65923 - Food Technology and Environmental Impact

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module students the student will have elements of unit operations and food technologies. The themes that will be addressed will concern the dairy industry, olive oil, outlines of enology and  minor industries and processes. The student will know the effects of technology on the environment and will study the possibility of reuse or recycling of some food waste.

Course contents

The course will be divided units of instruction:

1) Presentation introduction: definition of food technology, unit operations and agricultural industries. Definition of environmental impact.

2) Quality and safety of raw materials: the concepts of quality, safety and authenticity in the stages of production. Examples of quality certifications. Work on case studies.

3) Case study:  ice cream - Introduction to carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, additives (thickeners, gelling agents, emulsifiers) and colors. - The water and its properties. - Composition of milk, pasteurization, sterilization and preservation. - The production technologies of ice cream, pastorization,maturation, freezing and storage.

4) Case study: mortadella - Raw materials: meat and other ingredients. - The method of preparation. - The chemical and physical characteristics. - Sensory characteristics. - The controls, the regulatory standards. - The wastes and their environmental impact.

5) Case study: extra virgin olive oil - The quality of the raw material. - The systems for harvesting and storing the olives. - The extracting procedure - The chemical and physical characteristics. - Sensory characteristics. - The regulatory standards. The treatment of solid wastes and wastewaters.

6) Case study: fundamentals of enology and environmental impact.

7) Identity of the area and typical food. - Definition of identity elements of a specific area. - Definition of typicality of a food. - The European legislation on local products (PDO and PGI). - Number and vitality of the typical products of the Italian and European territory. (consultation with the student on databases, discussion of case studies.) - The compilation of a product specification.

8) Elements of sensory analysis and psycho-physiology of taste and smell. - Laboratory of sensory analysis.

9) Environmental impact. - The impact of the production of raw materials. - Consumption of water. - Production of solid wastes. - Impact of the use of chemical products for sanitization.

10) Innovation and Sustainability. - Strategies for reducing water consumption. - Recovery of process water. Systems of water treatment. - Reducing the environmental impact of solid wastes. - Management of food wastes. - The eco-industry. The eco-labeling.

Readings/Bibliography

Rubén O. Morawicki "Handbook of sustainibility for the food science", Wiley -Blackwell, 2012 Iowa.

Libro bianco sul latte e i prodotti lattiero caseari, Assolatte, 2006.

Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali "Atlante sensoriale dei prodotti alimentari", Tecniche Nuove, 2012, Milan, Italy.

P. Cappella, E. Fedeli, G. Bonaga e G. Lercker “Manuale degli oli e di grassi”, Tecniche nuove, 1997 Milan, Italy.

P. Cabras e A. Martelli “Chimica degli Alimenti”, Piccin, 2004, Padova.

P .Capelli, V. Vannucchi “Chimica degli Alimenti”, Zanichelli, 2005, Bologna.

E. Pagliarini, Valutazione sensoriale, aspetti teorici, pratici e metodologici, Ulrico Hoepli Editore S.p.A., 2002, Milano.

Databases, web sites, search engines, bibliographic research techniques.

Teaching methods

Lectures, lessons on pc, workshops, seminars and study trips.

Assessment methods

The module is part of the Integrated Course of Environmental Impact of Animal Husbandry and Food Industries along with the following other teaching: Livestock Husbandry and Environmental Impact. Therefore, the evaluation of the course takes into account the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student in relation to the contents of the two teaching modules. The knowledge and skills taught in this course are evaluated in the following ways: Final written examination (five multiple-choice questions and one open question for a total score on thirty) and a summary presentation (on A4 sheet) of an homemade food.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, PC, projector, didactic laboratories.

Office hours

See the website of Tullia Gallina Toschi