Frank H.J. Schuren, Ph.D., Senior Scientist Microbiology, TNO Microbiology & Systems Biology
Frank Schuren received his Ph.D. at Groningen University in 1987 on the molecular biological analysis of fungal development. After a postdoc on genetic transformation systems in filamentous fungi at the same University and a postdoc at the ETH Zurich in Switzerland he joined TNO in 1996.
At TNO he started the implementation of microarray technology in applied research. Together with his colleague Roy Montijn he developed a number of new microarray-based technologies which are successfully implemented in applied microbial research. Novel diagnostic tools enable the discrimination between closely related bacterial strains (such as the Legionella chip) and the analysis of complex microbial populations (such as the intestinal microbiota).
Tools for analyzing the immediate responses of microbes or microbial populations towards multiple stressors have also been developed. These tools allow for generating predictive models of behavior of microbes. Furthermore Frank has extensive experience with different approaches for combatting unwanted and pathogenic micro-organisms including phage applications.
Global Food Forums Presentations by Speaker
2015 Clean Label Conference
“Clean Label Anti-microbial Ingredients: How to find them?”
With the strong and ongoing consumer trend towards more ‘natural’ products, replacing chemical preservatives and sodium by natural antimicrobials is a highly preferable way of cleaning up labels. Preferably, such natural antimicrobials should be derived from natural compounds already in use in food production. This presentation shows an emerging method to screen natural components for synergistic effects on growth inhibiting effects against microorganisms using state-of-the art molecular detection methods. This method is independent of growth on selective or enriched media so they provide faster and much more detailed information than conventional, culture-based microbiology. The insights gained via this approach will provide more information than growth based screening tests which are currently used. Results of a demonstrator study on herbs and spices using this screening method is shared during the presentation.
