Christophe Lacroix

Christophe Lacroix has been Full Professor for Food Biotechnology at the Institute of Food Science and Nutrition at the ETH Zurich since August 1, 2002.

Born in 1958 in Dijon, France, he studied Food Technology at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires in Massy, France, where received his food engineering degree in 1980. He then moved to Québec Canada where he completed a MSc and a PhD under the supervision of Professor F. Castaigne at Université Laval. From 1984 to 2002 he was Professor of Dairy Biotechnology in the Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences in Université Laval. He also lead the Dairy Research Centre STELA, from 1995 to 2002, and initiated in 1997 and was responsible until the end of 2002 for the Canadian Research Network on Lactic Acid Bacteria.

At the Laboratory for Food Biotechnology ETH Zurich he has extended his research area to develop fundamental knowledge on lactic acid and probiotic bacteria and selected metabolic activities with high potential, and their utilization in foods with improved quality, safety and benefits on consumer health. His research includes the development of technologies for production of lactic acid and probiotic bacteria, and control and modulation of physiology; the molecular characterization and utilization of specific metabolic activities of food bacteria and bifidobacteria; study on the complex intestinal microbiota with a new in vitro colonic system with immobilized cells; and modeling, control and optimization of complex food biotechnological processes such as cheese manufacture.