Join MycSA as the PhD student of the research program SafeAlterCheese

You will be enrolled in the Life Sciences and Health Doctoral School at the University of Bordeaux and will conduct your research at UR1264 Mycology and Food Safety at the INRAE Nouvelle-Aquitaine Bordeaux Research Center (watch a video about MycSA).

PhD Title:  Scientific Foundations for Mycotoxin Risk Assessment in Plant-Based Cheese Alternatives.

Context:  Penicillium roqueforti is the fungal species used as a starter culture in the production of blue-veined cheeses such as Roquefort and Bleu cheeses. P. roqueforti strains are also well-known producers of several mycotoxins. In dairy cheese, the levels of these mycotoxins do not pose a health risk to consumers since the physicochemical characteristics of cheese—including pH, salt concentration, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio—are not conducive to mycotoxin biosynthesis. Besides, p. roqueforti mycotoxins are known to be unstable in cheese matrices.

Nevertheless, the rapid expansion of plant-based alternatives to dairy products, including those inoculated with P. roqueforti, raises important questions regarding the potential health risks associated with these novel products. Risk assessment for mycotoxin contamination in these matrices is currently hindered by an incomplete scientific understanding of mycotoxin production and stability in these new matrices.

Aim: The main objective of this PhD project is to generate new scientific knowledge that will enable the assessment of the risks associated with P. roqueforti mycotoxins in plant-based cheese alternatives, with a particular focus on blue cheese alternatives.

Experimental strategy : Three main axes will be considered:

Axis 1) Survey of mycotoxins in commercialized plant-based cheese alternatives

A total of 200 commercially available plant-based cheese alternatives will be collected and analyzed. The analytical approach will extend beyond P. roqueforti mycotoxins to encompass the full range of mycotoxins that may occur in plant-based matrices. The resulting data will be correlated with product composition and, where available, manufacturing processes and storage conditions

Axis 2) Comparison of the susceptibility of plant-and animal-based matrices to contamination by P. roqueforti mycotoxins

Products mimicking commercialized plant-based cheese will be prepared from different plant-and animal-based matrices, inoculated with different P. roqueforti strains and stored under various temperature conditions. These products will be analyzed for both fungal and mycotoxin contamination. The relationships between matrix composition, fungal strain, processing conditions, fungal load, and mycotoxin contamination will be investigated.

Axis 3) Effect of nutritional factors on mycotoxin biosynthesis by P. roqueforti.

The production of mycotoxins by a panel of P. roqueforti strains will be characterized in culture media designed to mimic animal-and plant-based matrices. The effects of nutritional factors—including carbon and nitrogen sources and the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio—on fungal growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis will be investigated. In addition, the potential transcriptional regulation of key genes involved in mycotoxin biosynthetic pathways will be analyzed.

Required qualifications:

Knowledge in microbiology, analytical biochemistry, metabolomics (LC/HRMS), data analysis and biostatistics.

Funding : : ANR 2026 « SafeAlterCheese » project, in collaboration with ANSES and UMRF0545. 

Contact: Florence FORGET – Florence.forget@inrae.fr  - +33557122483

UR1264 MYCSA - https://mycsa.bordeaux-aquitaine.hub.inrae.fr/