http://www.international.inra.fr Latest news from INRA Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:09:48GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/terifiq_improving_food_quality In a healthy diet and in specific proportions, salt, fat and sugar are essential ingredients. However, most developed countries are currently confronted by an increase in pathologies such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are linked to poorly balanced diets and an excessive consumption of salt, fat and sugar. The European-funded 4-year project TeRiFiQ, launched today and coordinated by INRA, aims to use research and technological innovation to achieve a significant reduction in the levels of these ingredients in foods, and thus contribute to preventing and/or alleviating numerous pathologies that would save many lives. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:02:32GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/recruitment_campaign_for_2012 In the context of its recruitment campaign for 2012, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) is launching a major drive to fill 51 Junior Research Scientist posts, for which candidates are invited to apply between 26 January and 28 February 2012. INRA is the leading agricultural research institute in Europe and ranks second in the world in this field, and is offering young scientists an opportunity to join an organisation that lies at the heart of the challenges of global food security. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:01:05GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/after_durban By 2050, the world population will reach 9 billion. Food production will have to increase substantially to meet the global needs, and this in the framework of climate change. Yet, agriculture plays an important role in climate change in several ways: it is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through inappropriate use of fertilizer, land clearing and other practices. Thus, sustainable agriculture is needed to mitigate GHG emissions, preserve natural resources and the environment, and to ensure global food security. Marion Guillou, President of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), along with members of an independent International Commission give their priorities for policy actions in Science on January 20, 2012. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:11:29GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/ai_food_webs Scientists at Rothamsted Research(1), which receives strategic funding from BBSRC(2), in collaboration with Syngenta, Imperial College London and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) have developed an advanced technique, using a branch of artificial intelligence called Machine Learning that could greatly improve our understanding of the interaction between food and the environment. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:32:05GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/feuillet_aaas_fellow_2011 As part of the section on Agriculture, Food and Renewable Resources, Catherine Feuillet was elected as an AAAS Fellow for her important contributions to the understanding of genomics of disease resistance and the structure and evolution of the wheat and barley genomes. Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honour bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year 539 members have been awarded this honour by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Catherine Feuillet is the only French scientist to receive this distinction this year. AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on 23 December 2011. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:29:44GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/cross_species_prion_transmission Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) in mammals, better known as prion diseases, are caused by an infectious agent whose propagation ultimately leads to brain degeneration. For the first time, a team of scientists* from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) report that while prion transmission across species may show no detectable sign of disease in brain, infection can burst in lymphatic tissues(1). These results were published in Science on 27 January 2012. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:24:39GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/symposium_microbes_for_health One year after the success of the first 'Microbes for Health' international symposium, INRA, Danone Research and Institut Pasteur co-organized the second edition which was held in the heart of Paris on the Institut Pasteur campus on 1st and 2nd December 2011. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:08:22GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/biocore_project The rarefaction of fossil energy resources and climate change are favoring the replacement of fossil carbon by renewable carbon. In this context, lignocellulosic biomass is a promising resource, as long as it can be used in a sustainable way. INRA, coordinator of the European project BIOCORE, in association with two industrial partners of this project CIMV S.A. (Levallois Perret, France) and DSM Bio-based Products & Services B.V. (Delft, The Netherlands), announces the successful pilot scale production of 2nd generation bioethanol from wheat straw. This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of 2nd generation bioethanol production and ultimately opens the way towards the production of polymers, such as PVC, from renewable lignocellulosic biomass. In general terms, the technologies that are being developed in BIOCORE favour the use of non-food resources, these being either non-food residues of food crops or woody biomass. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:00:01GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/inra_and_newvectys The French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the biotechnology company NewVectys signed a partnership agreement to reinforce their scientific collaboration and develop breakthrough innovations in animal biotechnology for research on human health. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:44:21GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/sequencing_of_first_arachnid_genome An arachnid genome was sequenced for the first time by an international consortium of 33 laboratories, including the University of Western Ontario (Canada), Ghent University (Belgium), the University of Utah (United States) and INRA. The complete sequencing of the spider mite genome was announced in the 24 November 2011 edition of Nature magazine. Tetranychus urticae is a plant-feeding pest. The results open new avenues for understanding evolution trends in arthropods, the largest group of terrestrial animals, and for devising new ways to combat them. The spider mite is notorious for substantial crop damage and for its advanced ability to develop resistance to pesticides. