Edible Soft Matter in (bad) comics

by Virginia_ESM | Oct 2, 2026 | News

For our first episode of the series “Edible Soft Matter in (bad) comics”, here is a briefly introduction to the motivations behind the ESM project. And (hopefully) some motivations to follow our projects and learn more about plant-based food!🌱

Take a look at our last publication for further insights on the topic https://edible-soft-matter.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EdibleSoftMatter_RAMOSetal_epn2025563p21.pdf

And if we have really caught your heart, here are some suggestions for further readings🤓:

• Vilgis, T. A. (2015) ‘Soft matter food physics—the physics of food andcooking’, Reports on Progress in Physics, 78(12), 124602. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/78/12/124602
• Hannah Ritchie (2021) – “If the world adopted a plant-based diet, we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares”https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260812-123851/land-use-diets.html
• Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2012) ‘A global assessment of the water footprint of farm animal products’, Ecosystems, 15(3), pp. 401–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8
• Xu, X., Sharma, P., Shu, S., Lin, T.-S., Ciais, P., Tubiello, F.N., Smith, P., Campbell, N. and Jain, A.K. (2021) ‘Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods’, Nature Food, 2, pp. 724–732. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00358-x“

Training, Innovation and Science: ESM Meets in Vendôme and Le Mans

by Virginia_ESM | Sep 24, 2026 | News

Our second ESM Training Event last week was a great success! We spent several days together combining training, scientific exchange, collaboration and plenty of opportunities to connect as a network.

We spent three days in Vendôme with the BEL team, who gave us a fantastic welcome and offered us the opportunity to visit their R&D facilities.

At the end of these three days, we launched the Innovation Challenge (IC), a collaborative activity that encourages creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving through practical challenges. The Doctoral Candidates (DCs) will work on the IC over the coming year.

The event continued in Le Mans, where we held our General Assembly. For the first time, we had the opportunity to hear our DCs present their scientific projects. The poster session was another highlight, bringing students and partners together for lively discussions and exchanges.

Many thanks to CNRS, LMU and BEL for organising such a rewarding event and for bringing the ESM community together.

We are already looking forward to seeing everyone again at our third Training Event!

Until then, stay tuned to our social media for more updates and news from the ESM network!

Leftovers aren’t food waste

by Virginia_ESM | Jul 1, 2026 | News

One of the aims of the Edible Soft Matter network is to explore innovative ways to transform food by-products into valuable, sustainable ingredients ♻️
Rethinking what we call “waste” is one step towards a more circular food system.
What do you do at home to reduce food waste? 🌱💚