BN group
UMR STLO Unit
Research
BN group

Bioactivity and Nutrition group

The structure of food is an important parameter that can modulate the digestion of food and therefore its nutritional and biological value. This is all the more important when dealing with specific populations (infants, the elderly, etc.). It is thus important to better understand the mechanisms of food digestion to better predict their impact on the body.

 

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Amélie DEGLAIRE
amelie.deglaire@institut-agro.fr
Tel : 02 23 48 56 94

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Steven LE FEUNTEUN
steven.le-feunteun@inrae.fr
Tel : 02 23 48 53 35

Our objectives

The "Bioactivity & Nutrition" team is interested in the mechanisms of food digestion, and more particularly in:

  • Understanding the deconstruction of dairy, egg and mixed animal-vegetable products in the gastrointestinal tract and evaluating their nutritional qualities
  • Identify the release of bioactive molecules (beneficial or deleterious) during digestion
  • Determine the consequences on human health

These aspects are essential to enable the design of multifunctional food matrices that meet targeted nutritional objectives.

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Our strategies

In vitro approaches:

  • Static & semi-dynamic digestions to screen between various food formulations, study enzymatic mechanisms, evaluate final digestibility, conduct investigations with in situ monitoring by MRI, Synchrotron, etc.
  • Computer-controlled dynamic digesters that reproduce the flows (secretions, transit, etc.) observed in vivo:
    • 2 DIDGI (1 equipped with membrane filtration)
    • 1 NERD-T (which mimics the biomechanics of the digestive tract)
  • Cellular models of the intestinal wall to study nutrient absorption

In vivo approaches: Pre-clinical and clinical studies.

In silico approaches: Mathematical modelling of the mechanisms.

Different populations considered: Infants, healthy adults, elderly...

Our expertise

Our expertise covers the following disciplines:

  • Food science
  • Protein and lipid biochemistry
  • Digestive physiology
  • Human nutrition
  • Physical chemistry and biophysics

In addition to our digestion simulators, the team has a multitude of investigation means at its disposal to monitor food digestion:

  • Analysis of hydrolysis products :
    • Proteolysis: peptidomics by LC-MS, amino acids by ion exchange chromatography, SDS-PAGE, primary amines by OPA...
    • Lipolysis: different classes of lipids by GC-MS, GC, HPLC, TLC...
    • Amylolysis: oligosaccharides and released sugars by HPLC, UV kits...
  • Confocal microscopy
  • Cell culture
  • Rheology
  • Mathematical modelling

Our team

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Technician/Assistant engineer : Séverine CHEVALIER, Gwénaële HENRY,  Yann LE GOUAR

Engineer : Marie-Françoise COCHET, Julien JARDIN, Olivia MÉNARD, Jordane OSSEMOND

Scientists : Amélie DEGLAIRE, Didier DUPONT, Catherine GUÉRIN, Steven LE FEUNTEUN, Vincent MATHIEU, Martine MORZEL, Françoise NAU, Frédérique PEDRONO

 

 

Our PhD and post-doctoral students

  • BOJORQUEZ SANCHEZ Ana María (PhD) - Supervision: PEDRONO Frédérique et LE FEUNTEUN Steven - 2025 - Vectorization of DHA in the form of AKG-diDHA and measurement of early neurodevelopmental effects in infants after transmission through breast milk
  • GONZALES-NIETO Elva-Zenaida (PhD) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier - 2025 - In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of plant-based foods using the INFOGEST method and brush border enzymes: a tool for predicting the allergenicity of new foods
  • LE BLET Manon (PhD) - Supervision: MORZEL Martine. Projet Letsproseed - 2025 - Allergenicity and digestion of fava bean-based products
  • LE FOLL Rozenn (Post-doc) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier & CROGUENNEC Thomas - 2025 - Is the bioavailability of calcium in dairy products higher than that in various plant-based food sources?
  • COULIBALY Amadou (PhD) - Supervision: MORZEL Martine - 2024 -Interactions between proteins and polyphenols during gastrointestinal digestion
  • PICARD Capucine (PhD) - Supervision: NAU Françoise, DEGLAIRE Amélie and LECHEVALIER Valérie - 2024 - Predicting the nutritional quality of plant proteins for the purpose of enriching biscuit products with protein
  • SAVIARD Tanguy (PhD) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier - 2024 - Understanding goat milk digestion and its impact on gastrointestinal homeostasis through in vitro and in vivo approaches
  • JAYAWARDANA Isuri (Post-doc) - Supervision: DEGLAIRE Amélie and DUPONT Didier - 2023 - Gastrointestinal digestion of milk flavored with tea, cocoa, and coffee: gastric colloidal behavior and protein digestion kinetics.
  • POGU Simon (PhD) - Supervision: DEGLAIRE Amélie, DUPONT Didier and NAU Françoise - 2023 - Which in vitro methodology can be used to predict values obtained in humans for actual protein digestibility?
  • LE FOLL Rozenn (Post-Doc) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier (BN) /CROGUENNEC Thomas (PSF) - 2024-2026 - Is the bioavailability of calcium in dairy products higher than that in various plant-based food sources?
  • MOUCHARD Alizé (Fixed term contract) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier - 2025-2026 - Digestion of new foods and ingredients enriched with cultivated macroalgae proteinsDigestion de nouveaux aliments et ingrédients enrichis en protéines de macroalgues cultivées
  • FINIZIO LAURANE (Fixed term contract) - Supervision: DUPONT Didier - 2025 - Determination of the in vitro digestibility of proteins in pea and fava bean isolates

