Tools for Your Projects

Analytical tools aim at the fine characterization of milk and cheese. They are gathered on an analytical technical platform divided into 2 centres: a "microbiology" centre and a "chemistry" centre.

Microbiology centre:

Microbiology

• Equipment for classical microbiological analyses for bacterial counting, including a semi-automatic SPIRAL Petri dish seeder
• 1 fluorescence microscope (analysis of bacterial cell viability)
• 1 optical microscope (observation of bacteria)
• 1 anaerobic chamber (cultivation of anaerobic bacteria; study of metabolic activities in different oxidoreductive environments)

Molecular Biology

2 thermocyclers (quantitative PCR, specific PCR, Rep-PCR for bacterial quantification and identification, strain tracing/typing)

Bacterial Culture

Expertise in preparing cultures in controlled concentrations

Chemistry Centre:

Chemistry

Equipment for classical chemical analyses: pH, dry matter content, fat content, chlorides, calcium

Biochemistry

• 2 gas chromatographs/mass spectrometers (profiles of volatile compounds)
• 1 gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (profiles of fatty acids)
• 1 reverse-phase chromatograph (profiles of free amino acids; peptide mapping, profiles of biogenic amines; lactoferrin; β-lactoglobulin)
• 2 ion chromatographs (sugars; profiles in cations and anions; profiles of organic acids)
• 1 spectrofluorimeter (index of proteolysis; milk and cheese enzymes)

Physicochemistry

• 1 Zetasizer (particle size)
• Potentiometry (oxidoreduction potential; pH)
• 1 Kjeltec (determination of nitrogen fractions in milk and cheese)

Immunochemistry

ELISA (quantification of chymosin and pepsin; quantification of recombinant chymosin; quantification of native and denatured α-lactalbumin; quantification of bovine and caprine lactoferrin)

Rheology

Uniaxial compression at constant displacement rate (mechanical properties of cheese)

Sensory Analysis

1 sensory analysis room with 12 boxes (sensory profiles of odor, flavor, aroma, and texture of cheese)