The IUT of Thionville-Yutz is a field of experimentation in constant movement. After wind turbines, obtaining the LPO refuge label, beehives and sheep, the institute in the Cormontaigne area has just acquired an orchard destined for many projects.
First of all, there is the educational interest for students in the engineering biology sector, who will be able to carry out various practical works related to pollination, for example. There is also a practical interest since the same biology engineering department wants to use the fruit to feed its juice production line. This line has been in service since 2017 and allows young people to put their knowledge into practice. The quantities obtained are confidential compared to what a real factory can provide, but the interest lies elsewhere.
Less sweet fruit
The only downside, “the fruits that we buy commercially, from wholesalers, are generally very ripe and therefore we obtain a juice that is a little too sweet. With our own fruit, we can gauge ourselves and obtain better quality juices,” explains Michaël Schneider, teacher and manager of the famous production line. He himself gave some instructions when acquiring the trees: “For the apple, we opted for the Jonagold. For pears, William and Comice”. Bigarreau cherry trees have also been selected, promising future diversification.
Two months ago, fourteen trees were planted. For the harvest, it will therefore be necessary to wait a few years… That’s not all: to stick to its environmental values, the IUT has also had a 50-meter hedge planted. There too, the educational interest was retained, the observation of the behavior of insects being an inexhaustible subject of study.
All of this was made possible by the City of Yutz, which provided a grant of €10,000 to show its attachment to the institute and the training provided there. “Their projects coincide with our policy focused on the environment,” confirms the mayor, Clémence Pouget.
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