Keywords
Joint optimization of production efficiency and the sensory and nutritional qualities of beef: research into muscle and blood biomarkers of sensory quality.
Description
The BIOMARQUEURS team, headed by Muriel Bonnet, aims to identify the metabolic and physiological mechanisms that control tissue plasticity determining ruminant production, adaptive responses and efficiency, and to design phenotyping tools for ruminant product qualities and production traits. The research objectives are as follows:
- To identify the responses of ruminants to rearing practices or constraints, both at the animal and product levels;
- To understand the metabolic and physiological mechanisms controlling product yield and qualities (carcasses, meat, milk), tissue plasticity (muscle, mammary gland, adipose tissue, liver), nutrient partitioning and adaptive responses (mainly metabolic, neuroendocrine or inflammatory responses);
- To unravel molecular and cellular indicators (biomarkers) of product, tissue and ruminant trait variances through bioinformatics and mathematical analyses;
- To propose tools to quantify these biomarkers and evaluate product qualities, ruminant performance and traits, as well as the trade-offs between these components contributing to animal efficiency.
BIOMARQUEURS conducts studies on ruminants as target species, and also on animal models (such as transgenic mice), and on cell/tissue cultures. It uses genomics (mainly transcriptomics, proteomics) to unravel mechanisms and biomarkers. More traditional analytical methods are used to phenotype nutritional (lipids, fatty acids and peroxidation products) and sensorial (evaluation panel) qualities of meat and milk, and whole body metabolism (plasma hormones, metabolites). Data processing (bioinformatics, databases, prediction and modelling) tools allow to establish relationships between molecular changes and phenotypes
- DURAND Guillaume
- Associate Professor
- ELLIES-OURY Marie-Pierre
- Full Professor