Innovation and human nutrition

The "Innovation and Human Nutrition" specialization module is designed to train engineering students in the formulation of health-enhancing foods. It provides the most recent scientific data necessary for a better understanding of food-health relationships, as well as technical and regulatory data. The course provides engineers with project management skills for the development of functional foods, taking into account both the nutritional needs of a target population and the health value of foods in a technological context, in order to obtain a claim.
This course includes the implementation of a project to design and manufacture a functional food, putting into concrete perspective the theoretical teachings of the specialization in the context of a formulation.theoretical teachings of the specialization in the context of a formulation.

Module 1

Specific objectives for Module 1

    - Provide the tools needed to carry out a scientific watch on nutrition and foods with health benefits, and present nutritional marketing.
- Present regulations on food labeling, nutrition and health claims, and how to put together an EFSA claim file.
- Cover the steps involved in designing a health food.
- Present the process of formulating functional foods through practical case studies, as well as concrete examples of ingredient and functional food development.

Module content

1 - Scientific intelligence and nutritional marketing

    - Competitive intelligence in the health food sector.
- Ecodesign of a food product
- Innovation and nutritional communication: presentation of the challenges of nutritional marketing.
- How to communicate with and without claims to get a clear message across?
- Presentation of various scientific, economic and regulatory monitoring tools in the field of nutrition: databases, websites, journals and books.

2- Health food regulations

    - Recommended dietary allowances: definition and reality
- Regulations governing food labelling and nutritional and health claims.
- Regulations and the dietary supplements market
- Regulations governing products intended for specific groups
- Can medicinal plants have a dual regulatory status: health and food?
- ANSES: role and general organization; evaluation of dossiers in the field of human nutrition
- EFSA's evaluation of health claim dossiers
- Preparing a health claim dossier for EFSA

3- Formulation and development of health-enhancing foods and ingredients

    - Formulation and development of health-promoting foods specifically for children.
- Development of dietary supplements.
- Development of functional ingredients.
- Benefits and limitations of nutritional mixes for vitamin and mineral enrichment.
- Intervention on microbiota
- Alternatives to animal proteins: insects.

Evaluation of module 1 

Writing and oral presentation of a synthesis on part 1 + Course labeling evaluation MP Ospital & S. Alfos + Writing and oral presentation of a synthesis on part 3 

Module 2

Specific objectives for Module 2

    - Present nutritional research methods to understand the latest data.
- Learn about the methodological tools used to assess the toxicological risks of foods.

Module content

 1 - Nutrition research methodology

    - Presentation of Human Nutrition Research Centers: examples of studies.
- Epidemiological studies: principle and methodology; some examples.
- Validity and limitations of animal models.
- Biomedical research: regulatory aspects; methodological and ethical aspects; examples of studies.
- Nutrient bioavailability and the benefits of encapsulation

 2 - Risk management 

    - Methodological tools in toxicology.
-Tools for controlling toxicological risk in the food industry.
- Setting up a toxicology file/case study.

Module 2 assessment

Writing and oral presentation of a summary of the methodology and toxicological case study section

Module 3

Specific objectives for module 3

    - Present the main diet-related pathologies and explain the potential beneficial role of certain food compounds in preventing these pathologies.
- Understand the effects of nutrients on health.
- Define the anthropological origins of dietary behavior, eating habits and consumer expectations.
- Principle of publication analysis

Module content

1- The relationship between food and human health

    - Food allergies in adults and children.
- Diabetes: etiopathology and prevention.
- Diet and brain aging.
- Obesity: etiopathology and prevention through diet.
- Cardiovascular disease and dietary lipids.
- Nutritional profiles and food consumption profiles.
- Nutrition and eye diseases.

2- Eating and drinking habits

    - State of food consumption in France and consumer expectations.
- Anthropology of food consumption.
- PNNS and the prevention and management of obesity in children and adolescents in New Aquitaine.
- Neurophysiological determinants of eating behavior.
- Eating disorders.
- Psychological and sociological determinants of eating behavior.

3- Analysis of scientific publications 

In each project group (N=6), balancing the number of BSA (N=3) and ENSMAC (N=3) students, you will present 1 scientific article each (no review, half an animal article (N=3) and half a human article (N=3)) that you have chosen in relation to the project and in a relevant order, adding your critical opinion (interest, limits...)..) using a ppt for 8 min/person (50 min/project group) followed by 10 minutes of questions, which are open to all. You will also report on a scientific article written by another student.

Module 3 assessment

Analysis of publications

Module 4: functional food design approach

Objectives

The project enables students to work on a topical subject proposed by an industrialist or by those in charge of the specialization. This involves complying with a given set of specifications by meeting the various objectives proposed.
Based on an imposed concept, the aim is to design and develop a food with health benefits: determine the food matrix (according to the target consumers) and the active ingredients, finalize the formulation and development of the food, design the labeling and choose the claims.
These various points will be covered during 4 tutoring sessions.
The work carried out must use the industry's project management approach.
This is a professionalizing project, which may lead to an internship with the sponsoring company.

Contents

The project enables students to design and develop a functional food, i.e. a food with a health impact. The project is designed to put into perspective, on a concrete case study of product development, knowledge/skills in nutrition and technologist skills, while integrating regulatory constraints. The project covers product development from bibliographic study to formulation and realization.
Students work in groups of 4 to 6, including 1 project leader.
At the end of the project, each project group must submit a written report of no more than 25 pages.

Evaluation

written report, oral presentation (Presentation: 20 min, Discussion 20 min)

Le grand Oral

Objectives

    - Be able to select data from the literature relevant to the subject of the internship
- Define the project in its various contexts (managerial, economic, scientific, etc.)
- Explain the scientific and technical issues of the project
- Propose and defend a plan for the scientific and technical approach adopted.

Contents 

On the basis of an article or scientific document related to the specialization internship topic, the students are asked to place the proposed topic in a variety of contexts (managerial, economic, scientific, etc.), discuss its scientific validity, propose various strategies for achieving the objectives and orally defend an action plan.
Students orally present their topic to a panel of at least two examiners. This is followed by a discussion covering all the topics covered in the specialization courses. Questions may also be asked about courses taken throughout the student's curriculum.

Evaluation

Oral (presentation: 15 min, discussion: 10 min)

Choice of specialization