Bioresource Engineering Senior Seminar Series

Prof. Alain Le Bail

Prof. Alain Le Bail is affiliated with the GEnie des Procédés – Environnement – Agroalimentaire (GEPEA), a Joint Research Unit of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), in Nantes, France. The GEPEA brings together the process engineering teams of the University of Nantes, École des Mines of Nantes, and the Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs des Techniques des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires (ENITIAA) of Nantes. The laboratory advances process engineering in the fields of Food, Environment, and Marine Bioresource Valorisation.

Prof. Le Bail will present an overview of bread making technologies applied to industrial bread production, with a focus on the use of refrigeration to extend the shelf life of bread products. There will be an explanation of the BAKE-OFF-TECHNOLOGY which allows the production and marketing of freshly baked breads and specialities made from industrial bakery preparations. Research from the European EU-FRESHBAKE Project will be discussed, including: the impact of refrigeration on bread quality; the impact of freezing on bread aroma; the impact of refrigeration and partial baking on Glycaemic index; and the impact of processing conditions on energy demand.

Antioxydant Protection in Starch Matrices

Dr. Patricia Le Bail

Dr. Patricia Le Bail is a First-Class Research Scientist at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Nantes, France (INRA). INRA carries out mission-oriented research for high-quality and healthy foods, competitive and sustainable agriculture and a preserved and valorised environment.

Dr. Le Bail’s research deals with the dynamics and reactivity of ligands in starch-based food matrices at molecular scale. She is presently developing three research themes: Phase changes induced by hydrothermal treatments of starch and of their constituents; Trapping, retention and quantification of ligands in starch-based food matrices; and

protection and controlled release of ligands in emulsified systems. Dr. Le Bail will discuss antioxydant protection in starch matrices.