25 YEARS
OF NURTURING KNOWLEDGE

On the strength of the spin-offs generated by the VRQ grant, INAF obtains its first grant from the Fonds de recherche Québec – secteur Nature et technologies (FRQ) as a strategic cluster in Quebec in the high-priority sectors of biofood, nutrition and health. At the time, INAF brought together some forty scientists from 10 Quebec organizations. This 5-year grant, led by Benoît Lamarche, led to several major discoveries resulting from cross-sectoral research.

Led by Renée Michaud and then directors Yves Pouliot and Benoît Lamarche, the team submitted an INAF expansion project to the Quebec government’s infrastructure funding support program. This Phase 2 expansion, with a budget of $8 million, saw the addition of a new laboratory wing, the expansion of the clinical investigation unit, and the development of an “innovation hall” that would be the forerunner of the innovation support service. This innovation hall, set up at the entrance to the Services Pavilion, included new meeting and office space, facilitating the relocation of the entire INAF administrative and development team with a view to opening up and transferring knowledge to the community.

Initiated by Paul Paquin and Renée Michaud, the first edition of BÉNÉFIQ was made possible thanks to the financial and strategic support of MAPAQ and several partners in the innovation ecosystem. From the outset, BÉNÉFIQ has established itself as THE new must-attend event for the ingredients and health foods sector. It brings together INAF scientists and their international partners, as well as many players from the nutrition and bio-food industries. This first resounding success is part of a long-term dynamic, with the biennial event aiming to stimulate partnerships, research and innovation on a global scale.

Transferring knowledge while making an impact on society is part of INAF‘s DNA. It is in this spirit that the Aliment’Terre Day Camps for young people aged 10 to 14 see culinary skills take center stage. Since their launch, Aliment’Terre Day Camps have gone from strength to strength. After 8 years as Chef in Residence, Jean Soulard handed over to Chef Vito Natrella in 2022. Aliment’Terre Camps have been coordinated for over ten years by Louise Corneau, and have provided a unique immersive experience for over 1 000 young people in the region. As a complement, activities are also offered during the spring break to encourage families to get closer to cooking. The success and accessibility of Camps Aliment’Terre are made possible by the support of the FSAA, a number of sponsors and an enduring philanthropic gift from Louise Bourgeois.

The result of a collaboration between scientists at Université Laval‘s INAF and the regional agrifood and biotechnology research laboratory, the Institut Charles Viollette (ICV) at the University of Lille, this LIA is dedicated to the discovery of molecules of interest to health through innovative bioprocesses, as well as to the identification and characterization of natural antimicrobials. At its inception, LIAAN was headed by Pascal Dulster and Djamel Drider for France, and Laurent Bazinet and Ismail Fliss for Quebec. Today, it is headed by Rozenn Lavallec at Université de Lille and Laurent Bazinet at Université Laval, with coordination led by Éliane Picard-Deland.

Chairholder: Yves Desjardins

Chair duration: 5 years from May 1, 2018

Team: Denis Roy, Alain Veilleux, Emile Levy

Financial partners: Symrise (Diana Food Canada)

Keywords: polyphenols, berries, proanthocyanidins, microbiota, SHIME, organoids, mucus, Akkermansia, Bidifobacteria, bioavailability, metabolites

Abstract: To determine the reciprocal action of polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables on the gut microbiota by employing metabolomics and metagenomics approaches. The overall objectives were to:
– Develop innovative technologies to extract, isolate and concentrate polyphenols from fruits and vegetables and their co-products;
– Determine the nature of microbial metabolites derived from colonic fermentation of polyphenols; identify metabo-types capable of metabolizing and potentiating polyphenols from INAF’s cropothèque (fecal sample bank);
– Verify the prebiotic effect of various fruit and vegetable extracts on the growth of beneficial colonic bacteria in an artificial digestive system.

Main spin-offs : The Chair’s research has increased our knowledge of the effect of new functional polyphenolic fractions extracted from fruits and vegetables on the intestine. It has led to a better understanding of :

• This research will help us to better understand
• the factors that determine inter-individual variability in the metabolism of these molecules, depending on the composition of the microbiota
• the dietary factors that help maintain metabolic functions and improve the barrier function of the intestine
  marketing of a prebiotic sold worldwide: Prebiocran.

