UMT of Poligny

11 projects underway including 3 developed with VITAGORA

November 5, 2009 ACTIA, the French association for the technical coordination of the food industry, today has around 15 joint technical units or UMT (Unité Mixte de technologie). Two of these are specifically interested in the dairy industry, one based in the town of Poligny, in the heart of the Franche-Comté region, and the second in the town of Contal in the Auvergne region. 

In Poligny, the "Dairy Technology, Sensory and Health" UMT, created in August 2006, groups together three partners: the URTAL research unit (dairy technology and analysis) of INRA, ACTILAIT (France's only milk and dairy product institute), and ISBA (a dairy industry engineering school in Poligny and Mamirolle). "The general theme of this UMT is understanding the mechanisms involved in the quality of processed dairy products," explains Eric Beuvier, who is both director of the UMT and director of URTAL in Poligny. Today, 35 people, research engineers and technicians, are available for the UMT's reseach projects. 

Beyond the general theme, Poligny's UMT orients its activities along two main lines: controlling the sensory quality and health properties of processed dairy products. "Today, the UMT is involved in 11 joint projects, of which 8 are underway and 3 in development," indicates Eric Beuvier, who explains that of the 8 projects underway, 3 were developed in partnership with Vitagora (FROMSANTE, COLZAUPROT and COAG).

Vitagora accreditation a big asset for project funding

With FROMSANTE, the UMT in partnership with the University Hospital of Besançon is looking into the beneficial effects of raw milk hard cheese consumption on healthy volunteers who have suffered a stress from an antibiotic. COLZAUPROT, for its part, studies the impact of milk production practices, mainly the replacement of soy-based animal feed with rapeseed-based feed, on the quality of Comté cheese. Finally, it is the impact of auxilliary technologies, in this case curdling agents, on the sensory quality of cheese, that is being studied by COAG. 

"When a project is accredited, it is first of all a recognition of the interest of the project for Vitagora and also an indication of a number of openings," observes Eric Beuvier. "On a regional level, the fact of having Vitagora accreditation for a project has a very positive impact on funding applications," he adds.

For this reason, the three projects currently in the pipeline will be developed with Vitagora over the following few months. One of these concerns the thermic history of milk and its impact on the output and quality of cheese. A subject of particular interest for manufacturers. Another looks into the impact of cheese-makers' microbial ecosystems on the sensory properties of cheese.

"After becoming interested in the impact of raw milk microflora on the sensory qualities of cheese and in the microorganisms supplied by yeasts, we want to study the impact of microorganisms present in the production facilities of traditional cheese makers, mainly the Comté sector," explains eric Beuvier. Finally, a third project aims to study the impact of "the interaction between milk characteristics and technological pathways via the utilisation of various lactic yeasts on the taste qualities of Morbier". This last project, with a wider scope, will also target other traditional cheese types, both in Savoie and the Massif Central.

Contact
Eric Beuvier
Email : eric.beuvier@poligny.inra.fr

Source : Agence JFD and Co

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