Introducing the Centre

The Centre for Taste and Feeding Behaviour (CSGA) has been created the first of January 2010, and renewed in 2024. It belongs to, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Institut National de la Recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INRAE), the Institut Agro Dijon and the University of Bourgogne-Europe.

The CSGA is directed by Loïc Briand (INRAE) and two deputies: Corinne Leloup (Université Bourgogne Europe) and Thierry Thomas-Danguin (INRAE). Its administrative is under the responsability of Céline Ranger (INRAE), in her capacity as General Secretary.

The CSGA is composed of 10 research groups made up with 141 members with a permanent position (researchers, professors and assistant/professors, MD, engineers and technicians), and around 60 non tenured agents (PhD, post-doc, engineers and technicians).

The general objective is to get a better understanding of the physicochemical, molecular, cellular, behavioural and psychological mechanisms underlying sensory perception of food, and food-related eating behaviour. Studies aim to understand how sensory and metabolic information is detected and integrated to modulate sensory perception and/or trigger adapted behaviour. They also aim to understand the factors that modulate eating behaviour and identify levers for action to benefit health and food sustainability.

The unit possesses worldwide acknowledged and complementary competences in key-thematic fields: - chemical analysis of complexity (pheromones, odorants, sapid and trigeminal molecules,…),

• release of compounds from food matrices (role of chewing and saliva composition),
• analysis of the sensory, cognitive and behavioural phenomena associated to the treatment of sensory cues,
• analysis of the mechanisms involved in chemical communication and feeding/eating behaviours,
• role of the internal and external environment (metabolism, sensory exposure, development, culture et and society, metabolic state, pathologies).

The CSGA has strong links with the academic world (via the Institut Agro Dijon and the University Bourgogne-Europe), and the medical world (Dijon Hospital and INSERM). The CSGA is a partner in the LipSTIC “Lipoproteins and Health” Laboratory of Excellence (Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir) and in the PIA4 “ExcellencES” HARMI “Harnessing Microbiomes for sustainable development” project.

The CSGA has established contractual collaborations with industry (agri-food and pharmaceutical industries). The Center is a member of the Vitagora competitiveness cluster and one of the laboratories of the Institut Carnot QUALIMENT “Qualité Nutritionnelle et Sensorielle des Aliments”. The CSGA develops innovation projects in partnership with SATT Sayens. It is also involved in Dijon Metropole's TIGA project (Territoire d'Innovation de Grande Ambition), aimed at developing a sustainable food system for all. Projects are carried out in collaboration with numerous public or private, regional, national or international partners, and 70% of its publications are signed with these partners.