✔️ Genesis of the INFOGEST network:

➡️ INFOGEST was created under the preliminary COST action [FA1005] from 05/04/2011 to 04/04/2015:

° An European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action project was granted under the acronym of INFOGEST as Improving health properties of FOod by sharing our knowledge on the diGESTive process.

° The objecitves were focused on the fulfil the need for developing a trans-European network to improve dissemination of critical research findings, develop truly multidisciplinary collaborations and harmonise approaches between groups and discipline areas spanning the main stages of food digestion.

° Click HERE to access to the [FA1005] COST INFOGEST specific webpage and more details.

° INFOGEST has then evoluated into an international network throught the intensive cooperation of its members working together.

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

✔️Main goals of the INFOGEST network:

➡️ Understanding the effect of food on human health:

INFOGEST is a current research priority in Europe but it is also a strong consumer demand. People want to be aware of the effects on their body of the food they eat. After ingestion, food will be broken down in the gut releasing components (peptides, amino acids, minerals, fatty acids…) that, beside their nutritional properties, may have a biological action.

➡️ Improving the current scientific knowledge on how foods are disintegrated during digestion:

° Sure that the improved knowledge will help the scientific community and the industry to design new foods with improved nutritional and functional properties.

° The specific objectives of the network are to:

- Compare the existing digestion models, harmonize the methodologies, validate them towards in vivo data and propose guidelines for performing new experiments

- Validate in vitro models towards in vivo data (animal and/or human) and develop in silico approaches. Develop new models of digestion for specific populations (infant, elderly)

- Identify the beneficial/deleterious components that are released in the gut during food digestion

- Determine the effect of the matrix structure on the bioavailability of food nutrients and bioactive molecules

- Gathering scientists from different disciplines (food science, nutrition, gastroenterology, immunology...) to share and improve our knowledge on food digestion

➡️ Connections between academic partners and industry are stronger thanks to the participation to INFOGEST of more than 60 food companies. INFOGEST organizes 2 workshops per year and 1 international conference every two years.

➡️ Up to now (December 2020) INFOGEST gathers more than 715 scientists from 56 countries (EU, Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Japan…). Each scientit interestited into the INFOGEST objectives is welcomed.

⚡ The INFOGEST flyer resuming the conception of the European Network ⚡

 To be cited as:

Didier Dupont.INFOGEST.InternationalInnovation,2012,Novembre,pp.76-78, https://hal.science/hal-01209351

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

✔️ The INFOGEST network Organisation:

➡️ Since 2011, the INFOGEST network is chaired by Dr. Didier DUPONT from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE, France), and co-chaired by Pr. Alan MACKIE from the School of Food Science and Nutrition (University of Leeds, UK)

➡️ INFOGEST is organized as specialising Working Groups (WG1 to WG7) each focused on an strategic scientific objective:

° WG1: In vitro digestion models: Coordination by Isidra Recio CSIC Spain, Lotti Egger Agroscope Switzerland & Andre Brodkorb Teagasc Ireland

° WG2: Food Interaction & meal digestion: Coordination by Uri Lesmes Technion Israel & Pasquale Ferranti Univ Naples Italy

° WG3: Intestinal Barrier Models: Coordination by Linda Giblin Teagasc Ireland

° WG4: Digestive lipases and lipid digestion: Coordination by Marion Letisse INSA France, Leslie Couedelo ITERG France & Frédéric Carrière CNRS France

° WG5: Digestive amylases and starch digestion: Coordination by Marilisa Alongi University of Udine Italy & Daniela Freitas Teagasc France

° WG6: In silico models of digestion: Coordination by Choi-Hong Lai Univ Greenwich UK & Steven Le Feunteun INRAE France

° WG7: Imaging technologies applied to digestion: Coordination by Paul Smeets WUR Netherlands & Luca Marciani Univ Nottingham UK)

➡️ INFOGEST evolution: Once each of the Working Groups reaches its own objective, the Working Group is replaced by a new one selected by the INFOGEST participants through a poll.