ABIONET: ANAU- Newly Established Laboratory Facilities for Training Competitive Specialists

The EU funded ABIONET Erasmus+ KA2 project is now in its fourth year. One of the Project key outputs is to modernize the university with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to meet the needs of a newly launched Master Program. In this context, ANAU can take pride in achieving tangible results following the purchase and testing of new specialist equipment as well as establishing a «Food Quality Control Educational Laboratory». It is critical to have a cutting-edge laboratory to address the needs of the labour market and to adopt a targeted approach when using these new facilities.

A training course was held at the «Food Quality Control Educational Laboratory» targeted at developing capacities in innovative technologies obtained in the frame of the AbioNet Project, and conducting Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) research. Given that the key priorities public health wise remain food quality control and safety, the ELISA research, being one of the most precise method for identifying chemical and microbiological risks in food and raw materials, makes it possible to identify hormones, antibiotics, acids, allergens, mycotoxins, viruses and bacteria in food products and raw materials. The ELISA research scope includes the fields of food safety, expertise, veterinary medicine, and healthcare.

ANAU academic staff members involved in the teaching of piloting Food Safety Master Program as well as the piloting Master students participated in the training. It is convinced that the «Food Quality Control Educational Laboratory with well-equipped modern facilities and its training capabilities will contribute to improving the quality of education, as well as to training competitive specialists in the labour market, both at the national and international level.