PLENARY SPEAKERS
Professor, Ph.D Wieslaw Oleszek
Full professor since 1998. Head of Biochemistry and Crop Quality at Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, Pulawy, Poland 1993-2010. Since 2010 till now the director general of Institute. Major research interests: Isolation, purification, structural and quantitative determination of natural products (saponins, phenolics, glycoalkaloids, glucosinolates, resorcinols, cyanogenic glucosides), natural toxicants of plants - allelopathy, natural pesticides, post-harvest quality of agricultural products, natural antioxidants and anticancerogens, nutraceuticals biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, food and feed stuff additives, functional food. Member/coordinator of a number of projects of the EU Framework Programs.
Professor, Ph.D Ivan Kreft
University of Ljubljana
Slovenia
Ivan Kreft graduated at Ljubljana University, Slovenia in 1964 - Teacher of Biology, in 1965 Dipl. Eng. Agronomy. In 1965 to 1968 he studied at the University of Lund, Sweden - 1968 obtained M.Sc. (Genetics) and in 1972 in Ljubljana PhD. In 2017 obtained at Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, Slovakia, his Dr. h.c.
In 1964-1968 various employments in Slovenia, Germany (Plant breeding station) and Sweden. From 1968 employed at University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, since 1983 full professor of genetics, teaching genetics, and evaluation of plant products, for the university students of agronomy, biology, biotechnology, food science and nutrition studies. In 1992-1993 visiting professor at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 2001 visiting professor at Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China, in 2010 visiting professor at Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan. In 2012 retired from University of Ljubljana, but now at the same as Professor Emeritus holding some lectures and coordinating projects. From 2013 to 2015 employed as a senior scientist at Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, from 2016 employed at the Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia. I. Kreft performed many scientific excursions and field experiments abroad, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Czech, Belarus, Germany, China, Korea, Japan, Bhutan, Philippines, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Italy, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Algeria, and Australia (including Tasmania). He joined in many international cooperations for development of buckwheat growing and food products, including Shiratori’s Tasmania-Soba. Kreft is author or co-author of many books, and scientific papers on buckwheat and other plants (wheat, spelt, millet, peas, pumpkins, barley).
In 1980 I. Kreft organised in Ljubljana the 1st ISB (International Symposium on Buckwheat), and was one of founders of IBRA (International Buckwheat Research Association). In 2013 was one of co-organizers of 12th ISB in Laško, Slovenia. In 1980-1983 and 2013-2016 Chairman of IBRA. Since 1997 member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. 1981-1995 editor, and since 2017 again editor of “FAGOPYRUM” journal, since 2017 Editor-in-Chief of “Folia biologica et geologica“. Leading the research projects on common and Tartary buckwheat at the Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Professor Nikhil Chrungoo
North Eastern Hill University
India
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Ph.D Agnieszka Podolska – Charlery
National Food Institute
Denmark
Assistant Professor PhD Blanka Vombergar
Education Centre Piramida Maribor
Slovenia
Blanka Vombergar, graduated at the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Food Technology Department. In 1986 she completed a one-year specialization in food microbiology at the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2010 received Ph.D. in post-graduation studies in biotechnical and biotechnological sciences, at the University of Ljubljana.
She worked as a researcher in the Biotechnical faculty and as head of the laboratory for quality control and research in the food industry. Since 1995 she has been employed in food and nutrition education, from 1999-2019 as a head of the Higher Vocational College for Food and Nutrition at the Educational Centre Piramida Maribor. Dr. Vombergar was a member of the national expert groups for the preparation of professional standards in the field of food and nutrition. She participated in the development and upgrading of secondary vocational programs in the field of food, she is a co-author of the first higher vocational study program Food studies, established in Slovenia in 1998, and the revised program Food and Nutrition (2008). Teaching: Assistant Professor for Food Safety at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor and Lecturer for subject areas Food and Health, Food, Dietetic and Gastronomy, Composition and quality of foodstuffs.at the Piramida Food and Nutrition Higher Vocational College. Lecturer at ISBs in Russia, Slovenia and South Korea, at EuroIBRA meetings in Italy, Luxemburg and Czech Republic; Erasmus lecturer in France and Turkey, lecturer at food symposia in Slovenia and abroad. Research: Participation in projects in the field of genetics and plant breeding, proteins in cereals. Research in the field of flavonoids and tannins in buckwheat, development of technologies for making dough (buckwheat, millet, barley, oats, etc.), development of innovative bakery and confectionery products (also from Tartary buckwheat). First author of six Slovenian/English bilingual books on buckwheat, oats, barley and millet. Additional responsibilities: Vice President of IBRA 2013-2016. Member of editorial and organizatory boards of the 1st ISB in Ljubljana (1980) and 12th ISB in Laško (2012). Member of editorial board of Fagopyrum journal and of professional magazines in the field of food and nutrition. The president of the Association of Food and Nutrition Professionals of the NE Slovenia, the President of the Slovenian Association for Buckwheat Promotion Fagopyrum, and the Head of the Healthy Nutrition Project at the Society for Cardiovascular Health for Maribor and region Podravje.
Ph.D Jerzy Grabiński Professor IUNG-PIB
Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute in Pulawy
Poland
I’am a researcher at the Institute of Soil Science and Cultivation in Puławy - the National Research Institute. My current scientific interests concern issues related to the production technologies of various species of crops, crop quality, and the impact of agrotechnical activities on the soil environment. At the Institute I lead the team for registration of plant protection products. I conduct numerous lectures for agricultural advisors and for participants of postgraduate studies, thematically related to the crop production technology in the conditions of climate change. I am an active member of the Polish Association of Cereals Producers. I represent Polish producers in the sessions of the Working Group for Cereal, Oil and Protein Plants COPA-COGECA and meetings of the Advisory Group for Cereal, Oil and Protein Plants COPA-COGECA with representatives of the European Commission.
