UMR STLO Unit

Science and Technology of milk and eggs

STLO - Science and Technology of milk and eggs

Milk and eggs are universal foods. They have in common a complete composition and an extreme richness in proteins of high nutritional value, in lipids, in minerals, carbohydrates and in vitamins... and are far from being perfectly known!

Read more

Click here to subscribe to STLO news!

News

All news
article

02 July 2025

By: STLO - S. Pezennec

3rd edition of the international Edible Soft Matter conference

Three units of the INRAE Bretagne-Normandy centre, OPAALE, STLO and NuMeCan participate in the organization of the 3rd international Edible Soft Matter conference, on July 7–10, 2025, together with the Institute of Physics of Rennes (IPR) and the Rennes Institute of Chemical Sciences (ISCR).
Know more
A gloved hand holds a broken eggshell containing the yolk. One hand pours oil into the shell.

Encapsulation of a DHA oil: how to modify the physiological fate of nutrients by optimising feed digestibility

Know more

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is an omega-3 fatty acid that we still don't get enough of on our plates, even though it is essential for brain and heart health. Eating fish to make up for this shortfall is an interesting strategy, but one that has a negative impact on the biodiversity of our oceans. Consuming foods enriched with DHA is another relevant strategy, optimised here by a food formulation that improves the digestibility of the oil.

mother bottle-feeding her baby

Amino acid requirements of infants: are they adequately covered by infant formulas?

Know more

Breastfeeding is the ideal way to feed infants. However, when breastfeeding is not possible or not desired, infants are given infant formulas, mainly produced from bovine milk. There are still differences between human milk and infant formula, including a different protein profile and amino acid composition, as well as different protein structures. In order to optimise these infant formulas, it is essential to gain a better understanding of the bioavailability of amino acids in infant formulas compared with human milk.

Logo ANR Satorix

Kick-off meeting of SaToRix project

Know more

The kick-off meeting for the SATORIX project, in which STLO is involved in, took place on Monday 19 May at ANSES Maison-Alfort. Yves Le Loir, Eric Guédon and Aurélie Nicolas attended the meeting.

Recent Results

Draainge tools
article

19 May 2025

By: STLO-MHFamelart

Preheating milk : what effects on the drainage of acid-rennet gel?

Acid-rennet gels such as « fromage frais », « petit-Suisse », or cream-cheese are highly appreciated by consumers for their high nutritional properties. They are made by coagulation of milk by both rennet and lactic acid bacteria, and then drainage of the acid gel. A better understanding of the mechanism of their drainage is essential to master and control the manufacture and the quality of these cheeses.
Know more
Bandeau In vitro simulation of digestion of older adults
article

16 May 2025

By: STLO-MHFamelart

In vitro simulation of digestion of older adults, a new tool to design products adapted to their needs

Preventing malnutrition in the elderly, a population that is growing steadily worldwide, is a major public health issue. This can be achieved among other solutions by providing products tailored to the needs of older adults, particularly products enriched with protein. However, the specific digestive characteristics of this population need to be taken into account in order to check whether the products on offer are genuinely beneficial from a nutritional point of view. This evaluation can be done using in vitro digestion models, which avoid experiments on humans or animals.
Know more
Several glass jars of “Yalup” yogurts
article

16 January 2025

By: Fanny Guyomarc'h

Spotlight on fermented milk-lupin mixes!

In an article published by The Conversation and on INRAE's institutional website, Valérie Gagnaire, Research Director (Microbio Team), talks about the results of Fanny Canon's PhD and the avenues this work has opened up for STLO in the design of yogurt substitutes based on milk and legumes.
Know more
Diagramme de Venn
article

12 May 2025

By: STLO-MHFamelart

Investigation of the dynamics of proteolysis by pepsin using statistical approaches

During digestion, the proteins we eat release amino acids required for human metabolism, as well as potentially bioactive peptides. These releases and their kinetics depend on the characteristics of the proteins, the food containing them, and the specificity of the proteases that successively intervene during digestion. The gastric phase, which initiates the first stages of food deconstruction, is of prime importance for protein digestion, thanks to the action of pepsin, the first protease to intervene.
Know more
Carottes lactofermentées
article

09 January 2025

By: STLO

Do you know fermented vegetables ?

Fermented vegetables, traditional in Asia and Eastern Europe, are booming in Western countries. They are made using a simple process consisting of incubating cut and salted raw vegetables, packed in jars in their juice or in brine, at room temperature. Fermented vegetable, apart sauerkraut, are mainly produced on a domestic and artisanal scale by spontaneous fermentation, which raises questions about their health safety.
Know more
earth
article

22 November 2024

By: stlo

How to share environmental impacts between milk-derived coproducts?

Food is a significant contributor to humans’ environmental impacts and appropriate metrics to quantify them is essential to take and follow mitigation actions. Industrial processing accounts for less than 5% of the overall impacts of food systems but is central to sustainability. While agricultural production of commodities like milk generates over 75% of the food’s environmental impacts, processing prevents food waste and food spoilage to the expense of energy and water resources. However, industrial processes often involve separation of the commodity into coproducts, among which these environmental impacts must be shared.
Know more
article

10 April 2025

By: STLO

Using MRI to study digestion

Gastrointestinal digestion is a complex, dynamic process during which food is broken down into absorbable nutrients. The structure of a food and the interactions between different foods ingested during a meal modify the way digestion proceeds. A non-invasive imaging method, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has enabled us to follow in vitro the disintegration of food pieces and access structural changes at different scales, such as the penetration of digestive enzymes into a heterogeneous food, the release of gas and the separation of fat.
Know more

How to find us