Mr Valentin Menoury | Recycling and Circular Economy in Materials | Young Scientist Award

Mr. Valentin Laurent Sylvain Menoury 🎓 is a passionate PhD researcher at INRAE, France 🇫🇷, focusing on sustainable alternatives to toxic solvents in agri-food systems 🌱. With an MSc in Animal Nutrition & Metabolism from Wageningen University 🇳🇱 (cum laude) and an engineering degree from ESA, Angers 🧪, his research explores biobased solvents like 2-methyloxolane for oilseed meal processing. He was the first to identify n-hexane residues in milk 🥛, a key food safety breakthrough. Valentin’s interdisciplinary work 🤝 blends science, sustainability 🌍, and innovation 💡, making him a rising star in agricultural and environmental research.

Mr Valentin Menoury, INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment), France

Profile

ORCID

Education 🎓

Valentin Menoury’s academic journey spans leading European institutions. He began at ESA, École Supérieure des Agricultures d’Angers (2016 – 2020), earning an Agricultural Engineering degree in Animal Science 🎓🌾. He then completed an MSc in Animal Sciences—Animal Nutrition & Metabolism at Wageningen University & Research (2019 – 2022), graduating cum laude 🥇🐄. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Animal Sciences at Université Clermont Auvergne (2022 – 2025), investigating biobased solvents for dairy cow nutrition 🔬🥛. This robust educational foundation underpins his expertise and demonstrates his commitment to advancing sustainable livestock nutrition and environmental stewardship 🌍🌿.

Experience 💼

Valentin Menoury is currently a PhD student at INRAe (UMR Herbivores), where he is leading research on sustainable agriculture 🌱. His project focuses on replacing hexane, a toxic solvent used in oilseed processing, with 2-methyloxolane, a biobased alternative, aiming to enhance dairy cow nutrition 🐄🥛. Valentin has also contributed to animal nutrition research during his time as a Master’s student at Wageningen University & Research 🏫, where he graduated cum laude. His work bridges environmental sustainability with animal science, advancing both animal health and milk quality 🌿💧.

Research Focus 🔬

Valentin Menoury’s research focuses on sustainable agriculture and dairy science 🌱🐄. He pioneers the replacement of hexane with 2-methyloxolane to produce defatted oilseed meals, studying their impact on dairy cow nutrition, digestibility, and welfare 🥛🔬. His work evaluates feed formulation, fermentation metrics, and milk quality parameters such as fatty acid profile and residue levels 📊🧪. Through controlled feeding trials and advanced statistical analyses, he ensures safe, high-quality dairy products while reducing environmental and health risks 🌍🛡️. Collaborating with international experts, he seeks to optimize feed rations and milk composition, driving innovation in sustainable dairy production 🚀. He drives future innovation.

Contributions 🚀

Mr. Menoury’s contributions center on replacing petroleum‑derived hexane with biobased 2‑methyloxolane for soybean meal defatting 🌱. He conducted controlled feeding trials in dairy cows, using analytical methods and collaboration with WUR statisticians, demonstrating the first detection of n‑hexane residues in milk from hexane‑defatted meals 🥛⚠️. This pioneering work underlines potential health risks and supports regulatory reevaluation by EFSA, ECHA, and BAuA in the EU 🇪🇺. By assessing feed digestibility and nutritional profiles, he established 2‑methyloxolane as an effective, safe alternative 🔬✔️. His findings promise to transform oilseed processing, enhance food safety, and advance sustainable agriculture with reduced environmental impact 🌾🚀.

Publications 📖

Replacing hexane with 2‑methyloxolane for defatting soybean meal fed to dairy cows: Effects on dairy performance and nitrogen partitioning
• Authors: V. Menoury; A. Ferlay; C. Ginane; G. Cantalapiedra‑Hijar; S. Lemosquet; D. Andueza; G.G.R. Leday; J. Engel; P. Nozière

Productive performance of dairy cows fed with 2‑methyloxolane‑defatted soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower meals
• Authors: V. Menoury; A. Ferlay; P. Nozière

2‑Methyloxolane can replace hexane for defatting soybean meal fed to cows without affecting dairy performance, rumen VFA proportions and major fatty acid secretion in milk
• Authors: V. Menoury; P. Nozière; G. Leday; J. Engel; A. Ferlay

Replacing hexane by 2‑methyloxolane for defatting soybean meal does not affect nitrogen utilisation
• Authors: V. Menoury; A. Ferlay; G. Cantalapiedra‑Hijar; S. Lemosquet; G. Leday; J. Engel; P. Nozière

Replacing hexane by 2‑methyloxolane for defatting soybean meal does not impair dairy cow performance
• Authors: V. Menoury; A. Ferlay; L. Jacques; V. Rapinel; P. Nozière