From November 25th to 27th, the 11th Jinshan Symposium on Food Physical Processing (Enterprise Forum) was successfully convened in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. Centered around the theme “Advancing Expertise through Physics: Catalyzing New-Quality Productive Forces in the Food Industry”, aiming to intensify academic exchanges and collaboration in the field of food physical processing technologies, thereby driving innovation and industrialadvancement. Distinguished attendees included Vice President Xiaobo Zou of Jiangsu University, Chairman Yi Shen of the Jiangsu Agricultural Machinery Society, and Project Specialist Tian Yang from the China Rural Technology Development Center, all of whom delivered keynotes speeches at the opening ceremony. The symposium was presided over by Professor Haile Ma, Dean of the Institute of Food Physical Processing at Jiangsu University and Director of the Food Equipment and Intelligent Manufacturing Branch of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology. In his address, Vice President Xiaobo Zou provided an overview of Jiangsu University, highlighting the development trajectory, current status, and international influence of its Food Science and Engineering discipline. He commended the promising prospects of food physical processing technologies and emphasized that this symposium fosters a conducive environment for advancing scientific research in this domain. He asserted that Jiangsu University would seize this opportunity to actively contribute to the sustainable development of China’s food industry and strengthen the nation’s global standing in food science and technology.
Chairman Yi Shen remarked that food physical processing represents the deep integration of modern physics and engineering technologies with traditional food science. He noted that numerous novel technologies emerging from this integration have been successfully applied across the primary processing of agricultural products and food manufacturing, driving the industry toward high efficiency, sustainability, energy conservation, and intelligence. Shen emphasized the pivotal role of these advancements in transforming and upgrading the food industry. He expressed hope that participating experts would intensify efforts in researching and developing food physical processing technologies and equipment, integrate theoretical innovation with industrial practice, broaden the scope of applications, and contribute significantly to modernizing agriculture and rural areas through mechanization and intelligent systems.
Project Specialist Tian Yang reflected on the remarkable progress of China’s food industry over the past four decades of reform and opening up, noting substantial advancements in scale, intensification, intelligence, and sustainability. She emphasized the importance of aligning with the guiding principles of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and leveraging the theory of new-quality productive forces. Yang called for a strategic approach to enhancing the national innovation system, addressing the unique needs of food physical processing in China, and strengthening the role of enterprises in driving technological innovation. She urged conference participants, including entrepreneurs and experts, to adopt and champion the concept of large-scale food systems, deepen collaborative innovation between “new food” and “physical fields”, and promote technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading to fortify the food industrial role in building a strong agricultural and technological nation.
Speeches by Guests at the Opening Ceremony
During the opening ceremony, the unveiling of the Food Physical Processing Innovation Consortium marked a significant milestone. The consortium was officially inaugurated by Vice President Xiaobo Zou of Jiangsu University, Chairman Yi Shen of the Jiangsu Agricultural Machinery Society, Project Specialist Tian Yang from the China Rural Technology Development Center, Professor Zhongli Pan, CEO of AIVISION FOOD and a researcher from the University of California, Davis, and Professor Haile Ma, Dean of the Institute of Food Physical Processing of Jiangsu University. The establishment of the consortium aims to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchanges in the field of food physical processing technologies. By leveraging the collective resources of universities, research institutes, and enterprises, the consortium seeks to foster a robust platform for integrating industry, academia, and research. This initiative is designed to accelerate technological innovation and industrial applications, address key technical challenges in food physical processing, and promote the high-quality development of the food industry. In addition, the conference hosted the award ceremony for the Best Paper Award of the inaugural issue of the English-language journal Food Physics, published by Jiangsu university.
Unveiling Ceremony of the Food Physical Processing Innovation Consortium
Award Ceremony of the Best Paper Award of “Food Physics”
The keynote report session of the conference invited Professor Zhongli Pan from the University of California, Davis and CEO of AIVISION FOOD, Professor Quansheng Chen, Dean of the School of Ocean and Food Science of Jimei University, Chairman Xiaobin Ding of Jiangsu Jiumo High-Tech Co., Ltd., Director Yu Liu of R&D (Quality Control) of Beijing Collaborative Innovation Food Technology Co., Ltd., Professor Qisen Xiang, Deputy Dean of the School of Food and Biological Engineering of Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, and Professor Haile Ma of Jiangsu University to deliver special reports at the conference.
Special Reports by Invited Experts
Supported by the China Rural Technology Development Center, the symposium was jointly hosted by Jiangsu University, the Food Equipment and Intelligent Manufacturing Branch of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, and Zhengzhou University of Light Industry. Co-organizers included the Jiangsu Agricultural Machinery Society, the journal Food Physics, and the Integrated Base for Dehydration Processing Technology of Vegetables under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The forum also received strong support from ov er 60 partner universities, research institutions, and enterprises nationwide. The active participation of industry stakeholders enriched the forum with valuable practical insights and industrial perspectives, further strengthening the synergy between industry, academia, and research. The conference attracted more than 200 registered participants, organizing 39 parallel sub-forum presentations and 15 graduate student forum reports. Discussions focused on the application of modern physical processing technologies, such as ultra-high pressure, ultrasound, electric fields, magnetic fields, plasma, microwave, infrared, pulsed light, and radio frequency, in food processing and manufacturing. Participants explored key scientific challenges and cutting-edge advancements in the field of food physical processing. In addition, the forum hosted the editorial board meeting of the journal Food Physics, further contributing to the academic exchange and dissemination of knowledge in this specialized area.
Conference Venue