Advanced Analytical Chemistry in Food Analysis I

7/28/2019 Advanced Analytical Chemistry in Food Analysis I

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Advanced Analytical Chemistry in Food Analysis I

Module of Advanced Instrumental Analytical Chemistry

Objectives: To provide both insight into some advanced analytical methodsundescribed in the preceding courses dealing with Analytical Chemistry and deepening

into some sophisticated analytical techniques whose basic principles were previously

illustrated.

Contents: Molecular luminescence spectrometry. Near infrared spectrometry. Surface

characterization methods. Thermal methods. Radiochemical methods. Semiconductors

in chemical analysis. Capillary electrochromatography

Module of Mass Spectrometry Applied to Foods

Objectives: The aim of the course is to provide student with a basic knowledge of theinstrumentation, ionization methods and the coupling with separation techniques used in

mass spectrometry. The goal is to make the student able to use the best technique to

tackle and solve analytical problem.

Contents:Description of a mass spectrometer:

a) high vacuum pumps; b) sample inlets systems (septum inlet, all glass heated inlet

system, LC/MS coupling, GC/MS coupling); c) ionization systems (electron impact,

chemical ionization, field ionization, field desorption, fast atomic bombardment,

atmospheric pressure chemical ionization: ESI and APCI); d) analyzers (static and

dynamic); e) ion detectors.

Resolution and sensitivity of a mass spectrometer.

The mass spectrum.Interpretation of a mass spectrum: formation and stability of the molecular ion,

molecular ion decomposition, parameters leading to the decomposition, fragment ions

formation, structural hypotheses.

Reactions leading to the ions formation.

Tandem mass spectrometry: MS/MS

Laboratory training: Some of the subjects treated in the lectures will be deepened

during the laboratory work.


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Analytical Chemistry I and Physical Chemistry

Module of Analytical Chemistry I

Objectives: To provide the students with the general concepts of analytical chemistry,

focusing on topics which are fundamental for the subsequent use of instrumental

analytical techniques.

Contents:Acid-base equilibria: Acid and base definition (Lewis and Brnsted theory). Mass

action law. Activity coefficient.. Mass and charge balances. Autoprotolysis of solvent

and pH definition. Constants, pH calculation of acids, bases and salts solutions by

mathematical approach and graphical logarithmic diagrams. Acid-base titrations and

theoretical titration curves using the Log diagram. Acid-base buffer solutions, capacity

and buffer index, limits of buffer system. Evaluation of equivalence titration point by

one-colour, two-colour indicators and pH-metric measurements. Calculation of titration

error.Related experiences: 1) Standardisation of a NaOH solution; 2) Titration of a strong acid with a strongbase; 3) Titration of a weak acid with a strong base.

Complexometric equilibria: Definition of complex and stepwise formation of complex

in solution. Equilibrium and stability costants. Side chemical equilibria influencing

complex formation. Conditional stability constants and their analytical relevance.

Complexometric titrations and theoretical titration curves using the Log diagram.

Evaluation of equivalence titration point by, metallochromic indicators and ISE

electrodes. Calculation of titration error.

Related experiences: Titration of Ca2+

e Mg2+

with EDTA.

Solubility equilibria: Solubility (S) and solubility constants (Ks). Influence of side

reactions (effect of common ion and pH) on solubility. Precipitation titration.

Evaluation of the equivalence titration point by metallochromic and precipitation

indicators. Calculation of titration error.Related experiences: Argentometric titration of chloride.

Redox equilibria: Nernst equation. Standard and conditional potential. Influence of pH

and formation of precipitates and complexes. Electrochemical stability of the solvent.

Redox titrations and theoretical titration curve. Evaluation of the equivalence point by

redox, metallochromic, autoindicators and potentiometric measurements Calculation of

titration error.

Related experiences: Permanganometric titration of H2O2.

Module of Physical Chemistry

Objectives: The principles of physical chemistry with emphasis on the classical areas

including thermodynamics, electrochemistry, kinetics, and phenomena related to the

food sciences, are given.

Contents: The Gas Laws: The Ideal Gas Equation. Dalton's Law of Partial

Pressures.Real Gases. The van der Waals Equation. The Virial Equation of State.

Condensation of Gases and the Critical State. Kinetic Theory of Gases. The Maxwell

Distribution Laws. Graham's Laws of Diffusion and Effusion.


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Thermodynamics: Work and Heat. The first law. Enthalpy. Heat Capacities. Isothermal

Expansion. Adiabatic Expansion. Thermochemistry: Standard Enthalpy of Formation.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics. Spontaneous Processes. Entropy. The Carnot

Heat Engine. Entropy Changes. Gibbs and Helmholtz Energies. The Clapeyron and

Clausius-Clapeyron Equations, Phase Diagrams, The Phase Rule. Partial Molar

Quantities. The Thermodynamics of Mixing. Real Solutions. Phase Equilibria of Two-

Component Systems. Colligative Properties. Electrolyte Solutions. ChemicalEquilibrium. Electrochemistry: Electrochemical Cells, Thermodynamics of

Electrochemical Cells. Temperature Dependence of EMF. Determination of pH.

Chemical Kinetics: Reaction Rate, Reaction Order. Molecularity of a Reaction. More

Complex Reactions. Effect of Temperature on Reaction Rates. The Arrhenius Equation.

Theories of Reaction Rates: Collision Theory, Transition-State Theory. Enzyme

Kinetics: Michaelis-Menten Kinetics. Enzyme Inhibition.


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Analytical Chemistry II

Objectives: This course probes into the instrumental analytical techniques more frequently employed for

food analysis. The basic principles exploited for each technique is thoroughly illustrated, together with

the running operations of all instrumental components, with the aim of enabling a correct comprehension

not only of the information provided by the instrumental approach adopted, but also of its reliability.

Moreover, the performance characterizing the different instrumental methods is exhaustively described,

together with their requirements in terms of both sample types to be adopted and preliminary operative

steps which must be involved to achieve optimization of the relevant responses.

Contents: Sample pretreatment methods; Generals on spectral techniques; Molecular

absorption spectrophotometry (UV-Vis-IR); Atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Emission spectrometry by induced coupled plasma (ICP) and flame photometry.

Fluorimetry and phosphorimetry; Near-Infrared Reflectance spectrometry; Polarimetry;

Chromatographic techniques; Electrophoresis; Capillary electrophoresis; Mass

spectrometry; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; Linear sweep voltammetry and anodic

stripping voltammetry. Basic of selective sensors and biosensors.


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Animal Production

Module of Animal Biology

Objectives: To provide the students with the theoretical basis of the main mechanism of

cell, tissues, organs and apparatus functionality, involved in the production of foods of

animal origin.

Contents: Osseous tissue and skeleton. Muscular tissue and apparatus. Tegument

apparatus. Nervous and endocrine system. Digestive system and post absortion aspects.

Mammary apparatus, milk syntesis. Reproductive system. Body increase

Module of Meat Inspection

Objectives: The course is designed to provide the students with the background to

understand why meat safety procedures are important, what instruments and methods

can be used to handle meat safely, avoiding unsafe behaviour. This course also provides

up-to-date information in meat safety regulations and emerging safety issues.

Contents: Study of meat components, their development, and their effect on meat

characteristics and processing properties; introduction to manufactured meat products

and muscle ingredients, processing technologies, storage conditions, and stability of

muscle foods.

Module of Animal Production

Objectives: The aim is to describe the main livestock production systems

Contents: Livestock production systems and consumption of feeds of animal origin in

Italy. Genetic improvement of animal populations: qualitative and quantitative genetic

traits. Genetic and environmental variability of quantitative traits. Heritability. Selection

programmes of animal populations. Performance-test, pedigree-index, progeny-test and

sib-test. Inbreeding and cross-breeding. Animal Nutrition : chemical and nutritive value

of different feedstuffs (forages, concentrates and by products). Utilisation of different

feedstuffs to formulate animal diets. Milk production from animal species having high

milk aptitude: bovine, sheep, goat and buffaloes. Dairy farming systems in Italy.

Biosynthesis of milk, lactation curve and milking systems. Genetic and environmental

factors affecting milk quality. Meat production from different animals: cattle, sheep,

goats, horse, pig, rabbit, avian species. Farming systems for meat production. In vivoperformance, slaughtering traits and meat quality of different animals. Farming systems

for egg production. Genetic and environmental factors affecting meat and egg quality.


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Biochemistry

Objectives: This course provide the students with knowledge on human and animal

biochemistry fundamentals; macromolecules of living beings; chemistry of essential

metabolism processes, catabolism and anabolism of the cell; energy consumption and

generation by metabolic reactions. Importance and consequences of a correcttransmission of cell information. 40% of the course is performed in a biochemical

laboratory.

