The expansion of transgenic cultivar cultures presents the question of gene flow from crop species to weeds. Concerning oilseed rape (Brassica napus, AACC, 2n=38), which is a natural hybrid between B. rapa (AA, 2n=20) and B. oleracea (CC, 2n=18), our studies on several weeds showed that hybridizations can occur at very low rate between oilseed rape and wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum, 2n=18). These hybrids are low fertile but they are able to bear offspring experimentally in presence of wild radish. Is that enough to enable gene transfers from oilseed rape to wild radish ? To evaluate the frequency at which these transfers could occur, we propose to address the following questions: - What is the selective value of hybrids? Does the initial location of the transgene have an effect on the risk of oilseed rape gene transfer into wild radish genome? Is it possible to find traces of introgression of crop species genes into wild radish natural populations? Our study should enable to develop tools useful in a biovigilance approach.

The growth of world population and consumption trends of meat (especially poultry) and fish induces an intensification of farming that requires large inputs of plant proteins. In Europe, as in France, the vast majority of the resource in vegetable protein is soybean meal imported from the Americas (Brazil, Argentina and the United States). The main consequences for France are i) a high protein dependence from America that weighs in the trade balance ii) a decline in the competitiveness of our poultry industry which depends on these proteins, iii) the widespread introduction of GMOs in animal feed and volatility of food prices, iv) loss of biodiversity (deforestation) in the producing countries and the long distance transportation of these products. France is the first European producer of rapeseed meal, a coproduct of oil and biodiesel industries. These meals are substitutable to soybean meals in the case of pigs and cattle but are not suitable for poultry or aquaculture. Indeed, the rapeseed lacks of protein digestibility for chicken and meal protein concentration is too low to fish. Rapeseed is penalized by two factors: high fiber content, mainly from seed coats, and loss of protein solubility resulting of difficult desolventization. The current industrial process cannot remove the teguments without inducing high loss of oil; moreover rapeseed intrinsically has a high affinity for hexane which is only overcome by a massive injection of steam during desolventization leading to a loss of protein solubility. The goal of our project is to develop a new method for extraction of rapeseed that, without disturbing oil production, would produce a more digestible protein fraction with the possibility to adjust its concentration to meet the needs of different markets. This process is based on the starch technology and has for originality the use of subcritical ethanol. It involves a wet milling step followed by hydrodynamic classification allowing the separation of the fibrous material from the proteins. Defatted flour resulting of this process will eventually be subjected to a second solvent extraction in hydro-alcoholic solvent without the need to go through a desolventization step. Our project integrates the three dimensions of sustainability: i) the preservation of the environment by replacing hexane, a CMR3 classified hydrocarbon, by a solvent from biomass: ethanol; limiting the import of soy protein and reducing the proportion of indigestible nitrogen in livestock manure, ii) economic efficiency by improving the competitiveness of the poultry and aquaculture industries by offering an alternative to soybean meal and enhancing the added value of the oilseed sector and iii) the social dimension by integrating consumer reluctance toward GMOs and eliminating the presence of hexane residues in the food chain. Our project is in line 3 "Proof of concept" because it is necessary to demonstrate the feasibility of the process and in the category of Industrial Research PAA ALID2013 because outcomes are expected to develop a production chain of highly digestible protein concentrate for animal feed, as a first step, and for human consumption, in a second time.