contributions play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this important event, and we appreciate your commitment.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please visit our website at https://www.dietaryfibre.org/sponsorship or contact us directly. Together, we can make this conference a resounding success.

To submit your abstract or for more information about the summit, please visit www.dietaryfibre.org.Don't miss this opportunity to join colleagues.

: News; 02 April 2026

Next HealthFerm webinar: 23rd April 1pm-1:30 pm CET: Study Results about Health and Microbiome related Impact of Fermented Foods

Webinar Announcement: Study Results about Health and Microbiome related Impact of Fermented Foods

The ICC, as an affiliated partner of the HealthFerm project, invites you to an engaging webinar on April 23, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:30 CEST, exploring how fermented foods influence our gut microbiome and overall health

👉 Register here

Speakers

Christophe Courtin (KU Leuven):
Introduction about HealthFerm
Kristin Verbeke (KU Leuven):
Introduction of work package
Ph.D. Riet Rosseel
Ph.D. Vilma Liikonen
Ph.D. Sebatian Proost
Ph.D. Vilma Liikonen
Valery Gutsal (Novonesis)

Industrial viewpoint

The session will be i moderated by Jan de Vries (nutrition solutions and Health Grain Forum).

Key Takeaways
-Identification of microorganisms and metabolites associated with health
-Intervention study on fermented plant-based dairy alternatives and cardiometabolic health
-Intervention study on fermented meat alternatives and cardiometabolic health
-Study on kinetics and gut hormone release of SCFAs mimicking fermentation processes

Be part of the conversation shaping the future of fermented foods and health.
More information about HealthFerm here:
https://www.healthferm.eu/

This webinar is part of a series organized by HealthFerm partners to support cross-disciplinary exchange and training across research and industry.

This event is free and will be held in English.

About HealthFerm
HealthFerm is a European research initiative focused on innovative cereal and pulse-based fermentations. It investigates health impacts, microbial interactions, and consumer perspectives, aiming to co-create the next generation of healthy, plant-based fermented foods with the help of citizen science.

This webinar is free and will be held in English. More detailed information about HealthFerm project is available here www.healthferm.eu - Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

: News; 02 April 2026

New Belgian Country Member Delegates

We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new Country Member Delegates for Belgium to the ICC – International Association for Cereal Science and Technology:

Christophe Courtin – KU Leuven
Bruno Godin – Wallonie Recherche CRA-W

Their extensive expertise and longstanding commitment to cereal science and technology will further strengthen our global network and support ICC’s mission to promote high‑quality research and innovation across the cereal sector.

Professor Christophe Courtin is full professor and vice dean at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven. His work focuses on cereal constituents and dietary fibre, as well as enzymes and microorganisms in cereal processing and health. He serves as coordinator of the successful EU project HealthFerm, in which ICC participates as an affiliated partner. Together with KU Leuven as host institution, he chaired the 8th International Conference on Dietary Fibre (2022) and the 5th International Symposium on Gluten-Free Cereal Products and Beverages (2019), both of which were highly successful events.

Dr. Bruno Godin, Head of the Cereal Sorting and Technology Laboratory, has strong expertise in bioprocessing, analytical chemistry, and data mining. He has a particular interest in data analysis and analytical method development. He succeeds former national delegate Georges Sinnaeve, Honorary Director General and renowned expert in NIR and its applications in cereal technology, who represented ICC’s long-standing member Wallonie Recherche CRA-W in Gembloux.

: News; 24 February 2026

Join the next Webinar: Gluten analysis in practice: RIDASCREEN® Gliadin as an analytical approach for gluten detection in foods

Gluten analysis in practice: RIDASCREEN® Gliadin as an analytical approach for gluten detection in foods31 March 2026, 08:00 - 09:00 AM & 03:00 - 04:00 PM (CEST) - ENGLISH, andGlutentenanalyse in der Praxis: RIDASCREEN® Gliadin als analytischer Ansatz zum Nachweis von Gluten in Lebensmitteln

1 April 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 AM (CEST) - GERMAN

This webinar focuses on the ICC Standard 182/1 RIDASCREEN® Gliadin as a general approach for quantitative gluten residue detection in food. Recent advances in the food segments show great importance of including incurred matrices to the validation of new test methods providing more safety for the consumer. However, extensive validation of the standard reveal its’ wide applicability to foods in general including unprocessed and processed food. Questions that will be discussed during the webinar:

What are the recent advances in gluten detection methods?
What are incurred matrices and what are their advantages?
How was the standard validated?
What are the challenges and advances of this standard method?

Presenters: Johanna Meder & Anna-Lisa Gerards, Product Managers Allergens at R-Biopharm AG, Germany

The registration fee is sponsored by R-Biopharm AG.

: News; 16 February 2026

The 21st ICC Conference 2025 – Science, Innovation and Celebration in Vienna

The 21st ICC Conference 2025 (ICC2025) in Vienna successfully gathered the global cereal and pulse community to celebrate 70 years of ICC and to advance science‑based transformation of grain‑based food systems. ICC2025 took place from 23–25 September 2025 at BOKU University Vienna under the theme “Cereals and Pulses: Bridging Science and Innovation to drive the Transformation of the Food System.” Organised by BOKU’s Department of Biotechnology and Food Science and chaired by Assoc. Prof. Regine Schönlechner, the conference was held under the auspices of Federal Minister Mag. Norbert Totschnig, MSc, and the Mayor and Governor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Ludwig. Continuing the tradition of the “Vienna ICC Conference,” it also marked ICC’s 70‑year jubilee.

Scientific sessions on cereals, legumes and their combinations showed how pulses and cereals together open opportunities for innovative, sustainable products, with a strong focus on fermentation and other novel processing approaches for foods, beverages and packaging materials. Food Safety and Analytics contributions demonstrated advanced NIR, modelling and statistics for acrylamide mitigation, oat protein characterisation and improving wheat falling number, integrating big data and gene‑based tools with classical reference methods. Talks on food products, technological innovation and ingredient functionality covered 70 years of pasta and cereal processing, optimisation of waffles and frozen breads, gluten‑free product mapping, new equipment for whole grain flour, and the underused potential of by‑products and alternative crops as functional ingredients.

The Nutrition and Health and Biodiversity sessions highlighted indigenous and climate‑resilient crops (such as sorghum, African pulses, millets, pigeon pea, chickpea and kañiwa), progress in delivering health benefits through crop improvement and processing, and the complexity of assessing functional and health effects of new ingredients. A dedicated whole grain session underlined the public‑health importance of whole grains and the work of the Whole Grain Initiative and Whole Grain Summit, calling for engagement of stakeholders along the entire supply chain to strengthen whole grain promotion.

ICC2025 strongly involved the young generation through oral and poster contributions, which, together with vibrant networking events, was positively reflected in participant feedback on professional networks. With its combination of anniversary reflections, strategy discussions and cutting‑edge science, ICC2025 reaffirmed ICC’s role as a global hub for cereal and pulse science and positioned these crops as central levers for a more sustainable, resilient and health‑promoting food system.

: News; 22 December 2025