Contents: Introduction to biochemistry and life equilibria. Chemistry of biomolecules

(carbohydrates, lipids, aminoacids, nucleotides). Cell organization and membranes

(structure and functions). Protein structure and functions. Enzymes: Michaelis-Menten

kinetics, in vivo and in vitro regulation, classification. Coenzymes and vitamins.

Metabolism and bioenergetics, Electron transport and oxidative phosphorilation.

Carbohydrate metabolism: glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, additional pathways,

glycogen metabolism. Krebs cycle and glyoxylate cycle. Lipid metabolism: lipolysis

and lipogenesis, cholesterol metabolism. Protein and Aminoacid metabolism.

Nucleotide metabolism. Nucleic acids: replication, transcription and translation. Post

translation modifications. Recombinant DNA technology. Basic concepts of enzyme

applications in food technology.

Laboratory training: Aminoacid titrations, Protein measurements, Determination of

enzyme activity related to substrate concentration, enzyme concentration and pH,

Amilase activity in relation to substrate, incubation time and temperature. Hemoproteins

in oxidized and reduced forms. Computer simulations will also be used.


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Biochemistry and Biomolecular Techniques in Food Analysis

Module of Biomolecular Techniques applied to Food Microbiology

Objectives: The course shows the application of the molecular techniques to food

microbiological analyses. Non conventional microbiological analyses used in the

research field and in the food industry sector are described. The aim of the course is to

provide the student the ability to use molecular techniques in food analyses to reduce

the analyses time. To achieve this goal laboratory training is scheduled.

Contents: Technological platforms: genomic and proteomic. Optimization of

Polymerase Chain reaction. Utilization of PCR in food analyses. Amplification methods

for unknown sequences. Molecular analyses and DNA mutations. Electrophoresis

methods for in the identification of food contaminant microorganisms and for strain

differentiation: Temporal Temperature Gradient Electrophoresis (TTGE), Denaturing

Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism(SSCP), Restriction Fragment Lenght Polymorphism (RFLP). DNA fingerprints.

Molecular probes and molecular ibridization systems (Southern Blottig).

DNA sequencing: chemical and enzymatic methods, automated DA sequencing. DNA

rapid screening systems: DNA microarray and DNA microchip. DNA biosensors.

Computer cluster creation.

Laboratory training: Temporal Temperature Gradient gel Electrophoresis (TTGE),

Denaturino Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) utilization for food microorganism

identification and differentiation. RFLP on genomic DNA. Computer utilization for

cluster creation and genbank analyses.

Module of Biochemistry applied to Food Analysis

Objectives: This course will prepare students to use many different types of

chromatographic techniques for the purification and characterization of biological active

compounds in food.. Different ways to perform protein analysis are discussed,

enhancing sensibility, simplicity and minor costs. Measurements and efficiency of

enzyme purification are also performed. To this purpose 40% of the course is performed

in a biochemical laboratory.

Contents: Separation of proteins and their measurement and purification. Separation

techniques to assure biological activity of active proteins. Centrifugation techniques.

Chromatography fundamentals; limitations of various chromatographic methods. Directand reverse phase chromatography. Gel-permeation chromatography. Ion-exchange

chromatography. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Affinity chromatography.

Chromatofocusing. Electroforetic techniques, materials and methods adopted.

Electrophoresis on cellulose acetate and on gel. (SDS-PAGE). Electrophoresis of

proteins, DNA and RNA. Isoelectrophocusing. Isotacophoresis. Blotting, molecular

biology, PCR and clones. Enzymatic kinetics, inhibitors, use of enzymes for the

measurement of substances. Immunological immuno-enzymatic measurements. On-line

literature research.


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Laboratory training: Protein measurement, gel filtration and ion-exchange

chromatographic techniques, enzyme purification and specific activity determination,

use of proteases and relative inhibitors. Computer simulations.


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Biochemistry

Objectives:

Contents: Introduction to biochemistry and life equilibria. Chemistry of biomolecules

(carbohydrates, lipids, aminoacids, nucleotides). Cell organization and membranes(structure and functions). Protein structure and functions. Enzymes: Michaelis-Menten

kinetics, in vivo and in vitro regulation, classification. Coenzymes and vitamins.

Metabolism and bioenergetics, Electron transport and oxidative phosphorilation.

Carbohydrate metabolism: glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, additional pathways,

glycogen metabolism. Krebs cycle and glyoxylate cycle. Lipid metabolism: lipolysis

and lipogenesis, cholesterol metabolism. Protein and Aminoacid metabolism.

Nucleotide metabolism. Nucleic acids: replication, transcription and translation. Post

translation modifications. Recombinant DNA technology. Basic concepts of enzyme

applications in food technology.


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Bioprocesses Applied to Foods

Module of Microorganisms and starter culture applied to food production

Objectives: Learning of applied microbiology to food productions. Learning of starter

cultures and selection criteria. Have a working of producing and evaluating starter.

Study of application of starter cultures to improve hygienic quality and sensorial

characters of foods. Learning of parameters for the activities of starters in fermented

products. Capability of application, interpretation and evaluation of fermentative

processes.

Contents: The main strains as starter cultures (Lactic acid bacteria, Negatives

coagulase cocci, Bacillus, yeasts, moulds). Selection criteria for starter cultures. Bio-

protective cultures. Functional starter cultures. The role of microorganisms in food

production. Intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of foods for microbial growth and

metabolites production. Methods of production and use of starters. Choice of starter.

Use of starter cultures for meat and meat products, for milk and milk product, forvegetables and vegetables product, for winegar, wine, beer and high alcohol beverage,

for bread and sour-dough. Control and evaluation of starter growth in different foods.

Laboratory training (10% of total credits): Microbial control of a fermentative process

in food

Module of Enzymology

Objectives: The aims of the course are topresent: a) the current methods of enzyme

characterization, detailing the structures and the kinetic properties of the enzymes, b)

the biotechnological strategies to improve the stability and activity of the enzymes, c)applications and examples of enzyme technology for food processing.

Contents: Fundamentals of enzyme kinetics: A short history of enzymology. The

current methods for studying the enzyme structures and the kinetic properties by steady-

state and pre-steady-state approaches. Practical aspects for estimation of kinetic

constants. Kinetic properties of multi-substrates and allosteric enzymes. Control of

enzyme activity by reversible inhibition and activation. Factors contributing to the

catalytic efficiency of enzymes in vitro. Genetic manipulation of enzymes and their

production. Use of enzymes in biochemistry and immunochemistry. Biotechnological

applications of enzymes in food processing: Properties of extremophilic enzymes and

their importance in food processing. Chemical and genetic immobilization of enzymes

and use of immobilized enzymes in the food industry. Significance of endogenous and

exogenous enzymes in food industry. Applications of oxidoreductases, hydrolysates and

lipases in foods.


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Chemical Analysis and Principles of Food Formulation

Module of Chemical Analysis of Foods

Objectives: The aim of the course is to furnish the basic knowledge about chemical

composition and main analytical methods for quality control of the following foods:

wine and alcoholic beverages, cereals and derived (bread and pasta), vegetables and

fruit juices, meat and fish products, edible oils, milk and milk derived products, water

intended for human consumption.

Contents: Chemical composition of must and wine. Main analytical determinations for

quality and purity assessment of wine and alcoholic beverages. Chemical composition

of cereals, classification of wheat meal, main analysis for quality control of meals,

bread and pasta. Chemical composition of meat and fish products, most-mortem

modifications and main analysis. Main analytical controls for quality control of

vegetables and derived products. Water for human uses: chemical parameters to assess

the quality. Purity and quality parameters of olive and seed oils (harmonised methods).Dairy products: composition of milk, evaluation of quality parameters. Chemical

indices for thermal damage of milk. Cheese: chemical composition, analysis of nitrogen

fraction, ripening coefficient. Proteins analysis as indexes of milk origin. Butter: fatty

acid and triglycerydes composition.

Module of Principles of Food Formulation

Objectives: The aim of the course is to give knowledge on the issues and processes

relevant to food formulation. In particular, the course provides the students with the

indispensable tools to choose and combine the suitable ingredients in order to develop

foods with the desired properties.

Contents: Significance of food formulation. Market divers for food formulation.

Phases of food formulation. Definition of ingredient. Criteria for ingredient selection.

Technological functions of ingredients. Ingredient interactions.

Formulation as a tool to improve chemical, physical, physical chemical stability of food

products. Formulation as a tool to improve/favour the structure characteristics of foods.

