LIST LESAFFRE INSTITUTE
OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

We are daring and humble enough to offer tailor-made, innovative solutions in the field of microorganisms, in synergy with our business units, to boost competitiveness and create sustainable value for today and tomorrow.

Collaborative innovation

As a catalyst for innovation at the heart of the Group, LIST plays an essential role in accelerating progress. Its fundamental ambition is to facilitate and amplify the work of RD&I teams, enabling them to concentrate fully on their priority objectives. LIST experts are both involved in their own projects and work closely with the global RD&I teams, embodying the Group’s innovative dynamism.

From discovery to innovation

Our organization is unique, structured around unrivalled entities, laboratories and centers of excellence.

Our areas of research

Our work is organized around five research priorities for our laboratories. Our aim is to develop innovative, sustainable solutions, by constantly expanding our knowledge of fermentation and microorganisms.

Exploring and unlocking the potential of microorganisms and their compounds

Our team has set up high-throughput screening capabilities and various functional tests to search for functions beneficial to human, animal or plant health within the yeasts, bacteria, filamentous fungi or consortium of strains that form the basis of our collection.

Projects in this area of research :

Providing tailor-made, innovative solutions, from strain to pilot process

We select strains of microorganisms beneficial to human, animal or plant health. These strains are then processed under optimal, eco-responsible conditions, enabling them to be produced on a large scale (bacteria, filamentous fungi or yeast-based biomass fermentation, precision fermentation, drying and crystallization bioprocesses, etc.).

Projects in this area of research:

  • A new “Germination Optimization Technology” process to maximize the impact of a unique cocktail of bacilli on bird health in poultry farming
  • New extraction and purification processes for unused microbial biomass (bioethanol industries, breweries, etc.)

Check the functionality of our solutions

The exploration, selection and scaling-up of strains, yeasts or bacteria for market release is accompanied by a major investment to demonstrate the real benefits of our products: clinical trials in humans or animals, field trials, sensory studies, understanding the mechanisms of action, etc.

Projects in this area of research:

  • A probiotic solution with an impact on the gut-brain axis
  • Developing cosmetic active ingredients with a sustainable, innovative approach

Creating sustainable value for today and tomorrow

Sustainability is at the heart of our RD&I approach . That’s why we not only incorporate strict criteria for improving our environmental footprint into our innovations (Innovation WITH sustainability), but also innovate with the aim of creating sustainable solutions to environmental challenges (Innovation FOR sustainability).

Projects in this area of research:

Building a digitalized, agile RD&I ecosystem

Data and modeling are at the heart of tomorrow’s RD&I. This translates in particular into the ability to implement technologies such as the Cloud, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analysis.

Projects in this area of research:

  • Setting up digital twins in the DownStream Process Design Center of Excellence
  • Integrative approach to system biology in OMICs at LIST

Our 7 centers of excellence

Microorganisms


This center is the guardian of the diversity of microorganisms used at Lesaffre. Our mission is to translate industrial needs into microorganism properties. To achieve this, we are constantly adding to our collection of over 20,000 strains of yeasts, enzymes, bacteria, phages…

Bioengineering


We are laying the foundations for tomorrow’s exploratory biology by fusing traditional biological knowledge, advanced bioengineering, robots and computation. This is the home of the biofoundry, which uses genetic engineering to accelerate the biological design and prototyping of microorganisms. Once modeled, manufactured and preserved, microorganisms can be duplicated at will.

Fermentation Process Design

We identify optimal fermentation conditions for the strains of interest entrusted to us, and design and improve processes. We explore new fermentation concepts and technologies to pave the way for their industrialization.

DownStream Process Design


With the aim of building a sustainable industry, our role is to extract, purify, valorize and preserve the microorganisms and molecules of interest entrusted to us. We also work to make processes more sustainable, for example by recovering by-products.

Analytical Science & Discovery

Our role is to support research through the acquisition of reliable, sustainable and accessible analytical data, in order to pave the way for innovations: molecules of interest, new processes and products. Our approach is open-ended: it crosses disciplines and expertise, and integrates industrial and regulatory aspects.

Nutrition, Microbiota & Health

As well as revealing the infinite potential of microorganisms, we explain and enhance their powers. Our Center of Excellence studies the interactions between our products and their host (human or animal) to demonstrate all their effects and benefits in the fields of nutrition, health and well-being. In this way, we are paving the way for an industry that is a legitimate contributor to the health of all living beings.

Baking Science & Nutrition


We study and control the different parameters involved in bread-making: cereals, ferments, fermentation and proofing conditions, to enrich the taste, texture, preservation and nutritional benefits of bread. In this way, we develop new processes to serve both artisan and industrial bakers.

The Knowledge Center

The Knowledge Center is a veritable knowledge hub for innovation and scientific expertise, analyzing the world’s scientific literature and keeping a constant watch. Its teams practice breakthrough innovation by identifying and exploring new avenues for innovation (independently of current research).

Our 3 catalysts

Biodata

We analyze the quality of scientific data to transform it into usable data for LIST and the development of digital biology:

  • Analysis of scientific data
  • Transforming data into conclusive information and knowledge
  • Computational biology
  • Quality and scientific integrity
  • Data analysis for NGS

Innovation Strategy Office & Knowledge Center

We are identifying new avenues of exploration that will enable us to develop collaborative research projects and expand our patent portfolio:

  • Strategic portfolio
  • Resource management
  • Project management
  • Scientific watch
  • Information Management & Governance

Discovery & Front-end Innovation

We are strengthening our strategy by exploring the scientific environment through statistical and qualitative analyses:

  • Discovering new avenues of exploration for our activities
  • Monitoring & potential leads
  • Development of collaborative and innovative research projects
  • Proof Of Concept (POC)
  • Patent portfolio