Montpellier Scientific Community



Agropolymer Engineering and Emerging Technologies (IATE)

Director: Stéphane Guilbert

Research area
The research unit Agropolymer Engineering and Emerging Technologies (IATE) work is focused on the physical and physico-chemical aspects of the processing of agri-molecules, agripolymers and complex matrices and on the effects on structure, functional properties and qualities for use. A multidisciplinary approach is used that combines the study of processes and the quality of foodstuffs using analysis of biological changes (microbial and enzymatic activities), biochemical changes (the pattern of intra and inter-molecular interactions), physicochemical change (mechanics, rheology, thermal analysis, surface state), microstructural changes (vibrational microspectrometry, optical and electronic microscopy, environmental aspects, etc.). Applications cover cereal and starch technology, dairy product technology, lipids technology, active packaging and new techniques for the conservation of food products.
Research highlights
  • Extraction and fonctionalization of agropolymers (dry refinery)
  • Protein based bioplastics
  • Active packaging design
  • Enzyme-catalysed functionalization of lipids and derivatives
  • Knowledge representation applied to cereal processing
Staff profile
Total permanent staff Total Scientists Scientists with "HDR" [1] Post-doc fellows PhD
58
36
13
3
28
*Scientists per member institution: 7 CIRAD, 10 INRA, 8 Montpellier SupAgro, 11 UM II
[1]French university degree for confirmed thesis supervisor
Research teams
  • Fractionation of grains: structural, mechanic and physico-chemical bases; extraction, milling and separation processes
  • Structuration of agro-polymer under stress and Reactivity of powders
  • Mass transport and reaction in food /packaging systems
  • Microbiological and enzymatic biotechnology of lipids and agropolymers Integrated
  • Integrated Application of Knowledge, Information and Technologies
Platforms and other tools
  • Platform for plant processing (fractionation, structuration)
  • Platform on non thermal treatments (EFP, HP...)
  • Platform on powder engineering (generation, characterization)
  • Platform on packaging properties (mechanical, controlled release, barrier to solutes, gas and vapours, antimicrobial, MAP)
  • Platform on volatile compound analysis (shared with RU SPO)
  • Platform on industrial microbiology ( fermentations, protein engineering, purification) (Shared with RU SPO)
List of softwares developed within the unit
Transferomatic - Virtual grain
Most important international partnerships
  • Top Institute Food and Nutrition - Wageningen (NL)
  • VTT - Espoo (Finland)
  • Technical University - Berlin (Germany)
  • USP - University of Sao Paolo (Brasil)
  • Kasetsart University - Bangkok (Thaïland)
Facts and figures
Publications in international ranking journals
2007: 43
2006: 35
2005: 34
Representative publications
Pommet M, Morel MH, Redl A, Guilbert S. (2005). Aggregation and degradation of plasticized wheat gluten during thermo-mechanical treatments, as monitored by rheological and biochemical changes. Polymer, 45 (20): 6853-6860

Thomopoulos R., P. Buche, et al. (2006). Transactions on knowledge and data engineering. IEEE 8(10): 1397-1410.

Grefeuille, V., J. Abecassis, et al. (2007). Analysis of the milling reduction of bread wheat farina: physical and biochemical characterisation. Journal of Cereal Science 45(1): 97-105.

Topin, V., J. Y. Delenne, et al. (2007). "Strength and failure of cemented granular matter." The European Physical Journal E 23: 413-429. Villeneuve, P. (2007). "Lipases in lipophilization reactions." Biotechnology Advances 25: 515-536.

Charles F., Guillaume C. Gontard N. (2008). Effect of passive and active modified atmosphere packaging on quality changes of fresh endives. Postharvest Biology and Technology. In press