Formulation as a tool to improve the sensory properties of foods. Formulation of light

and fortified foods.

Tutorial: Discussion and resolution of case studies relevant to food formulation.


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Chemical Analysis of Foods and Contaminants

Module of Chemical Analysis of Foods I

Objectives: The aim of the course is to give students information dealing with main

analytical approaches useful to assess purity and quality of selected foods, namely

waters, fats and oils, dairy products and honey. Practical exercised will be performed,

too and each student will individually carry out some analytical evaluation on authentic

food samples.

Contents: Water for human uses, mineral water: chemical parameters to assess quality:

organic substances. BOD, COD, ammonium, nitrites and nitrates. Food Lipids: animal

and vegetal origin, purity and quality parameters of olive and seeds oils. EEC Reg

2568/91 and 1989/04, acidity, peroxide value, oxidation status, UV absorption, fatty

acids and triacylglycerols composition, DECN42 calculation, unsaponifiable matter,

sterol analysis, sterenes determination, waxes determination. Panel test. Not harmonised

parameters: Rancimat and OSI test, analysis of phenolics and tocopherols. Dairyproducts: composition of milk, evaluation of quality parameters, lipids, proteins,

mineral substances, glucydes. Thermic damage of milk: chemical indexes. Cheese:

chemical composition, analysis of nitrogen fraction, ripening coefficient. Proteins

analysis as indexes of milk origin. Butter: fatty acid and triglycerydes composition,

Concentrated butter, denaturants analysis. Honey: quality and purity parameters.

Module of Chemical Analysis of Foods II and Contaminants

Objectives: the course has the objective to give the students the knowledge about

chemical composition and main analytical methods for quality and genuineness control

of the following foods: wine and alcoholic beverages, cereals and derived (bread andpasta), vegetables and fruit juices, meat and fish products. The course will also furnish

understandings about the presence of main food contaminants and compounds derived

from food contact material (packaging), with a particular attention to the normative and

analytical techniques for their determination.

Contents: Chemical composition of must and wine. Main analytical determinations for

quality and purity assessment of wine and alcoholic beverages. Chemical composition

of cereals, classification of wheat meal, main analysis for quality control of meals,

bread and pasta. Chemical composition of meat and fish products, most-mortem

modifications and main analysis. Main analytical controls for quality control of

vegetables and derived products.

Chemical propriety, origin, toxicity, distribution and analytical determination of themain contaminants in foods (PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, mineral oil residues, pesticides,

antibiotics, anabolizing substances, hormones, mycotoxins). Migration from food

contact material: legislation, migration tests (simulants and test conditions), global

migration, specific migration. Migration of monomers and oligomers from selected

polymers (PVC, PS, PET, PA, etc.) Migration of Bisphenol A, BADGE and its

hydrolysis products. Migration of additives from plastic materials: plasticizer

(phthalates), thermal stabilizers, antioxidants, lubricatings. Migration of printing inks


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and colorants. Migration from other food contact materials: paper and board,

regenerated cellulose, ceramic, glass, metals, gums and elastomers.


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Complements of Food and Polymer Chemistry

Module of Complements of Food Chemistry

Objectives: The course is aimed to provide the students with knowledge relevant totransformations that can occur in foods as a consequence of food processing.

Contents: Lipid oxidation - Autoxidation, free radical chain mechanism,

hydroperoxide formation and analysis. Photooxidation, mechanism and

hydroperoxide formation. Enzyme catalyzed oxidation. Hydroperoxide

decomposition, oligomeric products, monomeric products, low molecular weight

(volatile) products. Cholesterol oxidation products (COP) and phytosterol

oxidation products (POP). Reaction of oxidation products with amino acids and

protein with formation of fluorescent compounds. Methods to determine the

extent of oxidation and the stability of lipids.Antioxidants- Natural and synthetic

antioxidants. Classes of antioxidants and their mechanism of action. Antioxidant

action in multiphase systems. Methods to evaluate the antioxidant activity.Maillard reaction (non-enzymatic browning) - Relevance to the formation of

flavour compounds and antioxidant compounds.

Enzymatic browning -Polyphenol oxidase. Control of browning.

Module of Polymer Chemistry

Objectives: The course introduces the student to the polymer science, being this

knowledge essential for a complete formation of a food technologist, taking into

account the numerous and various applications of polymeric materials in the field. A

background information is provided and the most relevant polymerization reactions are

described, as well as the synthesis and applications of the most important commercial

polymers. In addition, the mechanical properties of solid polymers are discussed and an

introduction to the processing of these materials is given.

Contents:Basic concepts - Monomer, polymer. Architecture and stereochemistry of

macromolecules. Nomenclature, classification and molecular mass ranging of the most

important classes of polymers. Average molecular mass and its determination.

Polimeryzation reactions Stage polyadditions. Free radical, cationic and anionic chain

polyadditions. Ring-opening polymerizations. Coordination-mediated processes.

Copolymers synthesis. Synthesis of the most important commercial polymers - Phenol-

formaldehyde resins. Urea-formaldehyde resins. Saturated and unsaturated polyesters.Alkyd resins. Polycarbonates. Poly-amides and aramides. Polyethers. Acetal Resins.

Polyurethanes. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and

polyvinyl acetate. Natural rubber and synthetic elastomers. Structure and mechanical

properties of polymeric materials - Polymers in the solid state. Conformational analysis;

weak inter- and intra-molecular interactions; ordered conformations; morphology.

Polymer melting and glass transition. Mechanical properties of polymeric solids. Effort-

elongation relationship. Viscoelasticity. Composite polymeric materials.

Processing of plastic materials Rheology. Extrusion. Moulding. Thermoforming.


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Spinning.Characterization of plastic materials Components identification (polymers, additives,

fillers): chemical (FT-IR, GC-MS, UV/VIS) and thermal (DSC, TG, DMTA) methods.

Synthetic polymers and environment Recycling and eco-compatibility.


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Economy, Marketing and Food Legislation

Module of Economy and Marketing

Objectives: The objective of the course is to supply students with the basics of

Balance-Sheet Analysis, Managerial Economics and Marketing. This knowledge

enables the students to understand and to face economic problems of firms, the main

connections between the demand, market structure, firm objectives and marketing

strategies.

Contents: In the first part of the course students learn to express a critical opinion on an

economical and financial management of a firm by calculating the main balance-sheet

ratios.

The second part of the course focuses on the relations between: 1) the demand theory,

2) production techniques, the quantities produced and production costs; 3) firm

objectives and decisions regarding the variety of products, the quality of products, thequantity to produce and sale prices.

The third part of the course focuses on the basics of the main forms of market (perfect

competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopsony), the

agrifood system and the network of firms.

The fourth part of the course focuses on the basic techniques of how to analyse

productive investments.

The end of the course focuses on the basics of marketing: purchasing behaviour of

consumers and retailers, marketing environment, marketing mix, the main strategies of

price, market, product, communication and distribution.

Module of Food Legislation

Objectives:

Contents:


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Food Chemistry

Objectives: To provide the students with notions relevant to the chemical composition

of foods. Particular emphasis is given to food component (water, proteins, lipids,

carbohydrates) interactions and degradation reaction with the aim to afford the students

with the necessary tools to solve technological problems related to food processing andstability.

Contents: Roles of water in foods and natural systems: need for water control; water

activity. Interactions between water and other components of foods: ionisable and not

ionisable solutes, polar and not polar macromolecules. Methods for water content

evaluation: physical and chemical methods. Nitrogen fraction of foods: roles and

distribution of proteins in nature and foods. Proteins in foods: interaction with other

components, stability and degradative reactions. Analytical evaluation of proteins:

Kjeldahl method and electropheresys. Application of electropheresys to foods analysis:

dairy, meats, fish. Free aminoacids, biogenic amines and other nitrogen substances by

degradation. Glucydes in foods: mono and poly saccharides: their roles and distribution.

Sugars stability and sugars degradation. Analytical methods of glucydes in foods. Lipidsin foods: natural sources and foods. Fatty acids and triacylglycerols: rules of distribution

of fatty acids in triacylglycerol molecule. Mono and di acylglycerols: uses in food

technology. Unsaponifiable fraction. Lipid oxidation and antioxidants. Methods of

dosage of fat in foods. Metals in foods and their role on food stability. Chemical

composition of main classes of foods.

Module of Principles of Chemical Analysis of Foods

Objectives: The practical character of the entire course is aimed to enable the students

to perform chemical analyses on foods and discuss the obtained results, and thus to

learn the practical basis of analytical chemistry of foods.

