An experimental protocol in batch reactor was designed for the measurement of the methane yield and of the kinetics of degradation of particulate substrates. This protocol requires successive batches to be carried out until the evolution of the biogas production is reproducible from one batch to the other. The developed protocol was applied to 18 particulate substrates in order to start a data base including the methane yield and the kinetics of degradation of the organic matter. The data were used for modelling the behaviour of a co-digestion reactor treating a mixture of 5 fruits and vegetables.