Projet E-MUSE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

European dairy industry is an important agri-food sector; it represents more than 300,000 jobs and 10 billion € positive trade balance. Five out of the ten top global dairy companies are European and more than 80% of European companies are SMEs. More than 300 cheeses and dairy products are sold all over the world and are protected as geographical indications or traditional specialties. Mastering cheese-ripening processes to avoid sanitary risk and waste, and produce typical cheeses with organoleptic properties valued by the consumers is of economic and social significance. E-MUSE aims to develop innovative modelling methodologies to improve knowledge about complex biological systems and to control and/or predict their evolution by combining artificial intelligence and systems biology. This multidisciplinary strategy integrating genome-scale metabolic models, dynamic modelling methodologies, together with the design of efficient statistical and machine learning tools, will allow analysing of multi-omics data and linking the results to macro-scale properties related to cheese ripening and consumer preference. Bioinformatics has addressed this issue by data mining; however, a gap still exists between the molecular scale information and the macroscopic properties that E-MUSE will contribute to fill. Moreover, in the context of sustainable development, more and more consumers are diversifying their diet and consume plant-based food. Introduction of plant-based proteins in the cheese process brings issues such as bitterness or safety. Modelling strategies from the E-MUSE project will help to target and solve these issues. Finally, E-MUSE will train researchers with multidisciplinary skills in mathematics, bioinformatics and/or biology to design and use innovative multiscale modelling methodologies, with the ultimate outcome of a dynamic modelling software giving researchers a harmonised language to address future research questions about complex biological systems.

Mots clés : omics data, species interactions, applied microbiology, cheese process, plant based food

Participants :
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 824406.12 €
- Nederlands Instituut Voor Zuivel Oonderzoek (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 265619.88 €
- University of Bologna (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 261499.68 €
- Université de Toulouse (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 274802.04 €
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 501809.76 €
- University of Szeged (Hongrie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 459430.56 €
- University of Malta (Malte) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 237955.68 €
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 512640.0 €
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265619.88 €
- Chr. Hansen (Denmark) (Danemark) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 297522.0 €