Learning objectives
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.
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.
Bibliography
Paul.M.Devick- Chemistry, biosynthesis and bioactivity of natural substances.Piccin Ed. Padova.
Teaching methods
The course utilises power point presentations, transparencies and black board demonstrations. Discussion of scientific papers and of the european regulations.
