MOLECULAR COMPOSITION OF FODD
cod. 1008477

Academic year 2021/22
2° year of course - Second semester
Professor
Chiara DALL'ASTA
Academic discipline
Chimica degli alimenti (CHIM/10)
Field
Scienze delle produzioni e delle tecnologie alimentari
Type of training activity
Characterising
42 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

Knowledge and understanding
During the course the studente will acquire a deep knowledge of the chemical
composition of foods, of the characteristics of the different components, of their
influence on the food properties, of their reactivity and of the transformations they
undergo during the technological processes as well as of the analytical issues
linked to their determinations.
The student should acquire the ability to correlate and integrate general aspects
with specific characteristics of the different food products, understanding the
correlation existing between chemical composition and quality and acquiring the
ability to elaborate label informations.
These knowledges are the base to effectively operate in the production, control and
analytical sector as well as to design new products and processes.
Applying knowledge and understanding
The student must be able to utilize the acquired knowledges to understand and
foreseen the molecular transformations in foods as a consequence of technological
processes and storage.
Making judgements
The student must be able to define which transformations may occur or may be
induced in a food and which are the effects of the different formulations on the
general properties and the quality of a food product as well as to identify the
processing or storage conditions that may influence the overall quality of a product.
Communication skills
The student should be able to appropriately utilize the scientific language and the
specific lexicon of food chemistry, showing the ability to describe and transfer in oral
and written form the acquired concepts.
Learning skills
The student will be able to increase his/her knowledge of Food Chemistry, by self
consultation of specialized texts, scientific and divulgative journals, also beyond the
topics discussed during the lessons.

Prerequisites

Fundamentals in General and Organic Chemistry

Course unit content

Main macrocomponents in food: water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins. Chemical characterization of grains, meat, oils and fats. Reactions occurring upon heating, pH changes, and oxygen exposure: Maillard reaction, caramelization, oxidation, hydrolysis, isomerization.
Fundamentals on organoleptic properties: colour, taste, flavor.

Full programme

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Bibliography

Main textbook: Mannina, Daglia, Ritieni – La chimica e gli alimenti: nutrienti e aspetti nutraceutici. Ed. Zanichelli

Other textbooks:
T. P. Coultate, “La Chimica degli Alimenti”, Ed. Zanichelli (Bologna, 2004); P.
Cabras, A. Martelli, "Chimica degli alimenti“, Ed. Piccin (Padova, 2004); H.D. Belitz -
W. Grosch – P- Schieberle, “Food Chemistry”, Springer-Verlag Ed. (Berlin,
Germany, 2005); O. R. Fennema, “Food Chemistry”, CRC Press Ed. (New York,
USA).

Incoming students will have access to English written support material through the Elly platform

Teaching methods

Taught class with case studies

Assessment methods and criteria

The final exam will be written:
1) first part - multiple choice test (20 questions, threshold at 12, 30 min time)
2) second part - 2 open questions in 1 hour.
The two parts will be held in the same day. Only those students ranked above the threshold in the first part, will be evaluated for the second part.

Other information

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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development

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