Areas of work

The texture of fleshy fruit (apples, tomatoes, etc.) is an important quality criterion for all those involved in the sector, from producer to consumer. It determines the fruit's suitability for transport and storage, is a source of appreciation or rejection by the consumer and determines the processing methods used. Texture is the result of a combination of factors associated with tissue development and cellular metabolism, depending on the development and physiology of the fruit.

We are making progress in our knowledge of the ability of plant material to become a source of new biopolymers or dedicated functions for an ever-increasing number of agro-materials. In line with societal concerns linked to agro-ecological change and with the bio-economy, particularly as regards plant production, the PVPP team is conducting fundamental and applied research with non-food industries with a view to producing bio-based materials and composites.

The composition of the plant wall has a major influence on the use of lignocellulosic biomass. It is a major reservoir of raw materials for the production of biobased materials and molecules of interest (biologically active molecules, platform molecules, synthons, etc.). We are working on both dedicated crops and plant co-products.

We are studying the role of cell walls in the quality of cereal grains. Cell walls are part of the dietary fibre that has been shown to have a beneficial effect on human health and therefore play a role in the fibre content of cereal products. On the other hand, the walls of certain cereal grains could have deleterious effects, such as limiting the digestibility of proteins in particular in humans, or having harmful effects on the digestive health of certain farm animals (e.g. chicken). Cereal walls also influence the quality of cereal grains when they are processed into food products (e.g. suitability for grinding and fractioning grain to obtain flour, suitability for bread-making in wheat), and non-food products (agrofuels, agromaterials).

The plant wall is a rigid yet dynamic element that differs from other elements of the cell. Often represented as a tangle of several polymers, the wall is restructured throughout the life of the cell, from the first moments of its formation and differentiation through to cell death.