Séminaire découverte : Innovative approaches for the development of natural functional ingredients: benefits & challenges

*** Présentation en anglais ***

Health-promoting functional ingredients and nutraceuticals have received much attention in recent years from the scientific community, consumers and food processors. More than ever, research is driven towards a functional-driven platform rather than a product-driven one. In this regard, non-digestible carbohydrates and their derivatives that promote the gut health are of high interest. However, the production of these ingredients, with high selectivity towards beneficial bacteria and high colonic persistence, is increasingly challenging. Biotechnology, particularly enzyme technology, offers powerful approaches to achieve this goal. The attractiveness of biocatalytic approaches is justified by the use of inexpensive raw materials and a wide selection of highly selective biocatalysts requiring mild operating conditions. Because of the complex molecular structures of enzymes, modulating their properties for specific applications and understanding the synergistic mechanism by which they function and the parameters that affect their thermodynamic relationships represent major scientific challenges. The presentation will focus on the recent progress of my research program aimed at the development of innovative biocatalytic approaches towards the synthesis of well-defined carbohydrates as well as their derivatives.