Missions

The main objective of the recruited person will be to contribute to the development of techniques to encapsulate antioxidants in matrices that are compatible with food applications and that allow a specific release under the physiological conditions of the small intestine. The antioxidant molecules will be extracted from beetroots and purified according to a well-established protocol. Different techniques of encapsulation will be studied varying matrices and process of encapsulation. The objective will be to measure the release and mechanical resistance of the capsules under digestive conditions. Another objective will be to use these capsules to enrich food products with antioxidants and evaluate their preservation under conditions which normally lead to their degradation, such as heat treatments.

Activités

- Extract and purify antioxidant molecules from beetroots
- Produce microcapsules compatible with food applications
- Quantify the mechanical and release properties of microcapsules
- Study the influence of digestive conditions
- Co-direct the work of interns.

Compétences

- We are looking for highly motivated, dynamic and rigorous candidates, who will be fully involved in the project and eager to work on a research topic at the interface between scientific disciplines.
- Technical skills: strong experience in rheological experiments and / or food science, solid knowledge in fields such as bioengineering / biochemistry / biological engineering / biomechanics.
- Other skills: Project management, proficiency in English, very good writing skills, ability to adapt and anticipate, team spirit

Contexte de travail

- The recruitment is within the context of the MultiphysMicroCaps ERC Consolidator Grant, that explores the use of deformable liquid-core capsules of micrometric size to efficiently transport active material, with a primary focus on health-related applications. The project is focused on the design of innovative sophisticated numerical models and high-tech experiments, needed to determine the potential of such vectors to protect active substances and control their delivery, and to optimize their properties for specific industrial and biomedical applications.
- The postdoctoral fellow will be part of the “Biological Fluid-Structure Interactions” research team (about 20 people) of BMBI laboratory (Biomechanics and Bioengineering), but will be based in the GEC laboratory (Enzymatic and Cellular Engineering), where a substantial part of the experiments will be carried out. The research work will be done in collaboration with Alla Nesterenko from TIMR laboratory (Integrated Transformations of Renewable Matter).
- The postdoctoral fellow will be supervised by Anne-Virginie Salsac (CNRS Director of Research at BMBI - http://www.utc.fr/~salsacan/), Aude Cordin (Assistant Professor at GEC) and Claire Rossi (Professor at GEC).

Contraintes et risques

None

Informations complémentaires

Applications must be submitted online to be taken into account (transmission by email is still welcome on the side). They must include a cover letter, a complete CV, PhD thesis / defense reports, and at least one letter of recommendation and / or contact details of colleagues for references.