The growing occurrence of excessive weight gain in Western countries is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. This is due to combined genetic and environmental factors, among which nutrition plays a major role. In this context, obesity is associated with an array of patho-physiological disorders including altered lipid metabolism and inflammation. Dietary strategies can be successful in alleviating such metabolic disorders. Moreover, consumers are more than ever willing to consume “good food” regarding both pleasure and health promotion. In this context, Polar Lipids (PL) are important dietary microcomponents widely used in the food industry for emulsification, foaming and formulation, providing pleasant texture properties to food products. Soybean and egg lecithin are the main commercial sources of PL while milk polar lipids (MPL) are only seldom used. However, conversely to other sources, MPL present a unique polar lipid profile, rich in sphingolipids, and in mammalian milks, a unique natural structure under the form of Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM) constituted of many bioactive polar lipids and proteins. These components can beneficially impact on lipid metabolism, in particular through (i) the ability of sphingolipids to lower cholesterol absorption and triacylglycerol hydrolysis previously demonstrated in mice and in vitro and (ii) the lower fatty acid content of polar lipid molecules compared with triacylglycerols. Buttermilk, a byproduct of the buttermaking industry that has been of low value up to date in human nutrition, is a major source of such MPL. The strategy of project VALOBAB will lay within the triangle of sustainable development to address the question of the feasibility of buttermilk value-adding through sustainable processing in order to provide a buttermilk microconstituent rich in MPL of functional value. The project will investigate the benefits of such buttermilk-derived fraction regarding (i) functional properties in different newly formulated dairy food products to lower triacylglycerol and/or other PL source intake while bringing appreciated sensory properties to consumers, and (ii) nutritional properties regarding lipid metabolism including cholesterol and triacylglycerol absorption but also inflammation, with the aim of slowing down metabolic diseases of nutritional origin. Thereby, VALOBAB project will help dairy industry to add value to buttermilk by taking into account its nutritional, biochemical and structural specificities and its ability to be processed in a sustainable manner.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are zoonotic bacterial pathogens responsible for serious human infections characterized by a broad spectrum of symptoms, from acute diarrhea to hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in children. Following asymptomatic colonization of the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, EHEC are shed in animal feces, accidentally contaminating certain food products intended for human consumption. Contaminated raw milk and dairy products are a main source of human infections by EHEC strains, especially those belonging to the O26:H11 serotype. To control the flow of EHEC O26:H11 in the dairy sector and thus reduce human infections, we propose a “One Health” approach that combines distinct anti EHEC strategies, in dairy farms and dairy plants. At the farm level, we aim at reducing EHEC O26:H11 carriage by ruminants by combining two approaches based on (i) the use of probiotic or commensal E. coli strains naturally producing antimicrobial peptides, named microcins, that exert potent activity against EHEC while maintaining the gut microbiota equilibrium and on (ii) vaccines derived from bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) expressing specific EHEC antigens and optimized for efficient immunization of ruminants. We hypothesize that the administration to ruminants, soon after their birth, of commensal E. coli strains that occupy the same ecological niche as EHEC O26:H11 and produce microcins with anti-EHEC O26:H11 activity, will protect the ruminants from being colonized by EHEC O26:H11. We also hypothesize that the adjuvant properties of OMVs coupled to their immunogenicity resulting from the presentation of specific EHEC O26:H11 antigens will trigger an efficient immune response and make the intestinal environment of vaccinated ruminants unfavourable to colonization by EHEC O26:H11. At the milk processing level, we hypothesize that microcin-producing E. coli will inhibit the growth of EHEC O26:H11 during cheese manufacture, cooperatively or synergistically to the anti-EHEC activity of protective microbial consortia inoculated into milk along with lactic acid starters. These innovative anti-EHEC O26:H11 approaches will be first developed, optimized and evaluated using in vitro assays and in vivo experiments in mice. The capacity of microcin-producing E. coli to reduce the growth of EHEC O26:H11 during cheese manufacture will be studied using challenge tests in uncooked pressed cheeses and soft cheeses, and the absence of impact on the balance of cheese microbial communities will be verified. Finally, after having demonstrated the protective effects of microcin-producing E. coli and OMV-based vaccines against EHEC O26:H11 in mice and/or in cheeses, a pilot study will be performed where the efficacy of both strategies will be evaluated with dairy small ruminants (sheep).

INTEGRITY aims to evaluate alternative management of mixed crop-ruminant livestock systems to increase the potential increment of Carbon and Nutrient Circularity in diverse agro-climatic regions. Nine countries from three continents (America, Europe, and Oceania) are involved in this proposal. Different degrees of integration between the crops and livestock components of a system may have advantages or disadvantages, so trade-offs among economic (productivity, efficiency), environmental (nutrient cycling, soil health, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions), and social (work arduousness and organization, household networks) indicators will be identified. Gaps in knowledge regarding impacts of the integration need to be addressed to fully understand the mechanisms that reduce GHG emissions and/or increase soil C sequestration and nutrients (i.e. C, N) use efficiency in mixed production systems; and which would be the impact of proposed interventions with a broader and holistic perspective. These interventions will be specifically designed for each situation and will be evaluated experimentally to quantify their impact, not only through direct and specific effects but also in a broad sense addressing the circularity within the agricultural systems by different modeling tools. Standardized evaluation approaches and procedures across the different partners will allow direct comparison of the relative impact of new management alternatives. Stakeholders’ involvement through the process will certainly help to focus on applicable new practices and facilitate their adoption by farmers. The conformed Low Carbon Livestock - Research Network, a regional platform involving countries from America and Europe created in 2020 and supported by the GRA, will strengthen the capacity-building opportunities for young researchers and enhance the result dissemination platform. Proposed activities within this project will be organized in 5 Work Packages (WP). The WP1 will investigate different management practices at diverse agricultural systems to enhance nutrient circularity, production efficiency, and reduce C footprint; WP2 aims to identify the potential improvement of C footprint by increasing the inclusion of by-products in ruminants feeding programs; WP3 will evaluate the management of carbon circularity and climate change mitigation and adaptation in mixed crop-ruminant livestock systems through system approach assessment and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (i.e. design of digital twins of farms based on combining sensor data and modeling that can help the decision-making process of stakeholders on the production chain of different mixed production systems). Also, this WP includes agent-based modeling to understand the decision-making process and other emergent properties of mixed crop-livestock production systems; WP4 will involve engagement with stakeholders, training, communication, and dissemination; WP5 project coordination. A particular characteristic of this proposal is the range of diverse production systems with different agro-climatic and socio-cultural characteristics that will allow observing differential responses of enhanced resource use efficiency and optimize nutrient circularity with the integration of the two systems components at different locations. This project involves cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary cooperation, which will be supported by the consortium’s complementary scientific skills, and reinforce and expand a history of mutual cooperative research where new partners will be involved.