Contents: Water content determination: oven heating, azeothropic distillation, Karl

Fisher method. Fat extraction by Soxhlet method and determination of free acidity and

peroxide value on extracted fat. UV spectrophotometric evaluation of conjugated

dienes in edible oils. Reducing sugar determination: Fehling, iodometric, enzymatic

methods.


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Food Microbiology

Objectives: To provide knowledge on the main issues of microbiology applied to foods

and principles that govern microbial growth in foods. The use of microorganism and

their products as quality indicators; principles of quality control and microbiological

criteria; knowledge on the use of microorganisms in food productions.

Contents

Foodborne diseases and food poisoning. Viruses and other foodborne biohazard;

Foodborne animal parasites: Protozoa (Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica,

Toxoplasma gondii). Flatworms and Roundworms (Fascioliasis, Taenia saginata,

Taenia solium, Trichinella spiralis,). Air pollution and environmental Hygiene. Intrinsic

and extrinsic parameters of foods for microbial growth. Microorganisms of food:

Micrococcaceae; Genus Lactobacillus; Sporeforming bacteria Gram +; Genus

Corynebacterium; Non sporeforming Gram + sede incerta; Mycobacteriaceae;

Bacteroidaceae; Neisseriaceae; Genus Brucella; Enterobacteriaceae;

Pseudomonadaceae and related genera; Genus Alteromonas and Shewanella;

Vibrionaceae; Moulds and Yeasts. Microorganisms of fresh meat and poultry,

seafoods, fermentation and fermented dairy products, fresh and fermented fruit and

vegetable products, miscellaneous food products. Food preservation: Chemicals,

radiation, low and high temperature. HACCP and GMP system and food safety.

Indicator of food microbial quality and safety.

Laboratory training: Microbial analysis of different food (meat, meat product, milk

and milk product, vegetables). Identification of various microorganisms as Cocci

Coagulase Negative,Lactobacillus; Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp.,E.coli,

enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp.Alteromonas e Shewanella, Clostridium spp.

Bacillus spp. Famiglia Vibrionaceae; Moulds and Yeasts.


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Food Microbiology and Risk Assessment

Module of Food Microbial Analysis

Objectives: The aim is to provide the basic knowledge of microbial problems in food

productions. The knowledge the quality parameters for the production of the microbial

laboratory manual. To provide knowledge on the main issues of microbiology applied to

foods and principles that govern microbial growth in foods; The use of microorganism

and their products as quality indicators; principles of quality control and

microbiological criteria; knowledge on the use of microorganisms in food productions.

To provide knowledge in the application and control of the IFS-BRC systems.

Contents: Food Safety System - Food Quality Microbial Quality of Foods.

Establishment of microbiological safety criteria. Managing food safety: use of

performance standards and other criteria in food inspection system. Assurance Quality

system in food analysis laboratory. Certification of Microbiological laboratory. Food

classification by microbial criteria. Food and microorganisms interaction. Microbialanalysis of food, of raw foods of processed food. Sampling systems. Traditional

analysis methods (FDA, USDA, ISO, AFNOR) and non conventional methods.

Methods to detect Micrococcaceae; Lactobacillus; Gram + sporeform bacteria,

Enterobacteriaceae (E.coli, Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas, Alteromonas andShewanella. Evaluation of the results. Microbial limits by law or by experience. ALOP,

FSO, NOAEL, Microbial objectives, process objectives, performance objectives. Main

methods to value the microbial contamination of food (SSPO, P) and control of

microbial growth. Risk analysis, GMP, SSOP, SOP. HACCP. Main Food Law Hygiene

packet Hygiene and microbial control of water, air, milk and milk product, meat and

meat product, vegetable and vegetable product, wine, winebar, beer, ice cream, soft

drinks, bread and bread product, fish and fish product, eggs, spices and dry vegetables.

IFS and BRC standard.

Laboratory training: Microbial analysis of different food (meat, meat product, milk

and milk product, vegetables. Identification of various microorganisms as Cocci

Coagulase Negative, Lactobacillus; Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., E.coli,

enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp. Alteromonas e Shewanell, Clostridium spp.

Bacillus spp. Famiglia Vibrionaceae; Moulds and Yeasts.

Visits at different laboratories of food productions (meat and meat production;

Industries certified by BRS, IFS.

Module of Evaluation Methods of Food Risk Assessment

Objectives: The aim of this course is to provide basic knowledge in predictive

microbiology, with emphasis on growth and death models. It has also been designed to

provide a structured way of identifying and assessing microbiological risks in food,

facilitating formulation of appropriate risk management actions to protect public health.

Attention is also given to the concept of shelf life, factors affecting shelf life, strategies

for shelf life extension and shelf life models.


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Contents: Food safety strategy: Risk management (Hazard management, Food safety

objectives, Performance standard, performance criteria, microbiological criteria), Risk

Assessment (Hazard identification, Hazard characterization, Exposure assessment, Risk

characterization).

Predictive microbiology: Growth and death models, Primary, secondary and tertiary

models, Deterministic and stochastic models.

Shelf life: Challenge testing, Storage trial, Predictive shelf life models.Case studies and computer programs: MicroFit, PMP, Growth predictor, GInaFit,

Gamma model, Risk Ranger.

Tutorial: Practical exercises using the software listed above are included in the

programme.


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Food Processing Technology

Module of Food ProcessingObjectives: To provide general knowledge on food industry, with particular emphasis

to industrial plants and equipments, and their management. To provide knowledge on

food processing, raw materials and food products characteristics.

Contents: General outline of food industry: chemical, physical and technological

aspects. Dedicated lectures and seminars regarding raw materials and product

characteristics, manufacturing processes, production planning, good manufacturing

practice regulations, waste management. Commodities: dairy products, alcoholic and

non-alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, mineral water, coffee, tea, soft drinks), fat and oil,

sugar, starch and derivative products, cereal products (pasta, bread, cakes, snacks) and

ice cream.

Module of Food Packaging

Objectives: This course is designed to give a comprehensive overview of the scientific

and technical aspects of food packaging.

Contents: The course contents include: principles of food packaging; packaging

functions; properties of metal, glass, paper and plastic materials, edible films and

packages; design, manufacturing and applications of food packaging; packaging of fresh

and processed foods, including dairy foods, beer and wine, bread and cakes, pasta, fat

and oils.

Module of Cleaning and Disinfection of Food Plants

Objectives: To provide knowledge of main cleaning and disinfection steps in the food

industry; comprehension of basic motivations aimed at sanitation at the end of food

processing; knowledge of most important chemicals products and the best practices to

be followed using them; arrangement of sanitation measures (cleaning and disinfection

plans) in different food industries.

Contents: Fundamentals of chemical cleaning compounds, current good manufacturing

practices, types of food plant inspection, planning a plant sanitation program.

Equipment design for food plant sanitation. Food containers and packaging materials.Food plant microorganism. Food safety and hazard analysis making the plant

inspection.


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Food Processing Technology

Module of Food ProcessingObjectives: To provide general knowledge on food industry, with particular emphasis

to industrial plants and equipments, and their management. To provide knowledge on

food processing, raw materials and food products characteristics.

Contents: General outline of food industry: chemical, physical and technological

aspects. Dedicated lectures and seminars regarding raw materials and product

characteristics, manufacturing processes, production planning, good manufacturing

practice regulations, waste management. Commodities: dairy products, alcoholic and

non-alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, mineral water, coffee, tea, soft drinks), fat and oil,

sugar, starch and derivative products, cereal products (pasta, bread, cakes, snacks) and

ice cream.

Module of Food Packaging

Objectives: This course is designed to give a comprehensive overview of the scientific

and technical aspects of food packaging.

Contents: The course contents include: principles of food packaging; packaging

functions; properties of metal, glass, paper and plastic materials, edible films and

packages; design, manufacturing and applications of food packaging; packaging of fresh

and processed foods, including dairy foods, beer and wine, bread and cakes, pasta, fat

and oils.

Module of Cleaning and Disinfection of Food Plants

Objectives: To provide knowledge of main cleaning and disinfection steps in the food

industry; comprehension of basic motivations aimed at sanitation at the end of food

processing; knowledge of most important chemicals products and the best practices to

be followed using them; arrangement of sanitation measures (cleaning and disinfection

plans) in different food industries.

Contents: Fundamentals of chemical cleaning compounds, current good manufacturing

practices, types of food plant inspection, planning a plant sanitation program.

Equipment design for food plant sanitation. Food containers and packaging materials.

Food plant microorganism. Food safety and hazard analysis making the plantinspection.