Projects

INFOGEST: An international research network (a former COST Action : 2011-2015) whose objective is to improve health properties of food by sharing the knowledge on the digestive process. Altogether, INFOGEST gathers more than 715 scientists from 250 institutes in 56 countries in Europe but also USA, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand etc. Click here for more information

ALINOVEG : This project, supported and funded by BPI France, focuses on developing alternatives to dairy products based on pea and fava bean proteins. As part of this, the digestibility of these proteins will be studied.

ALKYLAIT : This thesis project focuses on the vectorization of DHA in the form of alkylglycerols in the mother's diet. The early neurodevelopmental effect in offspring after transmission through breast milk will be studied in a mouse model. This project is funded by the Institut Agro Rennes-Angers and the Brittany region.

ALLPRET : This project, coordinated by Utrecht University (University Medical Center Utrecht), is a doctoral network funded by the European Horizon - Marie Curie program. The overall project focuses on assessing food safety when introducing new foods into the human diet, in particular by evaluating allergenic risks. The thesis carried out at STLO will focus on the gastrointestinal digestion of plant-based foods and the addition of brush border enzymes as part of the assessment of the allergenicity of new foods.

DIRPROT : This thesis project focuses on the methodology used to evaluate the in vitro digestibility of proteins. It is a collaboration with the PNCA joint research unit (Palaiseau), funded by Carnot Qualiment and the TRANSFORM department of INRAE.

GLUT : This project focuses on the digestion of milk flavored with coffee, tea, or chocolate extracts. The behavior in the gastric phase, during simulated digestion with the NERD-T® simulator, is studied, as well as the kinetics of proteolysis and structural changes. This project has received European and Breton co-financing from the BIENVENüE program.

LETSPROSEED: In this project, funded by ANR and lead by UMR Agroécologie (Dijon, France), we are in charge of the WP on Salivary protein-polyphenol complexes: interactions, fate during in vitro digestion and impact of digestates on the mucin layer lining the intestinal epithelium (mixed Caco2/HT29-MTX cell cultures). This task is performed in collaboration with UMR CSGA (Dijon, France) and UR BIA (Team Polyphénols, Réactivité, Procédés, Le Rheu, France).

In this folder

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 Letsproseed

When alpha-lactabumin meets polyphenols : insights into its interactions with the epigallocatechin gallate and procyanidin.

Know more

At STLO, we don't need to introduce you to proteins! But we're less familiar with polyphenols, a large family of organic molecules with complex properties. Mainly of plant origin, polyphenols provide defense, coloring and reinforcing functions for plants and their fruit. Useful in plants, interactions between polyphenols and proteins can be detrimental in foods, causing astringency through interaction between dietary polyphenols and salivary proteins, for example, or altering digestibility.

Bandeau In vitro simulation of digestion of older adults

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

Know more

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.

Diagramme de Venn

Investigation of the dynamics of proteolysis by pepsin using statistical approaches

Know more

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.

Using MRI to study digestion

Know more

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.

Le digesteur in vitro NERDT

NERDT, a new biomimetic in vitro digester

Know more

In order to study food digestion in humans, research teams are developing artificial digesters that enable food digestion to be studied under standardized, reproducible conditions. The NEar Real Digestive Tract (NERDT) is a new-generation dynamic biomimetic digester consisting of a life-size silicone stomach that simulates stomach contractions.

How lysozyme drastically damages bacterial membranes

Know more

Studies on egg white, particularly on lysozyme and ovotransferrin, all demonstrate activities against bacterial membranes from many bacteria groups. We studied how lysozyme acts on bacteria membranes.

Human milk digestion in the preterm infant

Know more

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.

Structuring egg white proteins to modulate in vitro digestibility

Know more

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.

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Modification date: 13 October 2025 | Publication date: 25 October 2022 | By: stlo