Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student must be able to
- grasp the major issues related to the safety and quality of food in order to correctly manage the choice of purchase and storage of the different types of food according to the different economic management realities.
- Based on the economic-managerial differences in the marketing and promotion of food production and environmental systems, the student must be able to manage the shelf-life and safety of quality food products, whether they are typical, traditional or innovative.
- to illustrate the main treatments to which the foods are subjected, and how they have an impact on the quality of the product. - - - to identify the best storage conditions for the food (fresh or processed), useful for avoiding chemical-physical and sensory alterations during the shelf-life.
- to set up a sensory analysis test for the hedonistic or technical-qualitative evaluation of a food product.
- to critically discuss the quality and stability of food, extending the concepts to all product categories, regardless of the specific case studies covered during the course.
The student will acquire a technical-scientific language suitable for communicating the knowledge learned, with a view to marketing and distribution of food
Prerequisites
Basic notions of biology, chemistry, physics and food technologies
Course unit content
Integrated teaching consists of two modules: the Food Quality and Safety module and the Technology and Sensory Analysis module. Two modules that complement each other for understanding the detailed aspect of the food quality assessment technique.
The first module deals with the aspects of food processing that affect its quality and safety.
In particular, the contents of the teaching concern foods for which the involvement of microorganisms, the effect of their presence and their duplication during production and storage is of importance.
The second module deals with the concept of food quality, with particular attention to the chemical-physical and sensorial aspects. It illustrates the main technologies of the food industry aimed at stabilizing products and preserving their quality during their shelf-life
Full programme
Basic principles for understanding how microorganisms of food interest differ.
Modes of microbial contamination of plant and animal origin foods.
Modes and effects of microbial development in foods.
Microorganisms and food safety.
Foodborne diseases and the main microorganisms that cause them.
Food spoilage and the main microorganisms that cause it.
Microorganisms and food quality.
Spontaneous and guided fermentations related to the quality of fermented foods.
Examples of foods for which the presence and development of microorganisms is fundamental to characterization and quality.
- Introduction to the concept of food quality.
- Physico-chemical parameters that influence the quality and stability of
food during production or storage.
- Food technology processes and their impact on the quality of different
product categories.
- Food sensory analysis techniques.
Bibliography
Since a single specific text is not available to the course contents, some in-depth texts are suggested.
- G. D'Ancona - M. Viganego – (2017) A. Molo INDUSTRIE AGROALIMENTARI - Principi, Tecnologie, Trasformazioni, Prodotti (Volumi 1 e 2), Ed REDA, Torino, Italia
- Luca Cocolin Marco Gobbetti Erasmo Neviani “Microbiologia alimentare applicata” (2022) Casa Editrice Ambrosiana. Distribuzione esclusiva Zanichelli. ISBN 8808120074
- Pagliarini Ella (2002). Valutazione sensoriale: aspetti teorici, pratici e metodologici. Hoepli
- Selected readings prepared by the teacher - - The reference didactic material are the slides provided in class
Teaching methods
The teaching will be carried out through classroom lectures with the help of slides that will represent teaching material, made available on Elly website in pdf format for students. The lessons also include the discussion of examples of the most recent real cases through the Socratic heuristic lesson method.
For this reason, the slides, which are gradually updated for each topic, will be uploaded to Elly before any subject is discussed and not all together at the beginning of the course.
The content of the lessons is not included in a single specific text, therefore attendance at lectures is essential to achieve the objectives of the course
Assessment methods and criteria
At the end of the course, the level of learning of the expected outcomes for all the content offered during the lessons will be verified.
For the Food Quality and Safety Module, the level of learning of the expected outcomes will be verified through registration for a PARTIAL TEST of the Module, which in the Esse3 system is usually defined as “PARTIAL TEST QUALITY AND SAFETY” or equivalent names.
The mode consists of a written test divided into three parts. The first part consists of 10 questions that verify the achievement of minimum knowledge of the fundamental concepts of the course. For this reason, only if the answers to all the questions (multiple-choice) are correct, the student is admitted to take the subsequent parts. The time available is 10 minutes.
The second part evaluates the knowledge of the program through 31 multiple-choice questions covering all topics addressed in the lessons, including seminars. Each correct answer is worth 1 point, each unanswered or incorrect answer is worth 0 points. Only with a minimum score of 18/30 can the student access the third part. The time available is 30 minutes.
The third part evaluates the acquired competence through two open questions, one related to safety aspects and one to quality aspects. Each question is worth 15 points so that the third part is evaluated out of 30. The time available is 30 minutes. The correction of the third part will be done as soon as possible depending on the number of registered students. The arithmetic average of the grade obtained in the second and third parts, rounded up, will be the grade for this module.
For the Food Technologies and Sensory Analysis Module, the level of learning will be assessed through a PARTIAL TEST, which in the Esse3 system is usually defined as “PARTIAL TEST TECHNOLOGIES” or equivalent names.
The mode of verification consists of a written test with 4 open questions, each having the same weight. The time available for the test is a maximum of 2 hours. The grade is expressed out of 30. The appropriateness of technical-scientific language, the knowledge acquired, and the ability to connect different topics will be evaluated.
The grade obtained in each Module will weigh 50% on the evaluation of the entire integrated course C.I. TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING FOOD QUALITY, the recording of which will take place only after passing the PARTIAL TESTS of the two Modules, through registration for the RECORDING EXAM of the C.I. TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING FOOD QUALITY.
It is specified that if the grade obtained in the partial test has been rounded up, the same rounding cannot occur in the final grade of the recording exam. Honors will be awarded, at the teachers' discretion, if an excellent level of learning of the expected outcomes is verified.
Other information
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