18171 - Animal-Based Food Product Industries and Technologies

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student acquires basic knowledge and applications of the main unit operations that concern food preservation and processing. In particular, the student is able to set up, monitor and control a technological process and solve the related application problems.

At the end of the course, the student knows, from an analytical-compositional and a physico-chemical standpoints, the technological properties of the main food matrices of animal origin, such as milk and meat, as well as the most common and innovative technologies applied to them. In particular, the student is able to: - check the suitability of the raw material from different points of view; - choose and apply, according to the matrix, the most suitable technological processes for the preservation and transformation of the raw material.

Course contents

The course is divided into 4 parts:

1) Unit operations

2) Main alterations of the macrocomponents of food from animal origin

3) Milk and dairy products technologies

4) Meat and meat products technologies

 

Presentation of the course

1) Presentation of Professor, presentation of the course aims and topics, the lesson schedule, the teaching material and the course assessment method.

 

Course contents

2) Part 1: Unit operations

a) Introduction to food technologies and classification of unit operations

b) Basis of mass and energy balances

c) Main separation and concentration operations: dehydration treatments

d) Main food preservation technologies: low temperature and heat utilization

e) Some recent food cold storage and sanitation technologies (radiation, preservation/storage in modified environments, high hydrostatic pressures, etc.)

 

3) Part 2: Main alterations of the macrocomponents of food from animal origin

a) Hydrolysis and oxidation of lipids

b) Hydrolysis and oxidation of proteins

c) Maillard reaction

 

4) Part 3: Milk and dairy products technologies

a) Chemical composition and structure of milk

b) Edible milk: process, product characterization, shelf-life and packaging

c) Creams, butter and yogurt: production technology and composition

d) Some sustainability aspects of the dairy chain

e) Basic notions of some by-products of the dairy sector

f) Main innovation trends in dairy products

 

5) Part 4: Meat and meat products technologies

a) Chemical composition and structure of meat

b) Post-mortem modifications of meat and their effects on meat quality

c) Raw meat products (salami, raw ham) and cooked meat products (cooked ham, mortadella)

d) Meat-based products. A case study: chicken cutlet

e) Some sustainability aspects of the meat chain

f) Basic notions of some by-products of the meat chain

g) Main innovation trends in meat products

Readings/Bibliography

It is not necessary to buy specific textbooks: the teaching material will be provided to students through Virtuale.

 

Consultation textbooks:

- Alais C., “Scienza del Latte”, Tecniche Nuove (Milano), 2000.

- Cappelli P. e Vannucchi V., "Principi di Chimica degli Alimenti. Conservazione. Trasformazione. Normativa", Zanichelli (Bologna), 2015.

- Corradini C., “Chimica e Tecnologia del Latte”, Tecniche Nuove (Milano), 1998.

- Grazia L., Coloretti F. e Zambonelli C. "Tecnologie dei Salumi", Ed. Edagricole (Milano), 2011.

- Hui Y.H. "Handbook of Meat and Meat Processing", CRC Press (USA), 2a. ed., 2012.

- Lawrie R.A. and Ledward D.A., "Lawrie's Meat Science", Woodhead Publishing Limited (England), 7a. ed., 2006.

- Lerici C.R. e Lercker G. “Principi di Tecnologie Alimentari”, CLUEB (Bologna), 1983.

- Singh R.P. e Heldman D.R. “Principi di Tecnologia Alimentare”, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (Milano), 2015.

- http://www.efsa.europa.eu/

Teaching methods

- Theoretical lessons

- Practical session in the pilot plant

- Theoretical-practical lesson for the sensory analysis of cooked ham

- Seminars with external sectors' experts

Assessment methods

In-person verification of learning is performed through a written exam split in 3 sections (subjects 1, 2+3 e 4), which can be carried out separately or together in the official examination sessions. The written exam includes a series of multiple choice questions and some short open-ended questions. The grade of the single sections does not expire.

 

The final grade of the whole course results from the weighted average of the grades obtained for each section.

Teaching tools

- Text books, published articles, materials used during lessons, databases, websites, search engines, literature search techniques

Office hours

See the website of Maria Teresa Rodriguez Estrada