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Food Technology I

Module of Shelf Life Assessment of Foods

Objectives: The main feature of this module is to deliver criteria and methodologies

that allow students to become confident in shelf life assessment processes. Besides

defining the basic concepts of food shelf life, the modulus is addressed to give a unified

and coherent view of shelf life issues with special emphasis in definition of

acceptability limit and critical descriptors, development of shelf life assessment

strategies, shelf life modeling, computation and statistical analysis , organization of an

experimental plan for shelf life testing.

Contents: Introduction: shelf-life definition, factors affecting shelf life (food

composition, technological history, packaging and storage conditions); regulation and

labelling. Criteria for the identification of critical descriptors. Identification of

acceptability limits. Modeling shelf life by using chemical, physical or sensorialindicators. Modeling shelf life by using microbial indicators. Modeling shelf life by

using survival analysis methodologies. Packaging-food interactions in shelf life

modeling. Case studies. Shelf life communication.

Practical training at the computer room.

Module of Processes of Food Technology

Objectives: The main objective of the module is to develop an advanced and applied

knowledge on the physical-chemical properties of water with respect to ice-liquid-vapor

state, water activity and glass-rubber transition phenomena. The aim is to allow studentsto be able to create and analyze food moisture sorption isotherms, use the water activity

and glass transition concepts to design shelf stable products; predict the required

moisture packaging to extend food shelf life.

Contents: Brief reminds of mass and energy transfer concepts. Mass and energybalance calculation. Exercises. Water in food: brief reminds of aw, moisture sorption

isotherms and glass transition temperature concepts. Aw measure and prediction.

Experimental measurement and computation of aw values of selected foods.

Experimental determination of a moisture sorption isotherm. Determination of

monolayer. Use of moisture isotherm for food stability prediction, food formulation and

choice of suitable packaging and storage conditions. Study case analysis. Food kinetics:

modelling chemical physical and biological reactions in food. Kinetic rate constantestimation. Water removal from food: experimental trials of freeze drying. Sterilisation

parameter and processing time calculation.

Practical training at the computer room as well as in the lab of the Food technology

Section at the Food Science Department


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Food Technology II

Advanced Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Objectives: Providing students with the necessary background for the analysis of

transient conductive heat transfer problems, heat exchangers mass transfer, boiling and

condensation processes. Supplying them the basis for choosing and managing industrial

refrigerating plants, applied to relevant technologies i.e. freezing, lyophilisation,

cooling, cold storage.

Contents: Transient conductive heat transfer, with solidification and liquefaction.

Diffusion mass transfer, fundamental laws, mass diffusion without homogeneous

chemical reactions, weight loss. Mass transfer, fundamental laws. Transient conduction

with weight loss. Cooling time estimation for unwrapped food. Pool boiling and forced

convection boiling: phenomenological aspects and evaluation of transfer coefficients.

Critical heat flux. Refrigeration technology and systems: refrigerating cycles,

components, systems, operating conditions. Refrigerating systems for industrialprocesses and retail display. Blast chillers, and blast freezers, freezers, freeze-driers.

Environmental compatibility of refrigerants, ODP, GWP, TEWI, greenhouse effect.

Module of Non Conventional Food Technologies

Objectives: The module is addressed to provide an advanced and applied knowledge on

emerging technologies, both thermal and non thermal, which are increasingly applied in

food industries. The main goal is to allow students to become confident with novel

technology basic principles and application in order to improve food safety and

attractiveness and to successfully design novel products.

Contents: Introduction: application of existing technologies and new or improved

techniques; existing technologies for unconventional use; effect of combination of

different technologies on chemical, biochemical and physical properties of food.

Irradiation: principles, applications and future perspectives. Microwave and

radiofrequency processing: principles, equipment and applications. Hydrostatic pressure

processing: principles, applications and equipments. Ultrasound and mano-thermo-

sonication (MTS) technology. Ohomic heating: principles, applications and

equipments. Pulsed electric field. (PEF): principles and applications. Moderate electric

field (MEF): Uv-visible light and pulsed light treatments: principles and applications.

Dense phase carbon dioxide treatment. Plasma technology.

Training at the pilot plant area of the Department of Food Science


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General and Inorganic Chemistry

Objectives: The aim of the course is to give the students the basic knowledge of the

structure of matter and the laws which rule the chemical reactions, with reference to the

chemical properties of the main elements of the periodic table. This course also

provides the tools for understanding the chemical transformations involved in foodprocessing.

Contents: The matter and its transformations. Elements and compounds. Atomic and

molecular weights. Mole and Avogadros number. Chemical formulas. The chemical

reactions. Stoichiometry of the reactions. Oxidation-reduction reactions. Atoms and

molecules. The structure of hydrogen atom. Atomic orbitals and quantum numbers. The

structure of polyelectronic atoms. The periodic table of the elements. Ionization

potential, electron affinity and electronegativity. The chemical bonding. The ionic,

covalent and metallic bonding. Lewiss structures for polyatomic molecules. Valence

bond and molecular orbital theories. Hybrid atomic orbitals. Weak interactions between

atoms, molecules and ions. The hydrogen bonding. The gas phase and its properties.

Ideal and real gas equations. Mixtures of gases and Daltons law. Properties of solids

and liquids. Phase transitions. Liquid-vapor and solid-vapor equilibria and state

diagrams. The solutions and their composition. Colligative properties of the solutions.

Binary liquid mixtures, distillation and azeotropic distillation. Thermodynamics and

kinetics aspects of a chemical reaction. Rate of a reaction and parameters affecting the

rate. Kinetic equations and reaction order. Activation energy and its dependence from

temperature. Catalysis and catalysts. The chemical equilibrium and the equilibrium

constant. Le Chateliers principle. Influence of the concentration, pressure and

temperature. Dissociation equilibria. Definitions of acid and base. Relationship between

acidity and molecular structure. The self-ionization of water. Acid and base strength. pH

definition and determination of the pH of a solution. Buffer solutions. Acid and base

indicators and pH measurement. Heterogeneous equilibria. Solubility of salts andprecipitation reactions. Electrochemistry. Electrolysis and piles. Electrode potentials,

Nerst equation and the electrochemical series.


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Human Nutrition and Diet

Objectives: The aims of the course are: a) to describe the metabolic fates of macro-,

micro- and essential nutrients, b) to explain the factors which affect the bioavailability

of the nutrients, i.e. the proportion of ingested nutrients made available for metabolism,

c) to describe what has been established on the relationship between nutrition, healthand diseases in the past and more recently by nutrigenomics, d) to present the nutritional

recommendations for the general population and in some diseases (diabetes, obesity,

etc.)

Contents: Introduction: definition of food components, essential nutrients, macro- and

micro-nutrients. Digestion and absorption of nutrients: properties of salivary, gastric,

pancreatic and bile secretion. Neural-hormonal control of digestion. Regulation of

appetite. Digestion and absorption of carbohydrate, lipids, protein. Absorption of

minerals and vitamins. Roles of energy and non-energy nutrients in human metabolism.

Metabolic profiles of major organs. Energy and macro-nutrients. Comparison of animal

and vegetable protein sources in the diet. Biological activities of vitamins, essential

fatty acids, minerals and phytochemicals. Examples of anti-nutrients and no nutrients.

Applied nutrition. The energy value of food. Methods for measuring human energy

expenditure. Reference nutrient intakes of macro- and micro-nutrients: population and

individual estimates. Nutritional recommendations for the general population, for life

stages (pregnancy, aging, sports nutrition) and in pathology (diabetes, obesity, etc.). The

new frontiers of nutri-genomics and proteomics.


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Introduction to Food Technology

Objectives: The course provides you with a general introduction to food science and

technology. The final objective is to make the students aware about their role as future

food technologists: the information supplied lead the students to a better understanding

of the problems connected with food production and to take advantage of the activitiesproposed during their degree.

Contents: Raw materials, semi-finished and finished food products; main food

stabilisation processes;. food packaging; convenience concept. Main categories of food

products. Role and Functions of the Food Technologist


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Mathematics, Physics and Statistic Methods

Module of Mathematics

Objectives: To provide the students with basic knowledge of the main basic

mathematics techniques.

Contents: Sets, functions, equations and inequalities. Real numbers. Generalities on

functions. Powers and roots, exponentials and logarithms. Absolute value.

Trigonometric functions. Maximum, minimum, supremum and infimum of a set of real

numbers. Limits and basic theorems. Fundamental limits. Monotone sequences and the

number e. Continuous functions. Differential calculus. Derivatives. Tangential line.

