<p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Dear Colleagues,</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The use of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) in foods, beverages and some industrial chemicals production as well as their potential for many new applications make them very important not only for modern industrial societies but for many ones in the developing world. Additionally, their special type of metabolism and the difficulties for unravelling their basic scientific aspects have become a challenge for many researchers throughout the world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In 2005, Prof. Paolo Giudici chaired the “<a href="http://www.vinegars2005.com/" target="_blank">Vinegar and Acetic Bacteria. International Symposium</a>” first meeting devoted to acetic acid bacteria with special interest in vinegar, traditionally, their most important product. Subsequently, in 2008, Prof. Kazunobu Matsushita had the responsibility of organizing the “<a href="http://nodaiweb.university.jp/aab/" target="_blank">Second International Conference on Acetic Acid Bacteria</a>”. Parallel specific conferences on vinegar research, fostered by The Vinegar Research Network (“<a href="http://www.uco.es/aab2012/Download_Area/primeras_jornadas_vinagre.pdf" target="_blank">Primeras Jornadas de I+d+I en la Elaboración de Vinagres de Vino</a>” and “<a href="http://www.uco.es/vinagres2006/home.htm" target="_blank">Second Symposium on Research+Development+Innovation for Vinegar Production</a>”) were held in Spain during 2003 and 2006 chaired by Prof. Albert Mas and Prof. Isidoro García in Tarragona and Cordoba respectively.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The upcoming meeting: “<strong>Third International Conference on Acetic Acid Bacteria. Vinegar and Other products</strong>”, will be held in Cordoba, Spain, during April 17-20, 2012. As responsible of this meeting as well as of the Network which promoted the aforementioned specific vinegar symposia, I suggest, for many reasons, from now on to combine both scientific conferences. So, the main objective of this Conference is to provide scientists, engineers, companies and any others interested in a platform for presenting latest research results, interchange and discussion of ideas, to establish new contacts and collaborations and exploring the development of new processes based on the capabilities of these bacteria.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The Organizing and Scientific Committees have tried to prepare a <a href="http://www.uco.es/aab2012/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid=33" target="_blank">scientific program</a> in order to organize and make easier the presentation of the main state-of-the-art scientific achievements regarding these microorganisms. The Conference will address the full spectrum of basic and applied research topics, including current trends and future applications.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The Conference will be organized as the previous ones offering sessions for standard contributions, both oral and posters. The sessions should enable the delegates to attend also the presentations which are close to their speciality but outside their everyday interest.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The official conference language will be English, no simultaneous translation will be available to any other language.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please, follow in the site (<a href="http://www.uco.es/aab2012/" target="_blank">http://www.uco.es/aab2012/</a>) many other details about our Conference and do not hesitate in contact us regarding any issue you consider important.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, we are very pleased to invite you to join us in Cordoba at the spring of 2012 and participate in the "<strong>Third International Conference on Acetic Acid Bacteria. Vinegar and other products</strong>". We believe firmly that it will be a fruitful experience from many points of view and keep you in a very active and multidisciplinary field.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">We look forward to seeing you in Cordoba in April of 2012<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Isidoro García García<br />Chairman<br /><strong>Third International Conference on Acetic Acid Bacteria. Vinegar and other products</strong>.</span></p>