Ateneo - UPO

The course includes three modules: the first concerning the chemical composition of foods, the description of additives, enzymes and food flavorings, as well as the description of the main food contaminants (4 CFU); the second one on food biotechnology (2CFU) and the third one on the description of the basic principles of food technologies 2CFU). The contents are integrated at an educational and scientific level and cover all the expectations of the student who aims to deepen the technical-scientific, chemical and nutritional knowledge of foods.

- Slides used in the course, provided by the Teachers
- Official Journal of the European Union
- Belitz, Grosch, Schieberle “Food Chemistry”, Ed. Springer (IV Edition) 2009
- Fundamentals of Food Biotechnology, 2nd Edition. 150 Euro
Byong H. Lee ISBN: 978-1-118-38491-6 2014 Wiley-Blackwell
- Food Science and Technology (2017 edition), Geoffrey Campbell-Platt, Wiley Blackwell.
- Food Processing Technology – Principles and practice (fourth edition), P. J. Fellow, Wood Publishing

The general teaching objectives of the course are related to provide the basic knowledge on foods composition, the critical knowledge of the use of additives, enzymes and aromas in food technology, the basic knowledge on biotechnologies applied to the production of food, their transformation and to the production of food ingredients, food supplements, as well as the basic knowledge on food technologies useful to product food ingredients, foods and nutraceuticals, in particular focusing on the knowledge of the main unit operations useful for stabilizing and producing quality foods

In relation to all the modules, we strongly recommend the preliminary acquisition of the knowledge related to the courses of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, fundamental for understanding the contents of the course as a whole.

The global teaching philosophy of the course aims to induce students to think critically. Ex cathedra lessons will be held, but also interactive lessons that use online material, videos, as well as the use of more recent teaching technologies (especially for sensory analysis) in order to easily clarify difficult and complex concepts.

Considering the complexity of the theme as well as the high interest of industry (or regulatory board) towards this field, the Teachers will try to discuss deeply the case studies, discussing the most critical sides of the themes in an interactive way with the class. Questions or suggestions by the students will be welcomed, in order to deeply discuss together the case studies. The course takes time to study in addition to the lessons, in order to improve the capacity to manage this field deepening the topics.

Exam: oral, in person.
More precisely, questions will be asked on the three modules of the course considering the weight in credits of each module. The questions will be aimed at investigating the knowledge of the different topics (food chemistry, food biotechnology and food technology). The test aims to determine the basic knowledge of the structure of foods and the critical ability to understand both the most functional conservation/processing techniques for obtaining quality foods, and the understanding of biotechnological approaches aimed at the transformation, valorisation and production of ingredients and "functional" foods, as well as their inclusion in a varied diet. The oral exam initially involves the recognition of one or more molecular structures covered in the course (a list of reference structures will be provided to students).

Food Chemistry module:

Food chemistry role in food composition definition.
Food, ingredients, processed foods: definitions under the regulatory field (European and National level). Food categories; classification of foods.
Food nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, mineral salts: a chemical view. Other compounds of physiological/nutritional interest: polyphenols. Principal reactions of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and polyphenols.
Basic knowledge on nutrients and their occurrence in foods: what, where, why.
Basic knowledge on food composition (chemical and biochemical profile): plant-derived food; juices, fruit jelly and confitures; cereals and derived products; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; fats and oils; milk and derived products; meat, fish and derived products; honey; water. Novel sustainable sources of foods: aquaculture, plant-derived sources, microalgae, fungi, insects.
Biochemical processes in foods; food spoilage. Food preservation and shelf life. Food industry and processing: impact of processing on foods. Maillard’s Reactions; lipid oxidation.
Food labelling, novel foods, food supplements and botanicals: regulatory field and product examples. Nutraceutical approach in nutrition.
Processing aids; food additives, food enzymes (other than those used as food additives), flavorings and certain food ingredients with flavoring properties: chemical aspects, use and regulatory facts.
Adverse reactions in foods: food allergies and intolerances. Food allergens, labelling and risks. Coeliac disease and modern nutrition.
Risk assessment and risk exposure.
Anti-nutrients; food contaminants and residues: definitions. Examples of natural occurring, technological-derived and environmental contaminants; examples of residues in foods. Endocrine disruptors.
Overall and critical discussion about foods, food composition, nutrition and toxicological exposure/risk.

Food Biotechnology module :

History and meaning of food biotechnology. Molecules/macromolecules of biotechnological interest. Features of microorganisms (prokaryotes and eukaryotes), characteristics. Transcription, translation, gene expression and regulation (basic). Cell as "molecular factory." Food fermentations: alcoholic, homo- and hetero-lactic malo-lactic, propionic, acetic, butyric, and isobutyric, citric fermentation. Virtuous and starter microorganisms in food productions. Fungi of food interest (filamentous fungi, yeasts, edible mushrooms). The lactic acid bacteria. Bifidobacteria. Prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics. Bioactive peptides of milk; prebiotic oligosaccharides.
Industrial production of starters cultures and probiotic microorganisms. Bacteriocins: features and classification. Cyanobacteria and microalgae, biomass and pigments production. Fermented foods: microbiological, biochemical, biotechnological and fermentation features (milk/dairy products, alcoholics, fermented vegetables; leavened bakery products, cocoa, coffee and tea, sausages, other fermented foods).
Industrial microbiology: classification of fermentations (continuous, discontinuous). Bio-reactors. Fermentation parameters. Kinetics, yields of fermentation. Immobilized enzymes/cells. Application of immobilized systems. Operations Units for recovery, separation and purification of fermented products (downstream processing). Biomass, Single Cell Protein (SCP). Red yeast rice, Pruteen, Quorn. Primary and secondary metabolites obtained by fermentation: alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, neutral polysaccharides, other bioproducts. Production of sweeteners. Examples of bio-conversion and bio-remediation in food.
Flavourings. Examples of flavourings from biotechnology: lactones, terpenes, vanillin. Cyclodextrins production. Pigments: carotenoids productions.
Enzymes: meaning and production, classification. Enzymes as markers of food processes. Enzyme applications in food technology. Enzymes from extremophiles microorganisms.
Food Biotechnology of the second generation: recombinant DNA. GMMO: r-Chym and r-BGH. Plant biotechnology: GMO foods. Food biotechnology in animal area (cloning, salmonids, mammals, other experimental modifications). National and international regulatory framework. Outline on Analytical Biotechnology in food area.
Web resources useful in food biotechnology.

Food Technology module:

Introduction to food technology, fundamentals of fluid flow, heat and energy transfer. Unit operations of food industry; effects of unit operation on physical, chemical and biological characteristics of raw materials, impact of unit operation on food-stuff quality. The technology of breadmaking, flour, yeast, mixing, fermentation, baking, bread products. The technology of olive oil, harvesting and extraction, olive oil quality, olive oil products. The technology of wine making, grape wine, must, vinification process for white and red wines, storage and wine products. The technology of milk products, sanitization process, special type of milks, fermented milk products. Finally, during the course fundamentals of sensory analysis will be also covered in order to better define the sensory attributes of selected foods as related to their quality.

The student must demonstrate the acquisition of basic knowledge on the chemical composition of food, on the application of “first” and “second” generation biotechnologies to food. Moreover, the student must demonstrate to know the main themes of food technologies, showing a deep understanding on storage and transformation of foods as related to their quality. Finally, the student will be able to use appropriate and technical language for interacting with different sectors (such as medicine, nutrition, pharmaceutic and food technology).