96474 - Predictive Microbiology Applied to Gastronomic Preparations

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to give the students information useful to predict the fate and microbial activities of beneficial, spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in foods, and to understand their interactions within the environment-food-human ecosystem. Students will be given knowledge necessary to understand the role of microorganism in the production of traditional, typical and innovative foods, also through the valorisation of microbial biodiversity, and to assure food safety and quality.

Course contents

The course includes both lectures and practical activities.

Lectures are aimed at providing students with knowledge to understand: i) the effects of technological processes, packaging and storage conditions on inactivation and growth of food relevant microorganisms; ii) role and metabolic activities of key microbial groups in foods; iii) potentials of predictive microbiology in assessing food safety and predicting microbiological shelf-life.

Lab and classroom practicals are aimed at providing students with the ability and training to perform microbiological analyses of foods, to critically analyse experimental data and case studies, to use mathematical models to predict food shelf-life.

Introduction to the course - presentation of the teacher, overview on the aims of the course, the topics addressed, how teaching material is provided to students and how the final examination is carried out.

Food contamination and microbial growth in foods – retrieve of the main technological processes to reduce microbial contamination, strategies to control microbial growth in foods, microbial groups responsible for spoilage or relevant for food safety.

Pedictive microbiology – aims, general concepts of predictive microbiology, possible uses in the food microbiology area

Types of models – primary, secondary and tertiary models.

Primary models for microbial growth curves (Gompertz equation) and microbial inactivation (linear and nonlinear kinetics).

Secondary models – experimental designs to evaluate the combined effects of different variables on microbial growth parameters and microbial metabolism.

Tertiary models - software for predictive microbiology: COMbase

Challenge test – examples of possible uses

Lab and classroom practical activities - analyses of case studies and use of predictive microbiology for the assessment of food safety and prediction of food shelf-life: i) microbiological analyses to assess microbial inactivation following a technological process; ii) microbiological analyses to detect pathogens and assess the fate of main spoilage microorganisms over storage; iii) experimental designs and microbial challenge tests; iv) critical analysis and modelling of the experimental data to predict microbial shelf-life.

In consideration of the type of activities and teaching methods, the attendance at this training activity requires all students to carry out the Modules 1 and 2 in the e-learning mode and participation in the Module 3 on specific training on safety and health in study places. Information on dates and mode of attendance for Module 3 can be acquired by consulting the specific section of the degree program website.

Readings/Bibliography

- Lecture notes provided by the teacher through the https://virtuale.unibo.it/ platform.

- Papers on specific topics suggested by the teacher

Teaching methods

Class lectures, laboratory practicals, classroom practicals, problem solving, analysis of case studies, seminars held by food sector experts, guided tours to food production plants.

Assessment methods

The final examination will be based on an oral assessment aimed at evaluating both knowledge on general aspects of predictive microbiology with particular emphasis on the principal equations presented during the courses, and the ability to use the tools of the predictive microbiology to case studies to evaluate the effects of processes on food microbiota, to assess food safety and predict the shelf-life.

 

Teaching tools

Slides of the lectures and training activities both in classroom and in the laboratory of Food Microbiology will be available as pdf files for all the enrolled students through the web-site: "Virtual Learning Environment"

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Vannini