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:07:45GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/medicago_truncatula_genome_sequenced Scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in collaboration with teams from Genoscope (CEA) and CNRS, as part of an international consortium *, have reported the genome sequence of a legume, Medicago truncatula (Mt) also known as Barrel Medic. This sequence provides easy access to the location of genes of interest in crop legumes (pea, field bean, lentil, alfalfa, clover) which will greatly facilitate breeding. Legumes have the capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen; as a result legume crops do not require nitrogen fertilizers, which represents a real asset for a sustainable and more environmentally friendly agriculture. Results are published in Nature on November 16th 2011. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:56:38GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/plant_interaction_networks Clarifying the interactions that exist between plant cell constituents is the first step towards understanding the intimate mechanisms that govern the functioning of plants. INRA scientists have recently proposed a global organisational scheme for proteins in Arabidopsis. They have also shown that, during infective processes, pathogenic agents develop interactions with proteins in the cells they are infecting, in order to favour their multiplication. These findings were published in Science in July, 2011. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:38:10GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/discovery_of_a_nitrogen_satiety_gene_in_plants An INRA research team in Montpellier, working in collaboration with teams from CNRS in Strasbourg and New York University, have recently achieved a major advance in our understanding of plant nutrition. They have characterised a gene involved in a molecular mechanism that can adjust the uptake of soil nitrogen by roots as a function of the nitrogen requirements of the whole plant. This research may facilitate the selection of varieties displaying a more efficient use of nitrate fertilisers, so as to ensure more environmentally-friendly crops. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:24:46GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/brachypodium_distachyon A close cousin of both cereals and sugar cane, Brachypodium distachyon has recently revealed the secrets of its genome thanks to work by an international consortium in which INRA participated. Knowledge of this genome, the availability of genomic tools and the constitution of genetic resources have rapidly raised B. distachyon to the rank of a model plant and opened important scientific perspectives with respect to major challenges such as food and energy. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:57:15GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/sequencing_chinese_cabbage_genome An international consortium of scientists (including a team from INRA) coordinated by the Chinese Beijing Genome Institute (BGI), the largest sequencing centre in the world, has announced sequencing of the genome of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa)*. In France, this research forms part of a more ambitious sequencing project, led by INRA, on the genome of rapeseed (Brassica napus), the leading species cultivated for its oil in Europe. Anticipated in 2012, sequencing of the rapeseed genome will open the way to obtaining varieties that are more resistant to diseases, parasites and climatic variables, and with a higher oil content. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:42:20GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/sensinmouth_when_taste_becomes_a_sense How do aromas influence our sensory perception of taste when they are released during mastication? This is what INRA scientists have been analysing and modelling thanks to a study involving 50 voluntary "chewers". In addition to effects that are directly linked to the food (texture, fat content), for the first time two key parameters related to physiology have been demonstrated in vivo: impregnation of the product by saliva and the transfer of aromas from the mouth to the nasal cavity. These findings open interesting perspectives for the formulation of products that will both comply with nutritional criteria and be better accepted by consumers. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:48:03GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/bisphenol_a_favours_fat_storage_in_the_liver Bisphenol A (BPA) is now a well-known food contaminant. Although the ability of BPA to mimic the action of female sex hormones was described several years ago, recent studies have suggested that this endocrine disruptor may also act on the basic metabolism of living beings. For the first time, INRA scientists have demonstrated that low doses of bisphenol A favour the storage of fats in the liver. They have also shown that BPA has a rare and counter-intuitive mode of action: the effects of this contaminant are stronger at low doses. This study forms part of a research theme which proposes that greater account should be taken of metabolic disturbances when assessing the risk associated with exposure to bisphenol A. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:26:43GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/metal_pollution_follows_different_paths_in_different_soils Concerns about soil status lie at the crossroads between public health issues, protection of the environment and the sustainable use of space. INRA researchers have demonstrated the crucial role of land use in the fate of metal pollutants by studying the distribution of metals in soils near an old zinc metallurgy factory. They were thus able to show that lead and zinc levels, and their distribution in the soil, differed depending on whether the land was used for cultivation, grassland or forest. These findings will reinforce the interest of stakeholders in agriculture regarding the management of polluted soils. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:33:19GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/climate_change_lowland_forests_threatened Plant species in lowland forests appear to respond too slowly to climate change, making them particularly vulnerable in upcoming decades, according to a study published 19 October 2011 in Nature magazine by researchers at AgroParisTech, INRA, the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the CNRS, the University of Strasbourg and the National Forest Inventory (IFN). Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:15:42GMT http://www.international.inra.fr/press/futurol_bioethanol_second_generation The FUTUROL PROJECT aims to develop and market an end-to-end process for producing second generation bioethanol. On 11 October 2011, the project forged ahead to a new stage in its development with the commissioning of a first French pilot plant on the Pomacle-Bazancourt site. This decisive step makes the production of second generation bioethanol a reality and will validate, on a pre-industrial scale, the findings of research conducted since 2008. Over the next three years, the technology choices needed to kick-off industrial production will be confirmed.