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.

The objective of our research was to design foods that fit the nutritional and sensory needs of senior citizens to help keep them in good health and fend off risks like sarcopenia (muscle wasting) and osteoporosis. We also had a wider goal to help them keep enjoying meals, as with advancing age, fading oral health can make adequate food intake difficult or even painful.

Artisanal fermented foods constitute a significant part of the Mediterranean diet and represent a cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and protected. Nyons table black olives are produced in south-eastern France, and benefit from a PDO Label. They are produced according to a traditional process by a slow spontaneous fermentation in brine, i.e., without any starter adjunction. The manufacture and unique sensorial properties of these olives thus only relies on autochthonous complex microbiota, which we have deciphered.

The effect of shear stress on the accumulation of whey protein deposits at a liquid/solid interface is linked to their unfolding and aggregation. Understanding these phenomena is essential to deal with critical and costly industrial issues occurring at the bulk solution/surface interface, such as the formation of a fouling layer during heat treatment and or concentration by evaporation.