Mixed animal-vegetable (LOVe for the French “Lait-Oeuf-Végétal”, milk-egg-vegetable)

The aim of this transverse axis is to propose innovative "mixed" foods to support food sustainability, in which animal components are partially replaced by plant components. The constituents of these mixed feeds are milk, eggs or their derivatives, and protein-rich plant ingredients, with a focus on legumes (lupins, soybeans and faba beans), preferably grown in France or Europe.

The research activities associated with LOVe focus mainly on the design and functional properties of mixed feeds and/or the fermentation of mixed or plant-based feeds with reference to lactic fermentations. Our areas of research are:

• Understand  how mixed blends are formed and seek synergies in terms of health benefits (digestibility) and nutritional, organoleptic and technological functionalities, using various processes including fermentation,
• Determine consumer attitudes to these new foods, in collaboration with the Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation (INRAE Dijon),
• Use fermentation as a lever to reduce anti-nutritional components in mixed or vegetable products; prevent allergies, in collaboration with the Bioprocesses-Interactions-Assemblies unit,
• Develop analytical reference systems adapted to the study of these mixted.

Contact : Valérie Gagnaire valerie.gagnaire@inrae.fr et Fanny Guyomarc’h fanny.guyomarc-h@inrae.fr

Optimization of infant formulas (IF)

The objective of this transverse axis is to propose strategies for improving IFs. Indirectly, it also contributes to improving our knowledge of the constituents of breast milk and their role in infant health (especially digestive health).

The reflections carried out within the framework of IF transverse axis made it possible to identify two main areas of improvement:

• Develop less denaturing processes, making it possible to further preserve the naturalness of the product while guaranteeing its safety,
• Identify the constituents present in breast milk and not taken into account in infant formulas and include them in formulations to reproduce the health benefits of breast milk.

Contact : Sergine Even sergine.even@inrae.fr et Amélie Deglaire amelie.deglaire@agrocampus-ouest.fr