SFR 4241 Tersys - Natural Products Development, Quality and Environment

Activities

Tersys is a Federative Research Structure attached to Avignon University.
This structure brings together 14 laboratories from Avignon University and the PACA centre of INRAE.
More than 300 technicians, teacher-researchers and researcher-engineers put their scientific and technical skills at the service of a cross-disciplinary research platform on natural products, their production, their development and their health benefits.

The objective of the SFR is to federate, in a transversal way, the research units of Avignon University and the INRAE centre of Avignon in order to build a coherent and efficient research offer, capable of addressing, in a complementary and coordinated way, the main scientific questions raised by "natural products" and their valorisation.

On the Internet http://tersys.univ-avignon.fr/

ORGANISATION

MEMBER UNITS

Direction
Cyril Reboul

Research activities

The SFR Tersys is structured around 5 complementary research areas:

Axis 1: Interactions between production systems and the environment, water quality and cycle
Head: Joffrey MOIROUX (MCF, UMR CNRS IMBE)

The objective of axis 1 is to better understand the roles of biodiversity in the ecosystem services provided to agriculture in order to propose levers that can be mobilised by new sustainable agricultural systems that are more respectful of the environment.

Axis 2: Impact of environmental factors, in the broad sense, in relation to genetic factors, on the quality of fresh produce
Leader: Nadia BERTIN (DR INRAE, UR INRAE PSH)

Axis 2 studies the mechanisms of development of the multiple sensory, taste, nutritional and sanitary quality traits of plant products under the impact of cultivation practices, genetic factors and environmental variables. The final objectives are to propose agronomic levers to control production in terms of quantity and quality in a context of climate change and reduced natural resources.

Area 3: Effects of processes on the quality of preserved plant products
Leader: David PAGE (CR INRAE, UMR INRAE SQPOV)

Objective: To study the structures, functionalities and health status of plant raw materials. To know how to effectively measure their qualities and identify key molecules for their nutritional and organoleptic values. Understand the impact of transformation processes on the composition, on the reaction mechanisms that operate, and on food safety. This knowledge makes it possible to enhance the biodiversity of regional productions, to highlight their assets within innovative food products and to valorise co-products.

Axis 4: Evaluation of the health value of fresh and processed products according to their composition (physiological and physiopathological, metabolic and cardiovascular aspects)
Person in charge: Jean-François LANDRIER (DR INRAE, UMR INSERM INRAE AMU C2VN)

The objective of axis 4 is to evaluate how the modulation of phytomicronutrient intakes and tissue contents can have consequences on the development of metabolic pathologies such as obesity or diabetes. The health impact of food contaminants (microbiological, mycotoxins, phytosanitary products) is also addressed.

Cross-cutting theme A: Modelling
Coordinator: Florent BONNEU (MCF, UPR LMA) and Mohamed MEMAH (CR INRAE, UR INRAE PSH)

Deterministic or stochastic modelling makes it possible to establish relationships between observed phenomena through biological, physical, statistical or probabilistic models. This stage of modelling of living organisms makes it possible to explain the links between different factors in order to better understand biological dynamics and also to provide predictions in unobserved situations. The objective is to propose innovative models adapted to each problem encountered in the SFR Tersys axes in order to take into account the complexity of the phenomena studied.

Partnerships

Competitiveness clusters, Innov'Alliance, Agroparc, the PACA Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Agri-food sector, the Technical Centre for the Conservation of Agricultural Products, the Departmental Chambers of Agriculture and the Regional Chamber, the Organic Agriculture Research Group, the Interprofessional Technical Centre for Fruit and Vegetables, the Centre for Pastoral Studies and Achievements in the Alpes Méditerranée region, and the Regional Innovation and Solidarity-based Economic Development Clusters.

• Processing of large language corpora on social networks.
• Sociological methods for surveying actual/potential audiences.
• Digital writing of heritage / cultural mediation.
• Risk forecasting and prevention.
• Intelligent mobility.