Ph.D Nóra Mendler-Drienyovszki
University of Debrecen
Hungary
PhD Nóra Mendler-Drienyovszki is senior researcher and leader of the Plant breeding and Technology development Department of Research Institute of Nyíregyháza, IAREF University of Debrecen. She has been working in the Research Institute since 2000. Her main profile is the plant breeding of different legume species. She was the breeder of one dry pea, one green pea variety, and two winter lentil varieties. Her research activity is also focused on plant physiology and seed production (pea, winter lentil and buckwheat). She is the leader of the conservation of plant genetic resources. She has experiences in preparation and implementation of national and international projects (such as Horizon 2020).
Professor PhD Mateja Germ
University of Ljubljana
Slovenia
Mateja Germ is a full professor at the Chair of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. She lectures to students in the Bsc. and Msc. Bologna levels and leads an Ecology course in doctoral studies. She is a mentor to young researchers and many master's students.
Her research includes the results about the influence of environmental factors on cultivated plants. Much of her research is focused on the study of common and Tartary buckwheat. She is interested in the impact of UV radiation, drought, and the addition of mineral nutrients such as Se, I, and Si on buckwheat's physiological, biochemical and morphological properties. She studies the impacts of the conditions in different altitudes on the properties of buckwheat, including rutin content in common and Tartary buckwheat. Recently, she has also been involved in buckwheat microbiome research.
Professor PhD Dagmar Janovská
Crop Research Institute in Prague
Czech Republic
Dagmar Janovská, PhD, works at Crop Research Institute in Prague, Czech Republic where holds the position of head of the genebank and curator of a collection of minor crops within the Czech Gene Bank. Her research primarily centres around the evaluation and selection of minor crops, with a specific focus on buckwheat genotypes. The objective is to enhance human nutrition and assess their suitability for organic and low-input farming methods. Dr Janovská has been coordinating several national projects dedicated to minor cereals and she is involved in the transfer of knowledge from research to practical application and education.
Within the EU H2020 project ECOBREED (771367), she serves as a Work Package leader, dedicating her expertise to buckwheat-related initiatives. Additionally, Dr Janovská previously coordinated the EU FP7 project HealthyMinorCereals (613609).
Professor Ph.D Meiliang Zhou
Institute of Crop Sciences
China
Professor Ph.D Meiliang Zhou is a group Leader of Buckwheat Genetic Resources Lab and full professor of Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China. He achieved his PhD from the Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands. His research program is focused on understanding the genetics and improvement of buckwheat based on population genetics. Dr. Zhou collected the richest buckwheat germplasms which including more than 4000 accessions, and discovered 5 new Fagopyrum species. Based on those rich germplasms, Dr. Zhou constructed the integrated map of genotype and phenotype variation for buckwheat core germplasms and identified many key loci/genes related with buckwheat agro, quality and bio/abio resistant traits, which paved a good way for high-efficiency buckwheat molecular breeding in production and quality. Dr. Zhou published 3 monographs and more than 60 research papers as the corresponding author in highly peer-reviewed reputed journals, such as Genome Biology, Plant Cell, Plant Biotechnology Journal etc., which have been paid a great attention by the international buckwheat community.
Professor Henryk Zieliński
Istitute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research,
Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn
Poland
Research interest:
- Research in the field of the antioxidant, reducing and chelating potential of the biologically active compounds and their metabolitesfrom food of plant origin with special emphasis on cereals and pseudocereals with the main focus on common buckwheat, qualitative and quantitative changes of antioxidants in technological processes, antioxidative capacity of the food and dietary-derived antioxidants in functional bakery food development.
- Research on the multifunctionality of the biologically active compounds derived from metabolomics analysis of raw and processed food of plant origin.
- Elaboration of the rank of biological activities of phenolic compounds on the base of the inhibition of the activity of a key enzymes (IC50) important in the diabetic prophylactic, against hypertension (inhibition of angiotensin-I converting enzyme activity), against glycation important in diabetic’s complication (inhibition of advanced glycation product formation in the two models: BSA/glucose and BSA/methylglyoxal).
Professor Kiyokazu Ikeda
Professor Emeritus of Kobe Gakuin University
Japan
Kiyokazu Ikeda, Ph.D
Professor Emeritus of Kobe Gakuin University, Faculty of Nutrition
The Editor Emeritus of FAGOPYRUM journal pub. by IBRA
The former Editor-in-Chief of FAGOPYRUM journal pub. by IBRA
(2009-2017)
The life member of Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science
The life member of Cereals & Grains Association (USA)
The president of Japanese Society for Cereal Science
MAIN PAPERS
(1) K. Ikeda, “Buckwheat: composition, chemistry, and processing, Advances in Food Sciences and Nutrition Research, Vol.44, p.395-434 (2002), ed. by S. Taylor, Academic Press, USA.
(2) K. Ikeda, “Buckwheat in Human Nutrition”, p.184-186, Proceeding of the 1st International Conference of Asian Food Product Development, ed. by H. Cooke and R. Lin, Science Press, Beijing (1998)
(3) K. Ikeda and S. Ikeda, “Factors for structural properties and quality of buckwheat products”, In: Molecular Breeding and Nutritional Aspects of Buckwheat, eds by M. Zhou, I. Kreft, S.-H. Woo, N. Chrungoo, and G. Wieslander, Academic Press, Elsevier, Amsterdam (2016)
(4) M. Mochizuki, Y. Asami, R. Lin, S. Ikeda and K. Ikeda, A current review on buckwheat: historical aspects of its utilization in China and Japan, and its contribution to human nutrition, FAGOPYRUM, p.5-14 (2023) many others