Hyperlinks to some published works : 

•  Feldman, F., Koudoufio, M., Sané, A.T., Marcil, V., Foisy Sauvé M.,  Butcher, J., Patey, N., Martel, C., Spahis, S., Duan, H., Figeys, D., Desjardins,  Y.,  Stintzi,  A., Levy, E. (2025) Therapeutic potential of cranberry proanthocyanidins in addressing the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome: a scrutiny of select mechanisms of action. Antioxidants, 14, 268. 
• Pulido Mateos, E.C., Lessard-Lord, J., Desjardins, Y., Roy, D. (2024) Lactiplantibacillus plantarum inter-strain variability in the production of bioactive phenolic metabolites from flavan-3-ols. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry  72: 39: 21677-21689.
• Cattero, V., Roussel, C., Lessard-Lord, J., Roy, D., and Desjardins, Y. (2024) Supplementation with a cranberry extract favour the establishment of butyrogenic guilds in the human fermentation SHIME^® system. Microbiome Res. Rep.3,
•  Lessard-Lord, J., Roussel, C., Lupien-Meilleur, J., Généreux, P., Richard, V., Guay, V., Roy, D., and Desjardins, Y. (2024) Short term supplementation with cranberry extract modulates gut microbiota in human displays a bifidogenic effect. Nature Biofilm & Microbiome. 10:18.  DOI.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00493-w
• Lessard-Lord, J., Roussel, C., Guay, V., and Desjardins, Y. (2024). Assessing the gut microbiota’s ability to metabolize oligomeric and polymeric flavan-3-ols from aronia and cranberry. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.  E2300641. DOI.org/10.1002/mnfr.202300641
• Lessard-Lord, J., Lupien-Meilleur, J., Roussel, C., Gosselin-Cliché, B., Plante, P.-L., Silvestri, C., Di Marzo, V., Roy, D., Rousseau, E.  and Desjardins, Y. (2024) Mathematical modeling of fluid dynamics in in vitro gut fermentation systems: a new tool to improve the interpretation of microbial metabolism. The FASEB Journal.  E23398. dio.org/10.1096/fj.202301739RR
• Lessard-Lord, J., Roussel, C., Guay, V. and Desjardins, Y. (2023) Characterization of the Interindividual Variability Associated with the Microbial Metabolism of (−)-Epicatechin. J. Agric. Food Chem. 71, 13814–13827. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c05491.
• Lessard-Lord, J., Auger, P., Demers, S., Plante, P.-L., Picard, P., and Desjardins, Y. (2023). Automated High-Throughput Quantification of Phenyl-γ-valerolactones and Creatinine in Urine by Laser Diode Thermal Desorption. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 44. Vol. 71, 16787-16796. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03888
• Medina-Larqué, A.-S., Rodriguez-Daza, M.-C., Roquim, M., Dudonné, S., Pilon, G., Levy, É., Marette, A., Roy, D., Jacques, H., and Desjardins, Y. (2022) Cranberry polyphenols and agave agavins impact gut immune response and microbiota composition while improving gut barrier function, inflammation, and glucose metabolism in mice fed an obesogenic diet. Front. Immunol. 13, 871080. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.871080
• Pulido-Mateos, E.C., Lessard-Lord, J., Guyonnet, D., Desjardins, Y., and Roy, D. 2022. Comprehensive analysis of the metabolic and genomic features of tannin transforming Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains. Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 22406. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26005-4
• Feldman, F., Koudoufio, M., El-Jalbout, R., Foisy Sauvé, M., Ahmarani, L., Sané, A. T., El-Houda Ould-Chikh, N., N’Timbane, T., Patey, N., Desjardins, Y., Stintzi, A., Spahis, S., and Levy, E. (2022). Cranberry proanthocyanidines as a therapeutic strategy to curb metabolic syndrome and fatty liver-associated disorders. Antioxidants. DOI: 10.3390/antiox12010090
• Roussel, C., Chabaud, S., Lessard-Lord,  J., Cattero, V., Pellerin, F.-A., Feutry, P., Bochard, V.,  Bolduc, S., and Desjardins, Y. (2022) UPEC Colonic-Virulence and Urovirulence Are Blunted by Proanthocyanidins-Rich Cranberry Extract Microbial Metabolites in a Gut Model and a 3D Tissue-Engineered Urothelium. Microbiol. Spectr.10, e02432-21 (2022). doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02432-21.
• Pulido-Mateos, EC; Lessard-Lord, J; Guyonnet, D; Desjardins, Y; Roy, D (2022) Comprehensive analysis of the metabolic and genomic features of tannin transforming Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains. Scientific Reports: 12(1): 22496. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26005-4
• Koudoufio, M., Feldman, F., Ahmarani, L., Delvin, E., Spahis, S., Desjardins, Y. and Levy, E. (2021). Intestinal protection by proanthocyanidins involves anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions in association with an improvement of insulin sensitivity, lipid and glucose homeostasis. Sci Rep. 11(1):3878. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80587-5
• Rodríguez-Daza,M.C., Pulido Mateos, E. C., Lupien-Meilleur, J., Guyonnet, D., Desjardins, Y. and Roy, D. (2021). (Poly)phenol-mediated gut microbiota modulation: toward prebiotics and further. Frontiers in Nutrition. *: 689456 doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.68
• Feldman, F., Koudoufio, M., Desjardins, Y., Spahis, S., Delvin, E. and Levy, E. (2021). Efficacy of Polyphenols in the Management of Dyslipidemia: A Focus on Clinical Studies. Nutrients 13 (2), 672. doi.org/10.3390/nu13020672
• Koudoufio, M., Desjardins, Y., Feldman, F., Spahis, S., Delvin, E. and Levy, E. (2020). Insight into polyphenol and gut microbiota crosstalk: Are their metabolites the key to understand protective effects against metabolic disorders? Antioxidants, 9(10): doi.org/10.3390/antiox9100982
• Denis, M.-C., Dubé, P., Dudonné, S., Desjardins, Y., Matei, C., Delvin, E., Levy, É. and Furtos, A. (2020). Characterization of bioactive cranberry fractions by mass spectrometry. Can. J. Chem.. doi.org/10.1139/cjc-2020-0070.
• Medina-Larqué, A. S., Desjardins, Y. and Jacques, H. (2020). Chap. 24. Cranberry, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and insulin sensitivity. In Diabetes Oxidative Stress and Dietary Antioxidants, pp. 245-251, 2nd ed., Preedy V.R. Ed., Elsevier Academic Press. ISBN: 978-0-12-815776-3. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815776-3.00024-3
• Rodriguez-Daza, M C, L Daoust, L Boutkrabt, G Pilon, Thibault Varin, S Dudonné, E Levy, A Marette, D Roy, and Y Desjardins. (2020) Wild Blueberry Proanthocyanidins Shape Distinct Gut Microbiota Profile and Influence Glucose Homeostasis and Intestinal Phenotypes in High-Fat High-Sucrose Fed Mice. Scientific Reports. 10:2217. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58863-1