Basic derivatives and derivation rules. The basic theorems of calculus. Maxima and

minima of functions. Convex functions. De lHospital theorems. Graphics of functions.

Integral calculus and differential equations. The Riemann integral. The indefinite

integral. The fundamental theorem of integral calculus. Integration by parts and bychange of variable. Linear differential equations of order 1. Separation of variables. The

Malthus law and the Verhulst logistic equation.

Module of Physics

Objectives: To provide the students with the necessary background of mechanics,

physics of fluids, thermodynamics and optics. The acquired notions are used to solve

simple problems, and to understand the operation of instruments and equipments.

Contents: Units. Translational motion. Vectors. Power. Kinetic energy and work.

Potential energy and energy conservation. Momentum. Gravity. Fluids. Vibrations andwaves. Thermodynamics, first and second law. Ideal gas. Electricity, electric charge,

electric fields, electric potential. Current and resistance. Electromagnetic radiation.

Fundamentals of optics.

Module of Statistic Methods

Objectives: The course aims to introduce the principles of inductive method statistical

inference needed to understand and interpret the results of statistical analyses. Some of

the most important statistical methods for experimental sciences are presented.

Contents:Introduction: statistics and experimental sciences. Introductory definitions:

population, sample, inference.Descriptive statistics: frequency distributions, histogram,

mean, median, variance, standard deviation. Probability: axioms of probability. Total

probability theorem. Conditional probability and independence. Random variables:

mass and density probability functions, expected value, variance. Normal and Bernoulli

random variables. Simple random sampling and sample distribution of the sample mean

and of the sample variance. Central limit theorem. Estimation: estimators and their

properties, point and interval estimation. Confidence interval for the mean and the


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variance of the normal distribution. Confidence interval for the parameter of the

Bernoulli distribution. Hypothesis testing: introductory definitions. Type of errors.

Power of a test. Unidirectional and bidirectional tests. Two sample test for the mean:

independent and paired data. Chi-square test for independence. One-way analysis of

variance: the linear model and the assumptions on the error term. Deviance

decomposition and F test.


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Microbiology and Immunology

Objectives: To provide the students with the basic concepts of microbiology and

immunology mainly focused on aspects of food microbiology, as well as with the

possibility to acquire experience about procedures and techniques employed inmicrobiology research.

Contents: Role of Microbes in Nature. Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. Protists. Bacteria:

Bacteria and Archaea. Bacterial Architecture: Cell Wall, Cytoplasmic membrane,

Nuclear body, Flagella, Optional Appendages, Spores. The Bacterial Chromosome.

Plasmids Cell division. Bacterial growth. Nutrition: Carbon sources, organic and

inorganic growth factors. Energy metabolism: glycolysis, fermentations, respirations.

Membrane transport: active and passive carrier-mediate transport. Motility and

chemotaxis. Biosynthetic Pathways; Regulation of Biosynthesis.

Growth and Death of Bacteria. Factors affecting the development. Microbial control by

physical and chemical agents. Microbial toxins. Molecular Taxonomy of Bacteria.

Yeast as a model of Eukaryotic cell. The nature of Viruses.Immunology: the immune system (cells, receptors, complement pathway),

phagocytosis, antigens, histocompatability complex, lymphocytes, antibodies, mast

cells, allergic responses, vaccines. Microbiological Laboratory techniques.


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Organic Chemistry

Module of Organic Chemistry I

Objectives: To provide the students with basic understanding of the main classes of

organic compounds focusing on their synthesis, reactivity and physical chemical

properties. This knowledge is essential not only for a better understanding of more

specific courses, but also for a complete formation of a food technologist.

Contents:An introduction to the structure and bonding in organic compounds. Organic

acids and bases. Alkanes and cycloalkanes: configurational and conformational isomers;

nomenclature and reactivity. Stereochemistry. Substitution and elimination reactions.

Alkenes and dienes: structure; nomenclature and reactivity. Alkynes: structure;

nomenclature and reactivity. Alcohols, diols and ethers: structure; nomenclature,

synthesis and reactivity. Aldehydes and ketones: structure; nomenclature, synthesis and

reactivity. Carboxylic acids and carboxylic acids derivatives: structure; nomenclature,

synthesis and reactivity. Aromatic compounds: definition of aromatic compound;nomenclature and reactivity. The chemistry of amines: structure; nomenclature,

synthesis and reactivity. Heterocyclic aromatic compounds: 5-membered ring with a

single heteroatom (pyrrole, furan, thiophene); 5-membered ring with a two heteroatoms

(1,2- and 1,3-azole); 6-membered ring with a single heteroatom (pyridine); 6-membered

ring with a two heteroatoms (pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine); fused rings (indole,

isoindole, quinoline, isoquinoline); purines.

Laboratory practice: Some of the subjects treated in the lectures will be deepened


Module of Organic Chemistry II

Objectives: To provide the students with basic understanding of the main classes of

biological compounds focusing on their biosynthesis, physical chemical properties and

reactivity. This knowledge is absolutely essential for a better understanding of more

specific courses.

Contents: 1.Carbohydrates. - a) Monosaccharides: determination of the structure of

glucose; mutarotation, anomeric effect; anomeric carbon reactivity; examples of

monosaccarides. b) Disaccharides: glycosidic link; reducing and nonreducing

disaccharides; determination of the structure of a disaccharide. c) Oligosaccharides and

Polysaccharides: examples of polysaccharides of plant and animal kingdoms; structure

determination.

2. Proteins. - a) Amino acids: chemical and physical properties and reactivity of aminoand carboxylic groups. b) Peptides and Proteins: peptide bond; determination of the

amino acidic sequence; -pleated sheet and -helix structures; examples of peptides.3.Lipids. - a) Lipids: characteristics and classification. b) Fatty acids: biosynthesis and

nomenclature.

A. Saponifiable lipids. -Simple and complex saponifiable lipids.

B. Nonsaponifiable lipids. - a) Terpenes: classification, structure determination and

biosynthesis. b) Steroids: derivatives of the hydrocarbon

cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene; biosynthesis; cholesterol and its structure


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determination; phytosteroids; steroid hormones; vitamins D group; bile acids;

glycosteroids.

4. Alkaloids. - Identification and extraction from biological matrices. Biosynthetic

formation starting from amino acids. Classification taking into account the structure and

other chemical features of the alkaloid molecule.

Laboratory training: Some of the subjects treated in the lectures will be deepened



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Principles of Food Material Science

Module of Structure and Physical Properties of Foods

Objectives: To provide the basic knowledge required to recognise and figure out the

structural complexity of food materials as a result of the interactions among different

components not submitting equilibrium conditions. To elucidate the relations between

structure of foods and their physical properties following processing and storage. To

define analytical protocols to evaluate physical properties of food materials.

Contents:

Food physical properties as a result of structural interactions. Food structure

preservation, destruction, transformation and creation. Polymer science, colloid science,

material science. The dynamic multiphase nature of foods.

Basic material science concepts

- Sol systems. Macro- and nano- disperse systems. Characterisation of disperse systems.

Formation and destabilisation. Surfactants, HLB. Disperse systems of polymers.

Excluded volume. Intrinsic viscosity. W/W disperse systems. Segregative andassociative phase separation. Phase diagrams.

- Gels. Classification. Properties. Phase diagrams. Mixed gels.

- Glass transition. Gordon-Taylor equation. Molecular mobility. WLF equation. Non

equilibrium state diagrams. Modified state diagrams. Stickiness. Collapse.

- Crystallisation. Crystal nucleation and growth. Crystallisation rate. Effects of

crystallisation in amorphous/glassy systems.Food physical properties

- Optical properties. Colour measurement. Image analysis.

- Thermal properties. TG, DTA, DSC, TMA, DTMA.

Module of Mechanical Properties of Foods

Objectives: The aim is to provide a deep knowledge on mechanical properties of fluid,

semi-solid and solid foods and how they are determined. Examples of application of

rheological measurements for processing optimization, structure investigation and

quality control are discussed.

Contents:Mechanical properties of fluid and semisolid foods

- Role and objectives of rheology in food industry. Relationship between food structure,

rheological properties and texture. Definition of elastic solid, viscous fluid and

viscoelastic material.

- Flow types and material functions. Stress, strain, strain rate.

- Rheometers. Classification. Principles, geometry and flow types.

- Viscosity. Definition. Shear-dependent behaviour. Flow and viscosity curves.

Constitutive equations. Time-dependent behaviour: tixotropic, anti-tixotropic and

viscoelastic behaviours. Measurements. Application of a rheological approach to solve

process and formulation problems.

