Andrzej Benkowski
Technical Manager, Probiotics & Dietary Supplements
As the Technical Manager at Eurofins Center of Excellence for Probiotics, Andrzej Benkowski brings over 18 years of expertise in biotics quality management, testing, and technology. With a strong technical background in food microbiology, Andrzej specializes in contract R&D, method development, and pioneering technologies for probiotic evaluation.
Since 2019, Andrzej has chaired the International Probiotic Association (IPA) Technical Committee and has been a member of the IPA Board of Directors since early 2024. He also contributes to the IPA Postbiotics Committee and has served as the IPA expert liaison with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC34/SC9 Working Group 11 since 2022, co-convening their Enumeration Subgroup.
Andrzej is dedicated to advancing the biotics industry by setting rigorous standards and driving innovation with a focus on quality.
Outside of his professional and scientific achievements, Andrzej is a member of the Eurofins Madison Site Employee Engagement Team and manages the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program for the site. A founding member of the funk band Steez, he also plays saxophone, synthesizers, and vocals. Andrzej enjoys the outdoors, spending time with his family, and pretending to be a coffee aficionado. Additionally, he has a passion for collecting sneakers and fitted hats.
Below are resources from Andrzej:
Managing food safety & quality in fruit & vegetable processing is challenging and extremely dynamic; variable supply chains, seasonal quality issues, minimal pathogen mitigations, and short shelf-life often leaves little time to make critical decisions.
Fresh produce undergoes several steps to reduce risk of pathogen contamination, but did you know that Nanobubble technology could be one of them? Nanobubbles are very small (70-120 nanometers) gas bubbles that exhibit interesting physical properties due to its size. It has been a relatively new field of research that could provide significant improvements to food production and water treatment.
Implementing an Effective Listeria Control Plan for Fresh Produce
Chemical and microbial exposure are the most common types of contamination during food processing. Understanding the sources of each type of contamination helps to effectively prevent problems before they arise. This infographic below explains various contamination sources in food, feed, and botanical products. These include residual solvents, storage issues, improper handling, and more.
Alicyclobacillus is a non-pathogenic spoilage bacteria that silently sours fruit juice products. With the ability to survive commercial pasteurization, Alicyclobacillus causes unpleasant odors in food products that make the products undesirable to consumers. Is your product at risk?
MicroTally™ has created an easy, FSIS compliant tool for meat sampling. Learn how Eurofins support can make using this tool even easier.
Following the recent webinar titled "Validation of Thermal Processes Applied to Low-Water Activity Foods" experts Shirin Abd and Dr. Wilfredo Ocasio answered some frequently asked questions.
Pathogenic organisms, like Salmonella and E. coli, can grow in low water activity foods, leading to foodborne illness outbreaks. Thermal processes inhibit microbial growth and ensure only safe ingredients and products reach the shelves. Thermal processes must be validated to make sure they fully prevent pathogen growth. This blog outlines what foods may need an LWAF thermal process, what a validation study looks like, and the results the experts at Eurofins provide.
In this webinar FREMONTA & Eurofins discuss cloth sampling method validation for microbial testing on beef trim. Original airdate November 10, 2022.
Foreign materials in products can be dangerous to consumers and damage a brand's reputation. At Eurofins, our team of experts is equipped to identify the cause of contamination and help come up with the ideal solution for you. The case study outlines our approach to identifying the source of microbial contamination in bottled juice, and how we work with clients to prevent future issues.