RESEARCH TOPICS
Dr. Florence MATHIEU is a Professor at Toulouse-INP/ENSAT whose main research interests are microbiology, microbial interactions and biocontrol strategies. She has been working for several years now on various mycotoxins produced by several fungal genera such as Aspergillus sp. i.e aflatoxins (AFB1) and Ochratoxin A (OTA), or Fusarium sp. i.e T2/HT2 toxins. Among the research themes, one concerns the reduction of the risk arising from the presence of mycotoxins in food. Her researches focuse on studying mycotoxins, biosynthetic pathways and their elimination through processes of biological degradation/adsorption or by avoiding their production using biocontrol strategies such as the inoculation of competitive beneficial microorganisms or the use of natural compounds. Her knowledge in actinobacterial strains used as potential biocontrol agents in co-culture with filamentous mycotoxinogenic fungi will contribute to the progress of biocontrol development strategies.
She also works on the production of biological molecules of interest for the industry such as antioxidant compounds produced by a fungal strain, Aspergillus tubingensis. Currently, a small-scale production of those metabolites (laboratory scale) is realized in solid and liquid media under unstirred mechanically conditions, leading to physical and/or nutritional stresses for A. tubingensis triggering to sporulation and secondary metabolites production. The objective is to optimize the production of those antioxidant compounds by A. tubingensis, taking into account the metabolic constraints (fungal growth phase decoupled from the secondary metabolites production phase) and stresses due to the process (need for oxygen supply to the fungus and nutrients in the liquid phase and without shear stress).
Application & Teaching
Research interest: Secondary metabolites production by microorganisms, mycotoxins, antioxidant molecules, bioactive compounds (antibacterial, antifungal activites)
Applications : Food safety
Research supervision: 4 PhD students
Teaching activities: Microbiology, Food safety
Education and Degrees
Professor at Toulouse – INP/Ensat, Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, LGC, UMR 5503, Department of Bioprocesses and Microbial Systems (BioSyM)
HDR: Toulouse-INP/Ensat. Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, LGC, UMR 5503, Department of Bioprocesses and Microbial Systems (BioSyM).
Subject: ‘Characterization and management of the presence of secondary metabolites produced by fungi and actinobacteria’
Assistant professor at Toulouse – INP/Ensat, Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, LGC, UMR 5503, Department of Bioprocesses and Microbial Systems (BioSyM).
INP-Lorraine/ENSAIA
Temporary Assistant Professor (1 year half time)
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, UHP, Nancy 1
Research Engineer – Subject: Production / purification of recombinant human proteins: pancreatic lipase and apolipoprotein E.
IUT of Applied Biology, Option ‘Food Industries’. UHP, Nancy 1
Temporary Assistant Professor (1 year half time)
Doctorate at ENSAIA INP-Lorraine
Specialty « Biotechnology and Food Industries ». National School of Agronomy and Food Industries (ENSAIA), Laboratory of Fermentation and Bioconversions Industrial (LFBI), Nancy.
Subject: ‘Study of the properties of a bacteriocin with anti-Listeria activity biosynthesized by a strain of Carnobacterium’.