- Linear and non-linear viscoelasticity. Definition of viscoelastic moduli. Stress

relaxation. Measurements and practical applications.


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Mechanical properties of solid foods

- Measurements and data interpretation.

Practical training


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Research & Development, and Quality System Management

Module of Research and Development Strategies

Objectives: This

course prepares the students to be aware of the approach to the

projects development, to the internal and external involvement in a new product

development and its launch into full production.

Contents: the course is divided in two main parts. The first one deals with the

organization and structure of research, focused on professional profiles and operative

tools for the development of new products. The birth of a new product (timing and

reasons), the steps of a correct product development, the control of the research process.

The second part outlines the operative steps of a particular food industry with a visit of

a factory included at the end of the course.

Module of Design and Management of Company Quality Systems

Objectives: The course is addressed to provide students with knowledge that can allow

to design, manage and assess the adequacy of a Quality Management Systems of a food

industry organisation. The course consists of a theoretical discussion completed with

practical examples.

Contents:Quality management systems in food industry: ISO 9001:2000; ISO 22000:2005;

Global Standard for Food Safety BRC; International Food Standard IFS.

Documents in the Quality Management System: food safety quality manual, food safety

plan - HACCP, procedures, instructions, records. Methods for the management and

control of documentation. Traceability: Reg CE 178/2002. Internal traceability test.Management of identity preserved materials: OGM, allergen, organic, nutritional

claims. Relevant legislation. Procedures of product recall/withdrawal. Recall test.

Management of complaints. Audit methodologies: types of audits, non conformity,

corrective actions, preventive actions, check list. Examples of audits reports and

possible non conformity.

Tutorial: setting up procedures and operative instructions, editing a Quality Manual.


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Sample Preparation and Food Chemistry Laboratory

Module of Food Chemistry Laboratory

Objectives: The whole course has a practical approach and is carried out in thelaboratory. Each student carries out all the analysis listed in the course content, results

are subject of collegial discussion.

Contents. Tap water: Hardness measure by complexometric method, chloride

determination, ammonium, total organic substances, , COD and BOD; Fats and oils:

Acidity, peroxide value, UV spectrophotometric analysis, fatty acid composition by

GLC, with trans isomers evaluation, unsaponifiable matter determination, GLC analysis

of sterols, alcanols and diterpenic dialchols., Wine: reducing sugars, sulphur dioxide,

alcohols content, density, chloride, fixed acidity, volatile acidity. Every student will

carry out directly these analysis and a collective discussion of the obtained data will be

carried out.

Module of Sample Preparation Techniques

Objectives: The course has the objective to give the students an overview on more

recent sample preparation techniques (supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent

extraction, microwave assisted solvent extraction, membrane-based extraction, solid

phase extraction, solid phase micro extraction) for the analysis of food components and

contaminants present in trace amounts. Hyphenated chromatographic techniques (LC-

GC, LC-LC-GC, LC-LC, GCxGC) able to perform complex analyses on different food

matrices with minimal sample preparation are also included.

Contents: Innovative sample preparation techniques (principle, instrumentation,parameter influencing the extraction procedure, applications): supercritical fluid

extraction (SFE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), sub-critical water extraction

(SWE), microwave assisted solvent extraction (MASE), membrane-based extraction,

solid phase extraction (SPE), solid phase micro extraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive

extraction (SBSE), headspace sorptive extraction (HSSE), head-space techniques, purge

and trap. Principles and advantages of hyphenathed chromatography. Coupled LC-LC

techniques: types of interfaces, column and solvent choose, applications: Coupled LC-

LC and LC-LC-GC techniques: types of interfaces, on-line solvent evaporator.

Multidimensional gas chromatography and GCxGC: principles, modulation systems,

choice of the columns, applications.


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Statistics and Food Sensory Analysis

Module of Sensory Analysis

Objectives: The aim of the course is to supply a knowledge about the reasons of thesubjectivity inside sensorial analysis and about the methodologies that allow to increase

the level of objectivity in sensory verdicts; an important purpose is to make the student

independent in choosing the kind of tests and elaboration of data depending on

questions to answer.

Contents: Introduction to sensory techniques (mention to historic development of the

sensory testing; human subject as instrument). Anatomy, physiology and psychology of

sensory functions, in particular vision, olfaction and taste. Requirements for sensory

laboratories: test rooms and equipment. Factors influencing sensory verdicts

(physiological and psychological biases, methods for minimizing errors). Sensorial

methods; qualitative discrimination testing: does a sensory difference exist between

samples?; quali-quantitative discrimination testing (attribute difference tests: how doesattribute X differ among samples); measuring responses (scaling); panel members

(panellist general requisites, sensory thresholds, selection, training and maintenance of

panel members); descriptive analysis techniques: which sensory attributes have the

samples? And how do these attributes differ among samples?; affective tests: which

sample does consumer prefer and how much does this panelist like it?. Widening about

sensorial characteristics of some beverages and foods, standardized sensory analysis and

worksheets.

Tutorial: Sensorial practice on commercial and doctored samples and standard

solutions, with the aim of showing how senses work, how to experiment aptitudes of

panellists, how to conduct sensorial tests and how to elaborate data.

Module of Statistics Applied to Foods

Objectives: The course aims to present the characteristics of the main statistical tools

used in experimental sciences, with a particular emphasis on applicative aspects. Theory

and tutorial are strictly integrated during lessons.

Contents: Statistical inference: point and interval estimation. Hypothesis testing: type

of errors, significance level and power of a test.

One-way analysis of variance: the linear model and the assumptions on the error term.

Deviance decomposition and F test. Non normality and non homogeneity of variances.Variance stabilizing transformations. Post-hoc tests: Tukey test and Bonferroni test.

Experimental design and analysis of variance: factorial design and two-way analysis of

variance model. Interpretation of the interaction term. Randomized blocks design. Fixed

and random effects.

Linear regression: the linear regression model. Parameters estimation and hypothesis

testing. Goodness of fit measures. Residuals and diagnostics. Outliers detection.

Dummy variables. Collinearity. Stepwise methods for model selection.


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Response surface analysis: Central composite design. Linear and quadratic response

surfaces.

Statistical methods in chemometrics: introduction to multivariate analysis. Principal

components. Cluster analysis.

Measurement error theory: repeatability and reproducibility of a measure. Calibration.

Tutorial: Excel and R for data handling and analysis; Analysis of real data sets.


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Thermodynamics and heat transfer, and Plants for the food

industry

Module of Thermodynamics and heat transfer

Objectives: The first objective is to provide the students with the necessary background

for the formulation of first and second law balances. The acquired notions are applied to

the analysis of engineering cycles, psychrometry and refrigerating plants. Further on,

the analysis of conduction, convection and radiation processes is performed. The

acquired notions are utilized for modeling heat transfer processes in components,

systems and plants of interest to food science.

Contents: Thermodynamics: SI Units and dimensions. Mass balance, work, heat, open

and closed systems. Energy and first law of thermodynamics, internal energy, enthalpy,

energy analysis of cycles. Second law of thermodynamics, Carnot cycle, entropy. Ideal

gas,p-v-trelation for ideal gases and pure substances. Psychrometric systems, relations,

charts, applications. Refrigeration and heat pump systems, refrigerants, vapour-compression cycles. Heat transfer: Fourier, Poisson and Laplace equations. One-

dimensional steady-state conduction. Transient conduction with the lumped capacitance

method and for semi-infinite solids. Internal and external flow with forced convection.

Natural convection. Heat exchangers, LMTD and NTU methods. Radiative heat

exchange between surfaces.

Module of Plants for the food industry

Objectives: to provide knowledge of the functionality of machines operating in various

processes of the agri-food industry, with special emphasis on the oenological and milk

product sectors.Contents: I materiali nelle industrie agroalimentari. Evoluzione nel tempo a tipologie.

Materiali organici a naturali: legno; cellulosa; fibre vegetali; gomme. Strutture dei

principali materiali, strutture cristalline dei solidi a delle leghe metalliche, propriet

meccaniche a deformazioni. Diagrammi di stato delle leghe metalliche. Caratteristiche

di deformabilit a comportamenti alla trazione. Prove di durezza, propriet fisiche,

caratteristiche termiche a di protezione contro la corrosione. Diagrammi di stato per

ghise a acciai a loro ciclo siderurgico. Ghise bianche a grigie a loro utilizzazione.

