Industrial probiotic production, the key to delicious fat-reduced dairy, legumes in European agriculture

Updates on Vitagora's innovation projects

DOPEOS - Optimising industrial production of probiotics

The partners of the DOPEOS project have developed a process for industrial production of some bacterial strains of the EOS (Extreme Oxygen Sensitivity) category that feature commonly in our microbiota. These strains are currently used infrequently due to their being difficult to preserve, and are subject to alterations in their functionalities using regular production methods. However, they present a number of potential health benefits, in particular for preventing chronic bowel inflammation, or even type 2 diabetes or obesity.

The DOPEOS research program includes the following stages:

• Development of an optimised culture medium and conditions
• Culture of metabolically active bacteria in a laboratory bioreactor
• Identification of new strains of beneficial bacteria
• Development of a biofermenter adapted to EOS bacteria
• Construction of a totally inert production line to improve the production of these bacteria
• Deployment of the first tests on an industrial level

*UMR PAM (Agrosup Dijon / University of Burgundy), project coordinator, UMR MICALIS (ProbiHôte team - INRA / AgroParisTech / Université Paris-Saclay), Biovitis, biomass producer, Global Process Concept, designer and builder of industrial units for biomass production.

SLIM - The size of fat globules in emulsions are the key to delicious fat-reduced dairy products

Since 2017, the partners of the SLIM project* have been searching to understand the various factors impacting the structure, texture and taste of dairy products in order to develop processes for reducing fat content. Even if much of their data is still being processed, the first results have been promising and are already being made public.
 

The CBMN research team in Bordeaux is working on reducing fat content in dairy products by controlling the crystallisation of milk fats.

• Compensating the lowered fat content by increasing the size of fat globules. This approach is based on partial coalescence.
• Incorporating an acaloric phase (water or air) in the fat globules, without effecting the sensory characteristics. This strategy means that the desired textural characteristics can be achieved without the need for further additives.

In parallel, EMULSAR, an SME specialised in emulsions, has been concentrating on a membrane emulsification technology. This is based on the principal of "forming drops on the membrane surface", unlike traditional emulsification techniques that consist of "breaking substances into finer droplets". Their goal is to determine if the use of the technology can allow a dessert-type yoghurt to keep its "creamy" aspect while reducing fat content.

This research has showed that it is indeed possible, in laboratory conditions, to use membrane emulsification to obtain a yoghurt with a 6.5% fat content and with a texture comparable to a 10% fat yoghurt.

The results have contributed to the development of a new range of sauces called "MieuM", currently being launched. EMULSAR now intends to apply their emulsification system to the industrial production of yoghurts. 

SLIM is an innovation project accredited by Vitagora and benefiting from French national innovation funding. Its goal is to develop new strategies for formuling fat-reduced dairy products with the taste and sensory appeal of regular products (creaminess, smoothness etc.).

*General Mills (project leader), UMR Genial, CBMN, Emulsar and CAD Instruments.

Building lasting legume productions in France - LEGITIMES

With the goal of setting up an industrial value chain for the production of legumes in France, the LEGITIMES research project (accredited by Vitagora and funded by the French national research agency) came to an end in 2018. The program today has contributed to the launch of two European research projects: LegValue and DIVERImpacts.

Running from 2013 to 2018, LEGITIMES aimed to study the conditions for building an agricultural and industrial value chain for legume production, in particular in the Occitanie region of France. Legumes play an important role in sustainable agricultural practices and as alternatives to animal protein, as well as presenting a number of health benefits for humain diets.

Having carried out an observation phase, including analyses of operational obstacles regarding legume production, the project partners* then passed to the "construction" phase. This second phase included the design and evaluation of prototypes of agricultural systems and territorial scenarios, in particular regarding the setting up of value chains in Occitanie.

Building on the data obtained through LEGITIMES, two new European Research programs, LegValue et DIVERImpacts, have been launched. With funding from the H2020 program, LegValue et DIVERImpacts bring together between them a total of 58 partners and have the goal of integrating the sustainable production of legumes in European agricultural systems.

*UMR Agronomie (project coordinator) INRA (UMR AGIR, Agroécologie, ASTER), ESA, ISARA, Terres Inovia, Valorex, Qualisol, Terrena and Dijon Céréales.

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Marthe Jewell, marthe.jewell@vitagora.com,

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