NATURAL ORGANIC SUBSTANCES IN FOOD
cod. 1001791

Academic year 2013/14
1° year of course - Second semester
Professor
Academic discipline
Chimica organica (CHIM/06)
Field
Discipline delle tecnologie alimentari
Type of training activity
Characterising
42 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub:
course unit
in - - -

Learning objectives

the aim of the course is to teach the students how to approach the problem of the presence of the natural
substances in foods, in particular: how to extract, analyse and characterise the
natural products in food and how to find the scientific demonstrations of their
eventual biological activity, specially in relation to health claims, toxicity and
organoleptic properties.

Prerequisites

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Course unit content

The course is composed of several parts:
Part 1- Secondary metabolism: biosynthetic pathways and principal mechanisms of
reaction ( alkylation, rearrangements, aldol and Claisen reactions, Schiff's base
formation, transamination, decarboxylation, ox-redox reactions, oxydative coupling
of phenols, glycosylation,etc.). Methods for studying the biosynthesis.
Part 2- The acetate pathway: fatty acids and polyketides. Unsaturated fatty acids
(essential fatty acids). Aromatic polyketides, phenols.
Part 3- The Shikimate pathway: aromatic amino acids, cinnamic acids, lignanes,
coumarines, flavonoids, isoflavonoids. Biological activity.
Part 4- The mevalonate pathway: terpenes (monoterpenes, iridoids,
sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, sesterpenes, tetraterpenes, carotenoids).
Part 5- Alkaloids: alkaloids derived from ornithine, lysine, nicotinic acids, tyrosine,
tryptophan, anthranilic acid, histidine. Purinic alkaloids, glycoalkaloids.
Part 6- Mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin, patulin, trichothecenes, zearalenone):
biogenesis, toxicity, methods of extraction and detection

Full programme

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Bibliography

1)Paul.M.Devick- Chemistry, biosynthesis and bioactivity of natural substances.Piccin
Ed. Padova.
2) Slides contents and publications

Teaching methods

The lessons are made by using power point presentations, transparencies and black board
demonstrations. Discussion of scientific papers and of the european regulations are also added.

Assessment methods and criteria

written and oral test

Other information

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