Classificazione degli acciai, acciai speciali, inossidabili a loro impiego. Principali

trattamenti termici degli acciai. I polimeri plastici. Classificazione a processi di

polimerizzazione. Solidificazione dei polimeri a operazioni di fermatura. Propriet

chimiche, fisiche a meccaniche dei polimeri. Principi di rafforzamento. Polimeri

termoplastici a termoindurenti, loro caratteristiche e settori dimpiego. Elastomeri:

caratteristiche principali a applicazioni. Vetro: propriet meccaniche; processi di

lavorazione; preparazione delle bottiglie. I materiali ceramici: lavorazioni; propriet;

settori applicativi.

2. I contenitori nelle industrie agroalimentari. I contenitori in legno: cenni alla

costruzione di botti a caratelli. Contenitori in cemento armato. Contenitori in acciaio.

Costruzione e caratteristiche di resistenza agli agenti chimici. Contenitori in P.R.EV.

Caratteristiche e utilizzazione.


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3. La movimentazione dei prodotti agroalimentari. Sistemi di trasporto a tappeto, coclea

ed a tazzette. Sistemi di trasporto pneumatici. Sistemi idraulici: tubazioni; raccordi;

valvole; guarnizioni. Caratteristiche principali delle pompe: portate; prevalenze;

parametri di funzionamento. pompe volumetriche alternative: a pistoni; a membrana.

Pompe volumetriche rotative: a lobi; ad ingranaggi; a palette; con rotore flessibile; a

vite eccentrica; a tamburo eccentrico; a rotore ellittico; peristaltiche. Pompe centrifughe:

generalit; pompe monostadio, pompe autoadescanti; pompe a palette; pompe ad anelloliquido; pompe a girante arretrata o a vortice.

4. I sistemi termici. Principali tipologie di scambiatori di calore: scambiatori a piastre; a

fascio tubiero; a corpo raschiato; a serpentino. Cenni a condensatori ed evaporatori-

Macchine per la produzione del vapore: a tubi di fumo a tubi dacqua; a olio diatermico.

Trattamento dellacqua. Ciclo frigorifero a macchine frigorifere.

5. La filtrazione. Meccanismi di filtrazione. Tecniche di filtrazione: con deposito; con

prepannello; ad alluvionaggio continuo; su strati filtranti; su membrana. Coadiuvanti di

filtrazione. Macchine ed impianti di filtrazione: filtri pressa; a camera di pressione; filtri

rotativi sottovuoto; flottazione. Separazione per centrifugazione a principi di

fanzionamento.

6. Linee di produzione: latte crudo; formaggi; vino.


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Thermodynamics and heat transfer, and Plants for the food

industry

Module of Thermodynamics and heat transfer

Objectives: The first objective is to provide the students with the necessary background

for the formulation of first and second law balances. The acquired notions are applied to

the analysis of engineering cycles, psychrometry and refrigerating plants. Further on,

the analysis of conduction, convection and radiation processes is performed. The

acquired notions are utilized for modeling heat transfer processes in components,

systems and plants of interest to food science.

Contents: Thermodynamics: SI Units and dimensions. Mass balance, work, heat, open

and closed systems. Energy and first law of thermodynamics, internal energy, enthalpy,

energy analysis of cycles. Second law of thermodynamics, Carnot cycle, entropy. Ideal

gas,p-v-trelation for ideal gases and pure substances. Psychrometric systems, relations,

charts, applications. Refrigeration and heat pump systems, refrigerants, vapour-compression cycles. Heat transfer: Fourier, Poisson and Laplace equations. One-

dimensional steady-state conduction. Transient conduction with the lumped capacitance

method and for semi-infinite solids. Internal and external flow with forced convection.

Natural convection. Heat exchangers, LMTD and NTU methods. Radiative heat

exchange between surfaces.

Module of Plants for the food industry

Objectives: to provide knowledge of the functionality of machines operating in various

processes of the food industry.


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Unit Operations

Objectives: The aim of the course is to provide the students with knowledge on the

main unit operations of food technology as well as principles and laws that govern

them. Particular emphasis is given to process-product interaction. Criteria for properchoice among the available different techniques and plants are discussed.

Contents: Unit operation concept and definition.. Mass and energy balance recalls. Unit

operations based on thermal energy transfer (cooking, blanching, pasteurisation,

sterilisation, refrigeration, freezing). Unit operations based on transfer of thermal energy

and mass (evaporation and dehydration). Unit operations based on mechanical energy

transfer (filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation, membrane permeation,

emulsification). Unit operations based on transitions and thermodynamic equilibria

(cryoconcentration, crystallisation, distillation, solvent extraction).

Training at the food technology laboratories and pilot plant area of the Department of

Food Science


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Vegetal Production

Module of Botany

Objectives: To provide essential concepts on plant anatomy and morphology, the

relations between plant form and function and the main descriptive and taxonomic

characters of thallophytes and tracheophytes.

Contents: 1. Autotrophy and heterotrophy. Origin and diversity of photosynthetic

organisms. 2. Levels of organization in biology from molecules to organisms. 3. The

plant cell: structure and function. 3.1 The chloroplast. 3.2 The cell wall. 3.3 The

vacuole. 3.4 Water and plant cells: osmotic pressure and cell turgor. 4. Plant tissues. 5.

Morphology and functions of higher plants. 5.1 The leaf: structure, anatomy and

function. 5.2 Stem anatomy: primary and secondary structure. Xilem and phloem

transport. 5.3 Root anatomy: primary and secondary structure. Water absorption and

mineral nutrition. 5.4 Leaf and stem metamorphosis. 6. Flowering plant reproduction.

6.1 Meiosis and sexual reproduction. 6.2 Angiosperm life cycle. 6.3 Flower, seed andfruit structure. 7. Plant classification. 7.1 The algae. 7.2 Angiosperm classification:

outline of the most important families for human nutrition. Practical trials: plant

histology and anatomy by light microscopy

Module of Foodstaff Protection from PestsObjectives: To illustrate the causes of animal (insects, mites, rodents, etc.) infestations

of foodstuffs, and identify the most suitable preventive and defence actions.

Contents: Loose and packaged foodstuffs (seeds, flours, sausages, cheese etc.) as

objects of attack by harmful animal organisms. Brief references to morphology,anatomy, biology and ethology of the principal systematic groups involved. Description

of the harmful species most frequently found on foodstuffs in flour mills, food

industries, warehouses, markets and homes. Prevention: standards for planning of the

industries, suitable wrapping and packing materials. Management of production

activities from the point of view of protection from pests. Control methods and means

of combat: monitoring of pests, methods for the analysis of foodstuffs (filth-test).

Control by physical, mechanical and chemical means. Specific problems regarding

control of foodstuffs.

Module of Post-harvest Physiology

Objectives: To provide the students with a comprehension of the mechanisms

underlying the development of quality in fruits and vegetables, and of the main storage

techniques in order to manage the postharvest handling of horticultural products.

Contents: Postharvest physiology and quality of horticultural products: 1 Mechanisms

of fruit growth (cell division and enlargement) 1.1 Relationships between seed

development and fruit growth.1.2 Parthenocarpic fruits. 2 Physiological and


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biochemical changes occurring during growth and ripening. 2.1 Description of the main

sugars and starch accumulated during develpment. 2.2 Climateric and non-climateric

products.2.3 Respiration. 2.4 Biochemistry of ethylene. 2.5 Texture and softening. 2.6

Development of colour and flavour. 2.7 Water loss and humidity 3 Harvest and quality

indexes. 4 Controlled temperature storage. 4.1 Use of modified and controlled

atmospheres. 4.2 Physiological storage disorders

Module of Plant Physiology

Objectives: This module supplies knowledge on the major metabolic pathways ofplants and on the synthesis of primary and secondary plant products.Contents: 1. Plant respiration. 1.1 Glycolysis and oxidative penthose phosphate

pathway. 1.2 Mitochondrial respiration. 2. Photosynthesis. 2.1 Photosynthetic pigments

and capture of light. 2.3 Oxidative photophosphorylation. 2.4 Reductive cycle of

penthose phosphates. 2.5 Plants at high photosynthetic efficiency. 3. Synthesis of

oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. 3.1 Sucrose synthesis. 3.2 Starch synthesis. 3.3

Fructane synthesis. 3.4 Synthesis of cellulose, emicelluloses and pectins. 4. Synthesis ofstorage lipids. 4.1 Fatty acid synthesis. 4.2 Triacylglycerole synthesis. 4.3 Spherosome

formation. 5. Synthesis of storage proteins. 5.1 Protein classification. 5.2 Protein

synthesis in Leguminosae and Gramineae. 5.3 Protein body formation. 6. Secondary

metabolites. 6.1 Terpenes. 6.2 Alkaloids. 6.3 Phenols.