Economic efficiency, the control of microbiological safety and the nutritional quality of meat products, and the ability to innovate are some of the keys to guaranteeing the future and development of meat industry companies. But these keys require a complete mastery of the product preparation processes, from a technological, organoleptic and food safety point of view.
The main challenge for the APROCEL joint technological unit is to provide better knowledge of the production processes of meat products by approaching them in a holistic manner rather than by unit operations.

To fulfil its mission, the joint technological unit:
- takes into consideration the needs of professionals for R&D, innovation and transfer applications;
- conducts research in order to understand the complex transformation processes,
- identifies and analyses technological developments and supports innovation by meat industry companies;
- distributes the results in the industrial field via scientific and technical publications, as well as thematic debates;
- promotes the results of research through services, evaluations, and training sessions;
- trains future company executives.

This joint technological unit, located in Clermont-Ferrand, started its five-year programme in 2011.

Study of the impact of individual stages when combined on the technological (yields, etc.), nutritional (reduction of sodium, etc.), toxicological (heterocyclic amines, etc.), organoleptic (flavour and colour related to the oxidation of products, texture related to proteolysis), and microbiological qualities of cooked and dried products.

Study and evaluation of new technologies or innovative processes for these two product families.
Development of tools and methods for the characterisation of physico-chemical properties (pH, aw and oxidation-reduction potential) based on local chemical compositions in order to more effectively connect changes in these parameters with those of the organoleptic qualities (texture, colour, etc.) or with microbiological evolution.