Montpellier Scientific Community



Integrated approach to food quality (QUALISUD)

Director: Max Reynes
Website :
Research area
Food quality, in all its facets, sanitary, nutritional, organoleptic, is central to the concerns of consumers, agrifood manufacturers and health specialists. A better understanding of quality throughout the chain of production, processing and distribution is necessary to satisfy their expectations. The aim of the research unit Integrated approach to food quality is to develop an integrated approach for the manufacture and preservation of high quality foods in Southern countries.
Research highlights
Research work collaborative in the following areas: aromas, food safety, traceability, new IAA technologies (osmotic evaporation, membranes, ohmic heating, near infra red spectroscopy, pulsed electric fields, frying, flash detent, active molecules and conservation. Consulting, technology transfer and training in developing countries (missions for CDE, USAID, ONG...).
The research is organized along two main axes: (i) identification of the determinants of quality and (ii) preserving and elaborating quality through process optimization.

Staff profile
Total permanent staff
Total Scientists
Scientists with "HDR" [1]
Post-doc fellows
PhD
110
69
18
-
46
*Scientists per member institution: 46 CIRAD, 6 SupAgro, 6 UM I, 9 UM II, 2 private firms
[1]French university degree for confirmed thesis supervisor
Research teams
1-Determinants of the organoleptic and nutritional quality of fresh products and processed products: (i) Determinants of nutritional, aromatic and organoleptic quality, (ii) Functionality and biological activity of food, secondary metabolites and (iii) Health and pharmacological effect.

2-Typicity, preservation and non destructive quality evaluation of crops: (i) Conservation of fresh and processed products (active molecules, coatings, physiology, ripening), disinfestation and bacterial control, (ii) Origin, typicity of products and traceability and (iii) Sensory analysis and non destructive quality evaluation.

3-Stabilization and transformation processes: (i) Process engineering and control, pilot scale implementation, (ii) Separative technologies applied to food liquids, (iii) Solid-liquid and solid-gas processes and granulated products, (iv) Small scale: frying, meat and fish marination, drying, smoking processing (v) Emerging technologies (ohmic heating, pulsed electric fields, flash expansion).

4-Control of food chain contaminants: (i) Chemical and neo-formed contaminants, (ii) Biological contaminants (pathogens, mycotoxins, ochratoxins) and (iii) Molecular biology.
Platforms and other tools
  • 4 800 sq m of laboratories (Physico chemical analysis, molecular biology and microbiology, aroma and nutritional component analysis, non destructive quality control equipment)
  • P2 laboratory (microbiological safety)
  • A pilot plant and a workshop for process improvement: pasteurization and sterilization pilot, drying, cooking, smoking, fermentation, ohmic pilot, PEF pilot, micro rice mill, etc.
Most important international partnerships
European projects: ICARE, PAVUC, FONIO, INOVKAR, Alcue Food, Frutasia, Peter.
International projects: Brazil Nut, HAP, Floagri, Bepita.
Universities: Reunion Island - Wageningen - Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) - Kasetsart (Thailand) - Venezuela - Madagascar - ICCRI (Indonesia), INRAB (Benin) - 2IE (Burkina Faso) - IRAG (Guinea) - CRIG (Ghana) - IRAD (Cameroun) - Institut d'Économie Rurale (Mali) - NARO (Uganda) - UCAD, ESP (Senegal) UNIVALLE CIAT (Colombia),CEPEC, EMBRAPA, UNICAMP (Brazil) - INIAP, EPN (Equator) - CITA (Costa Rica) - INIFAP, UNIDA (Mexique) - CRU (Trinidad).
Facts and figures
Publications in international ranking journals
2007: 16
2006: 05
2005: 22
Representative publications
Mertz C., Cheynier V., Gunata Z., Brat P., 2007. Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Two Blackberry species (Rubus glaucus and Rubus adenotrichus) by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection and Electrospray Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55, 8616-8624.

Arnaud E., Pina M., Collignan A., 2007. Suitable cooling program for chicken fat dry fractionation. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 109, 127-133.

Grenier D., Bohuon P., Meot J.M., Lecomte D., Bailleres H., 2007. Heat and mass transfer in fry-drying of wood. Drying Technology, 25, 3, 511-518.

Vera E., Sandeaux J., Persin F., Pourcelly G., Dornier M., Piombo G., Ruales J., 2007. De-acidification of clarified tropical fruit juices by electrodialysis. Part II: characteristics of the de-acidified juices. J. of Food Engineering, 78, 4, 1439-1445.

Solis-Solis H.M., Calderon Santoyo M., Schorr-Galindo S., Ragazzo-Sanchez J.A., 2007. Characterization of aroma potential of apricot varieties using different extraction techniques. Food chemistry, 105, 829-834.