Recent results

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a method for evaluating the environmental impact of a product or service. It takes into account all the stages from the extraction of raw materials to the end of the product's life, including production, processing, transport, product use and waste treatment (recycling or disposal). As part of the European FAIRCHAIN project, the French case study focused on the development of a fermented beverage based on cheese whey, which had little or no value up to then. The SEAMPL simplified LCA software was developed to help the project's partners in the reuse sector to choose the best scenario for distributing this beverage in reused bottles.

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.

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.

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.

Infant formula is the most adequate substitute to human milk; however, although these two infant foods are close in terms of macronutrient content, their fine composition and structure still differ, particularly regarding proteins.

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.

Faced with the development of food-related chronic diseases, the scientific community concentrates on understanding the digestion process, taking into account food in all its aspects and complexity. Especially, the issue of food structure influence on nutrient bioavailability is addressed.

Human milk is preferentially fed to very low birth weight infants. When mother’s milk is not available, human milk from milk bank can be administered after pasteurization. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of the technological treatments on the digestive behaviour of human milk.

Staphylococcus aureus, an opportunistic pathogen, causes a wide range of illnesses, from benign skin infections to potentially fatal food poisoning. It is also one of the main bacteria responsible for nosocomial infections in France. Initially thought to be extracellular, S. aureus has recently been detected inside various cell types of infected hosts. Identifying the biological processes involved in the cellular response to S. aureus is necessary to understand the mechanisms of chronic infection, and to develop methods of combating it.