News Archives: Exploring the Relationship Between Food Microbiology and Health
Friday, October 13th, 2023
Dr. Kouadio Bedie
Dr. Kouadio Bedie’s interest in food microbiology took root during his early days at university, and he has spent almost two decades exploring the relationship between food microbiology and human health. Problem-solving issues around food microbiology fuel his passion.
“Doing food microbiology research in a lab is trying to find solutions to problems created by microorganisms for people,” he says. “Working in different research areas allows you to discover things that you never thought of which adds to the fun and intrigue.”
Dr. Bedie’s accomplishments are numerous. He completed a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at Laval University as well as Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the University of Victoria and the University of Alberta. His work has also been published in peer-reviewed journals like the Journal of Food Science and Technology and the Journal of Food Protection.
Dr. Bedie’s work highlights the value of applied research in addressing issues that directly affect communities. From Cote d’Ivoire to Colorado to Alberta, Dr. Bedie has left an imprint in research environments and raised awareness in local communities. In fact, he recently provided commentary to help Albertans understand more about food safety and the September 2023 E. Coli outbreak in Alberta on CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.
“This recent E. coli outbreak was unfortunate, but it could have been prevented if the establishment in question was following Alberta Health Services’ food safety requirements properly,” he adds.
Dr. Bedie’s expertise in food safety extends beyond the laboratory setting. He is actively involved in consulting, training, and inspections, and has been an integral part NWP’s National Bee Diagnostic Centre (NBDC) since 2020.
His current projects include honeybee disease diagnostics, improvement of the diagnostic techniques using traditional and molecular techniques and more recently in-vitro honeybee larvae rearing in the lab to evaluate the effect of a plant extract on diseased larvae.
Stay tuned to NWP’s Applied Research page to learn more about Dr. Bedie’s role with the recently launched Agriculture & Biosciences Applied Research Centre at NWP.
