Ateneo - UPO

The course, will permit to achieve fundamental knowledge about:
-the employment of biotechnology within the pharma and food areas;
-starters cultures and probiotics useful in applied microbiology, fermentations and food-supplements formulation;
-fermentation useful in pharma and food productions;
-the enzymes (free phase or immobilized);
-production and isolation (downstream processing) of bio-metabolites, employing fermentations or recombinant technologies;
-GMMO’s and GMO’s (regulatory status in EU);
-the development and use of analytical biotechnologies within pharma and food areas

Slides used in the course, provided by the Teachers
Food Biotechnology
BIOTECNOLOGIE ALIMENTARI, Gigliotti-Verga; Piccin Editore
BIOTECNOLOGIE FARMACEUTICHE, Crommelin DJ, Zanichelli Editore
COMPENDIO DI BIOTECNOLOGIE FARMACEUTICHE, ML Calabrò, EDISES.
Industrial microbiology and fermentations
CHIMICA DELLE FERMENTAZIONI E MICROBIOLOGIA INDUSTRIALE, Marzona, II Edizione. PICCIN Editore.
Applied Biotechnologies:
BIOTECNOLOGIE DI BASE, Colin Ratledge, Bjørn Kristiansen; Zanichelli Editore
Deep insights in biotechnology:
BIOTECNOLOGIA MOLECOLARE, Glick, Pasternak; Zanichelli Editore.

The course aims to complete the skills related to the knowledge in Pharmaceutical and Food Areas, using a practical approach focused on the critical discussion of selected case studies. More particularly, the course will provide to learn the student about the basic knowledge on pharmaceutical and food/nutraceutical biotechnologies, considering enzymes-related, industrial microbiology-related and recombinant-related bio-productions, with particular emphasis on process sustainability. The final aim is to furnish interdisciplinary knowledge about the application of biotechnology methods to pharmaceutical- and food-related researches and productions.

We recommend the preliminary acquisition of knowledge about Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular biology and Microbiology applied to bio-pharmaceutics

The teaching method used provides face- to-face lectures on the main topics of the field, completed by the discussion of peculiar case studies. The discussion of the case studies, aimed at concretizing the student's understanding of the issues in question by critically, will allow the student to independently apply the acquired notions. Lessons are intended in person.
Additional flipped classes (quizzes on DIR on material provided to students) and on-line tutoring calls with groups of students may be organized and planned.

Considering the complexity of the theme as well as the high interest of industry (or regulatory board) towards this field, the teacher 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.
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Single written exam (comprising the other modules of the course “Advanced biopharmaceutical applications”), in written form. The questions of the “Pharmaceutical and Food Biotechnology” module will focus on the topics covered during the course, and will require a personal and critical discussion at an interdisciplinary level. Maximum score: 8 points.

Definition and classification of pharmaceutical and food biotechnologies.
Microorganisms as cell factory: characteristics and selection of best performing biological system.
Starter cultures, probiotics; classification of fermentations. Bacteriocins.
Bioreactors for pharmaceutical and food applications.
Media preparation; bacterial kinetics.
Downstream processing; purification, isolation, concentration and formulation.: case studies.
Production of sustainable biomasses.
Industrial microbiology and bio-products: alcohols, organic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates, prebiotic oligosaccharides, lipids, bioactive peptides, vitamins, antibiotics, other secondary metabolites of pharmaceutical interest, colours and pigments, flavours).
Enzymes (free phase and immobilized); examples of applications.
Recombinant biotechnologies; GMMO’s, GMO’s. Precision Fermentation.
Analytical biotechnologies and novel molecular approaches (probes; novel techniques of analysis, micro- and nano-based sensors for food safety and detection of contaminants/residues).

At the end of the course, the student must demonstrate the acquisition of specific knowledge on biotechnology applied in pharmaceutical and food fields of interest.
She/he will also know in detail the regulatory framework related to GMO’s. Finally, the student will be able to critically manage with an interdisciplinary approach the design of a research project or a production of bio-metabolites.