Know more

Team leaders: Sandrine Mignon-Grasteau & Agnès Narcy

General objectives:

To move towards multi-performing, sustainable breeding and farming systems, we draw on our complementary skills in genetics, nutrition and the study of production systems. Our aim is to gain a better understanding of the conditions and mechanisms involved in the co-adaptation between animals and their environment, whether food or livestock. Our project therefore focuses on 3 main areas: food and resources, biological processes of adaptation to feed, and multi-performance and sustainability of systems.

Topics :

- Food and resources: We identify and characterize new raw materials and feeds of interest both in terms of their nutritional value and their impact on sustainability. Secondly, we are defining feed strategies leading to greater overall efficiency (in terms of performance, quality and quantity of effluents, product quality, health and well-being), taking into account the specific characteristics of the animals (strain, physiological stage, etc.) and the diversity of production practices.

- Biological processes of adaptation to food: Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms controlling the functions of the digestive tract and their regulation by diet and genetics. We are also looking at the relationships between digestion, muscle and bone in birds in different production systems, dietary contexts and different genetics.

- Multiperformance and sustainability of systems: We support the transition in rearing and selection practices, bringing our expertise in nutrition, genetics and systems analysis to bear on multi-stakeholder projects involving research, professionals and civil society. In this way, we can simultaneously take into account economic and environmental efficiency, which are at the heart of the sustainability of poultry farming, as well as the social acceptability of production and the adaptation of systems to global warming.

The team is co-piloting the NutriMod international associated laboratory with Laval University (Quebec)

On-going projects:

- INRAE REGENERE (2023-2024) : Reveal the environmental effects, the interactions between genotype and environment, and the intergenerational effects of floor breeding.

- Projet CASDAR NitroSorg (2022-2025) : The value of varietal selection for improving the digestive use of Sorghum proteins

- Projet ADEME EcoXtract (2022-2025) : development of eco-extraction processes for oilseeds

- Projet INRAE ClinOrg (2022-2025) : Development of an eco-formulation system for organic foodstuffs

- Projet d’intérêt régional POLDER (2021-2024) : Sustainable Label chicken in the Centre Val de Loire Region

- Projet CASDAR COCORICO (2021-2024) : Co-design of chicken rearing systems reconciling societal expectations and prices

- Projet F2E Carnot PINHS (2020-2023) : The benefits of insect proteins in poultry feed

- Projet F2E Carnot MENTOR (2022-2025) : Early feeding strategies and robustness in broiler chickens

- Projet CASDAR PRESAJE (2023-2026) : Protein nutrition in chicks

- Projet d’intérêt régional ANIMALT (2019-2022) : Development of intestinal organoids

- H2020 UE PPILOW 2019-2024: Improving animal welfare for pigs and poultry in low-input and organic production systems

- Partnership research projects CARNOT – France Futur Elevage

Major publications:

Effect of phytase and limestone particle size on mineral digestibility, performance, eggshell quality and bone mineralization in laying hens. Hervo, F., Létourneau-Montminy, M-P, Même, N, Méda, B, Duclos, M, Narcy, A. POULTRY SCIENCE, 2022, doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102613.

A divergent selection on breast meat ultimate pH, a key factor for chicken meat quality, is associated with different circulating lipid profiles. Beauclercq, S ; Mignon-Grasteau, S ; Petit, A ; Berger, Q ; Lefevre, A ; Metayer-Coustard, S ; Tesseraud, S ; Emond, P ; Berri, C ; Le Bihan-Duval, E . FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY, 2022, 13: 935868. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.935868.

Profiles of genetic parameters of body weight and feed efficiency in two divergent broiler lines for meat ultimate pH. Berger, Q ; Guettier, E ; Bernard, J ; Ganier, P ; Chahnamian, M ; Le Bihan-Duval, E ; Mignon-Grasteau, S. BMC GENOMIC DATA, 2022, 23, 1: 18. DOI: 10.1186/s12863-022-01035-z.

Foraging behavior shows individual-consistency over time, and predicts range use in slow-growing free-range male broiler chickens. Ferreira, VHB ; Simoni, A ; Germain, K ; Leterrier, C ; Lansade, L ; Collin, A ; Mignon-Grasteau, S ; Le Bihan-Duval, E ; Guettier, E ; Leruste, H ; Lovlie, H ; Calandreau, L ; Guesdon, V . FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE, 2022, 9: 814054. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.814054.

Effect of limestone particle size on performance, eggshell quality, bone strength, and in vitro/in vivo solubility in laying hens: a meta-analysis approach. Hervo, F ; Narcy, A ; Nys, Y ; Letourneau-Montminy, MP . POULTRY SCIENCE, 2022, 101, 4: 101686. DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101686.

Effect of the physicochemical properties of zinc oxide sources on their bioavailability in broilers. Cardoso, D ; Romeo, A ; Durosoy, S ; Meme, N ; Chevalier, Y ; Narcy, A . BRITISH POULTRY SCIENCE, 2021, 62, 6: 846-851. DOI: 10.1080/00071668.2021.1940862.

Contributions of animal genetics to the agroecological transition of livestock farming systems. Ducos, A ; Douhard, F ; Savietto, D ; Sautier, M ; Fillon, V ; Gunia, M; Rupp, R ; Moreno-Romieux, C ; Mignon-Grasteau, S ; Gilbert, H ; Fortun-Lamothe, L. INRA PRODUCTIONS ANIMALES, 2021, 34, 2: 79-96. DOI: 10.20870/productions-animales.2021.34.2.4773.

Phenotypic timeline of gastrointestinal tract development in broilers divergently selected for digestive efficiency. Juanchich, A ; Urvoix, S ; Hennequet-Antier, C ; Narcy, A ; Mignon-Grasteau, S . POULTRY SCIENCE, 2021, 100, 2: 1205-1212. DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.013.

Reducing environmental impacts of feed using multiobjective formulation: What benefits at the farm gate for pig and broiler production? Meda, B ; Garcia-Launay, F ; Dusart, L ; Ponchant, P ; Espagnol, S ; Wilfart, A . ANIMAL, 2021, 15, 1: 100024 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2020.100024.