Research theme
Understanding the factors responsible for quality of processed fruit and vegetables : reaction mechanisms in relation to heat and matter transfer, and consequences on quality

Description
Processing fruit and vegetables allows availability postponed in time and space of attractive and nutritionally interesting foodstuffs. There is a proven need for research into innovative and versatile processes that can deliver healthier food formulations while using more efficiently raw materials, water and energy. The candidate will develop approaches that integrate physical (transfers, structure) and chemical phenomena, taking into account the interaction between variable and heterogeneous raw material and process. Relationships between structure, modified during processing, diffusivity and reactivity of molecules, within dynamic processes, will be at the heart of the project. He/she will work closely with teams of (bio)chemists and microbiologists.

The position will be at INRA's center in Avignon. The work will be included in a dynamic integrative research environment, as INRA and Avignon University have developed high level research on fruit and vegetables, from selection to health effects. Specifically, UMR408 Sécurité et Qualité des Produits d’Origine Végétale aims to understand the determinants of quality and safety of processed fruit and vegetables (F&V), with specific focus on plant micro-constituents and reduction of risk linked to spore-forming bacteria. It has four main research questions: (i) chemical determinants of the nutritional benefits of plant micro-constituents, particularly polyphenols and carotenoids; (ii) impact of processing on contents and bio-accessibility of vitamins and micro-constituents in F&V, and their interactions with the plant matrix; (iii) risks associated with spore-forming bacteria, notably Bacillus cereus, in F&V processing; (iv) total valorization of plant micro-constituents by development of eco-extraction processes.

The successful applicant will contribute to topic ii), particularly on knowledge of conditions within heterogeneous materials and transfer phenomena in connection to texture evolution.

Application
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Ph.D. or equivalent. Training in chemical or food process engineering is wished, with a good background in statistics or modelling. Fluent English is wished. Some time will be devoted to learning French in the first year If the candidate is not already fluent. Interest in questions related to food and durability of food systems.

INRA is the leading European agricultural research institute and one of the foremost institutes in the world for agriculture, food and the environment. It is also the second largest public research institute in France.

INRA is ranked 2nd in the world and 1st in Europe for publications in the agricultural sciences, and plant and animal sciences. It maintains scientific partnerships with major scientific research institutes worldwide, universities, and agronomy and veterinary schools, and is committed to helping build the European Research Area. It develops a large number of collaborative projects and exchanges with the scientific community in numerous countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

Human resources: 1,800 researchers, 2,500 engineers, 4,000 technicians and administrative staff, nearly 2,000 PhD students and more than 1,800 foreign students and researchers and approximately 2,000 interns hosted each year in research units.

UMR408 SQPOV has a staff of about 50 persons, including 30 researchers and (assistant) professors, and 20 -25 Ph.D.s and post-docs. It is well-equiped for chemical, physical and physic-chemical analysis of raw and processed fruit and vegetables, for innovative extraction processes, as well as classical microbiology and molecular biology. It has good local supports and active cooperation with the relevant branch of the food industry.

Website : www6.paca.inra.fr/sqpov

Avignon is a small town (about 100 000 inhabitants) in the south of France. It has good quality of life (sunny, historical town-center, world-famous theatre festival), and is located in the Provence, known for its picturesque landscapes and villages.