Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to allow the student (i) to know, (ii) to understand and (iii) to assess the actual risks about foods from animals. Subsequently, the aims of the course is to make students the knowhow and understanding on both the general requirements on hygiene, along the entire production and the major operations and variables that must be taken into account to control hazards and consequently in order to eliminate them. In this context, the student will be able to apply knowledge and understanding that are gained to recognize issues relating to health that are associated with the consumption of foods from animals. Moreover, the student will know how to manage a business issue through the proper application of the preventive system, based on the principles of “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points” methodology.
The Students who have attended the course will be able to deepen their knowledge in the field of hygiene of food, by consulting own texts specialized journals or dissemination, even outside the topics covered during lectures.
The Student should acquire the specific vocabulary related to hygiene of food. It is expected that, at the end of the course, students will be able to communicate, both orally and in writing the main contents of the course.
The student will be able to assess the impact of operational decisions on industrial plants performance
Prerequisites
Basic Microbiology
Food Microbiology
Animal Productions
Course unit content
The course aims to provide the student with a scientific and legislative approach to hygiene issues in the food field. Primarily the student will be provided with the basic concepts of hygiene, health, disease, transmission of diseases and their measurement in the populations. In addition, the student will be formed on the main health issues related to food and the European legislation in the food field (I and II Dublin descriptors). Knowledge is also provided on the prevention of contamination during the production, marketing and storage of food, with the aim of providing the student with the skills necessary for drawing up self-control plans for food productions (III, IV and V descriptors of Dublin). A special focus will be on the control plan of zoonotic microorganism in animals. During classroom simulations, students will learn how to independently elaborate a self-control plan for a food industry and its HACCP plan.
Full programme
• general concepts of epidemiology and prevention;
• general epidemiology,
• concept of disease,
• epidemiology of infectious diseases,
• epidemiology of non-infectious diseases;
• prevention:
• levels of prevention,
• prevention of infectious diseases
Biological contamination
• microbial growth in food:
• Contamination: the nature, origin, classification,
• main types of microorganisms found in food,
• intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect microbial growth in food.
Foodborne diseases of bacterial origin
• major viral infections (hepatitis A, norovirus).
• Prion diseases.
• Main parasites to food-borne:
• toxoplasmasmosi,
• trichinosis,
• taeniasis,
• echinococcosis,
• anisakiasis.
Animal Health law and control plans
Physical contamination
• origin, prevention.
• Water used for human consumption
• definition,
• requirements,
• criteria of drinking water: hydrogeological, organoleptic, physical, chemical and microbiological.
Community legislation on food hygiene
HACCP: general principles
Sanitation practices
• surfaces in contact with food and process environments:
• requirements of the structures and layout of the environments of production and processing;
• definition of dirt;
• detergents;
• stages of the standard procedures of sanitation;
• monitoring and verification.
Staff hygiene
Principles of food defense against pests.
Bibliography
Slides of the lectures (available through the ELLY platform)
Foodborne Diseases
3rd Edition Christine Dodd Tim Aldsworth Richard Stein
Foodborne Pathogens and Food Safety Md. Latiful Bari and Dike O. Ukuku (CRC press)
Bad bug book, second edition (US FDA) available at https://www.fda.gov/media/83271/download
Teaching methods
Lectures. Use of videos.
The lectures will be in blended mode unless the epidemiological condition at the time of the course will require on line lectures
Assessment methods and criteria
Learning outcomes will be assessed through a written evaluation that will determine the level of knowledge and understanding of the course content. Within this multiple-choice questions aimed to test students’ knowledge of the basics of the course and open questions to assess understanding and the ability to have a comprehensive view of the issues relating to
Other information
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