EVAGRAIN

Assessing wheat quality is a complex task. On the one hand, agriculture is facing new constraints linked to climate change and, on the other, it must respond to consumer expectations for more nutritious and healthier food.

These expectations for greater naturalness and fewer additives in food are reflected in ‘clean label’ approaches. With renewed interest in the use of wholegrain cereals, they impose major technological constraints and require the raw materials to be more closely adapted to the processes. This adaptation requires better use of existing wheat cultivars and therefore better characterisation of their use value.

At present, the criteria used to determine this use value are limited, relatively empirical and geared towards bakery use.

Particular weight is also given to breadmaking trials designed for standard French bread. It is therefore necessary to have a wheat quality assessment system that is both more robust and flexible in order to assess wheat specifications for other uses. These have very different quality expectations, whether in bread-making, given the diversity of its applications, or in biscuit-making.

The aim of the EVAGRAIN project is to design a Decision Support System (DSS) that will provide a general assessment of the use value of soft wheat for different end uses, based on scientific and technological knowledge in the field and on analytical data supplied by the user.

A second objective is to design innovative analytical tests, in real time if possible, that will enable a more complete and rapid diagnosis of wheat quality by integrating non-protein components such as lipids, pentosans and water into the decision criteria.

Finally, the project aims to support the transfer of knowledge to economic players in the cereals sector.

Project duration: 4 years (2021-2024)

Coordination: Luc Saulnier (BIA Unit - PVPP team)

Partners: INRAE

• INRAE BIA
• INRAE UMR IATE
• INRAE UMR SayFood
• I2M
• ARVALIS
• AXIANE
• Limagrain ingrédients
• Spectralys
• Walagri
• Vegepolys Valley

ANR budget: € 660k