Assessment

Specialised facility dedicated to the microbiological analysis of food, animal feed, and water. Equipped with advanced tools for the identification and enumeration of microorganisms, the lab covers a wide spectrum of microbial analyses, including pathogens, spoilage organisms, and quality control tests. The lab also specialises in the analysis of moulds and mycotoxins, using ELISA and HPLC techniques, and offers scientific advice on HACCP implementation. The facility is fully compliant with ISO and AFNOR standards, ensuring high precision and reliability.

Our laboratory allows us to carry out analyses on grapes, must, wine, but also on the soil, and even pathogens; It makes it possible to make the link between practices in the vineyard and qualitative indicators.

Our experimental cellar allows vinification at different scales, depending on the needs of the experiment: from 1 L to a few hectolitres. Our most common volume is 50 L. It is equipped with rooms at different temperatures and even a device of connected tanks to monitor and record the fermentation parameters under different conditions. As part of the TEF project, we can receive different connected sensors to collect data. The interest, with AI, is to develop predictive quality models for winemaking.

A test stand with dimensions of 30000x8000 mm, with a centrally mounted, hydraulically lifted platform. The stand is used both in accredited tests based on standardised methods or in-house procedures and in non-accredited activities, including research and development work related to the design and testing of autonomous machinery. The stand is used, among other things, for measuring technical parameters, weights, pressure forces, and stability of machinery and equipment.

As part of PHÉNOME, the French plant phenotyping network, PhénoField® integrates expertise across agronomy, plant physiology, robotics, and bioinformatics. With over 350 plant varieties studied annually, the platform can simulate 17 distinct climates and is equipped with cutting-edge technology: 2 lidars for 3D laser analysis, 6 continuous cameras, 4 spectroradiometers for leaf light reflection measurements, and 36 soil moisture probes across 100 data points.

The laboratory specialises in multi-species analysis, including soft wheat, durum wheat, barley, corn, forage, triticale, sorghum, and feed ingredients like rapeseed and soy. With approximately 45 analysis methods, the lab handles 10,000 samples per year and performs 65,000 analyses across 1,000 m² of facilities, including 150 m² of cold storage. For over 10 years, it has maintained a comprehensive database of reference samples. Key areas of expertise include moisture, protein, starch, fat content, hardness, and soil composition.

The facility is designed for efficient and controlled grain storage and processing. It features 350 tonnes of storage capacity with ventilated bins and a silo thermometry system to ensure optimal temperature monitoring. The Sec-LIS® system controls 8 fans automatically to maintain ideal storage conditions, while 4 automatic samplers facilitate continuous quality checks. Two independent circuits with adjustable flow rates (up to 50 t/h) handle grain transport, and a dust extraction system reduces emissions.

The experimental farm spans 145 hectares, featuring a variety of soil types ranging from 30 to 90 cm in depth, including moderately deep clay loam and shallow clay-limestone soils. With certifications in Organic Agriculture and High Environmental Value (HVE), the farm dedicates areas to various types of trials: 2 ha for environmental testing, 4.75 ha for organic fields, 5.32 ha for autonomous organic trials, and 7.08 ha for innovative organic trials.

The main crop is silage maize and mash (26 hectares), followed by over 11 hectares of Medicago sativa; 11 hectares of Italian ryegrass and 4 hectares of triticale for silage are also sown on the farm. In this company, research is conducted to develop methods that allow the reduction of pesticides, the decrease in the use of fertilisers and herbicides, and the conservation of water and energy.

Additionally, there is a small herd of 16 Piedmontese cattle raised for meat. In this farm, there are also two advanced systems of robotic milking integrated with the online milk analysis system that allows continuous monitoring of parameters to assess the health status of the animal.