Chairholder: Vincenzo Di Marzo

Chair duration: June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2025

Team: Cristoforo Silvestri, Nicolas Flamand, Alain Veilleux, Frédéric Raymond

Funding partners: INAF, CIHR, IUCPQ, FMED, NSERC, SSHRC, NUTRISS

Keywords: microbiome, microbiota, gut, intestines, endocannabinoidome, obesity, cannabinoid

Abstract: The main objective of CERC’s research is to understand whether the extended endocannabinoid system, or endocannabinoidome, which includes over 200 lipid mediators, more than 15 different receptors and 40 metabolic enzymes controlling mediator levels, is an important component of the complex chemical mechanisms of communication between host cells and the gut microbiota, in the context of metabolic regulation and its pathological dysfunctions (hyperphagia, visceral obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis and other peripheral and central comorbidities of obesity, such as depression and anxiety).

Main spin-offs: The results of CERC’s research activities, obtained from in vivo studies on animal models and human subjects, as well as using in vitro and ex vivo models (primary or stem cell cultures, biopsies, organoids, and bacteria), aim to identify new molecules derived from the gut microbiota. The molecules targeted are in particular those capable of influencing the host endocannabinoidome, which could form the basis for the development of new pharmacological, nutritional and lifestyle interventions to restore or preserve metabolic, cardiovascular and mental health.

At the same time, the results aim to understand how pathological perturbations of the host endocannabinoidome signaling system can alter the gut microbiota ecosystem and thus its physiological action.

Hyperlinks to some published works.

Chairholder: Julien Chamberland

Chair duration: March 2020 – November 2025

Team: J. Chamberland, Y. Pouliot, A. Doyen, S. Labrie, G. Brisson

Financial partners: MAPAQ, Novalait, Agropur, Lactalis Canada, Saputo, Conseil des industriels laitiers du Québec (CILQ), Centre d’expertise fromagère du Québec (CEFQ)

Key words: Cheese processing, Efficiency, Variability control, Continuous cheese training

Summary: The CLE in cheese technology has created a true center of excellence in cheese technology by setting up a research program exclusively dedicated to the sector, and designing unique training programs equipping both new graduates and industry stakeholders with the challenges of the dairy industry.

Key benefits: Here are just a few examples: completion of 4 applied research projects in partnership with CLE’s industrial partners, direct and indirect training of more than 24 undergraduate and graduate students, a graduate microprogram in cheese technology, creation of three university courses, organization of a specialized summer school on milk coagulation attended by more than 24 industry participants from both artisanal and industrial companies, creation of continuing education opportunities on spun pastes, processed cheeses, filtration technologies or standardization of fro-milks.

Hyperlinks to some published works