88276 - Sustainable Food Technologies

Learning outcomes

The objective of this course is to impart knowledge on the food technologies and unit operations having the potential to optimize the preservation of the nutritional and sensory properties, thus ensuring healthy, tasty, and sustainable food, even once it is processed. A deepening will regard the small and medium scale operations (minimal processing) that can be easily used also by farmers, small enterprises and in developing countries, in strict relation with the SDGs 2. A special focus will be on the innovative food technologies able to increase competitiveness, sustainability, circularity and diversity of local and typical foods. The teaching course will benefit of a strict connection with food companies, thanks to the planning of educational visit to plants, lab-scale production laboratories and training placements.

Course contents

Lesson 1. Introduction

Presentations of the teacher and course contents.

Definition of food quality, genuineness, authenticity, security and safety.

Concept of food science, its areas and objectives.

Food composition and classification of food products.

The food chain and food law elements.

Lesson 2. Food technologies and sustainable development goals

SDGs 2, 6, 9 and 12: where does food science matter?

Brainstorming and searching for keywords: open discussion on research articles.

Lesson 3. Sustainable innovation strategies in Food Science

Introduction to sustainable food production.

A case study: meat products and alternatives.

Current concepts and applied research in sustainable food processing.

Open discussion on research articles focused on innovative sustainable strategies in food science.

Lesson 4. Food waste valorization and recovery

Food waste valorization and recovery: definitions, prospects, opportunities and examples.

Open discussion on research articles focused on food waste recovery and valorization.

Lesson 5. Sustainable food processing technologies

Conventional, emerging and innovative sustainable food processing technologies.

Water consumption, reuse and reduction strategies in food technologies.

Open discussion on research articles focused on innovative sustainable food processing technologies.

Lesson 6. Sustainable meat processing

Lesson 7. Sustainable processing of fruit and vegetable products

Lesson 8. Sustainable dairy processing

Lesson 9. Sustainable brewing

Lesson 10. Sustainable seafood processing

Practical exercises and seminars

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliographic sources (only some chapters or sections will be evaluated during the exam; sources in bold are more relevant and necessary for the preparation of the exam, the others are recommended). Several recent scientific papers and documents are recommended by the teacher during the lessons.

• Innovation Strategies in the Food Industry Tools for Implementation, Edited By Charis M. Galanakis, Academic Press, 2016.
• Sustainable Food Systems from Agriculture to Industry 1st Edition - Improving Production and Processing, Edited by Charis M. Galanakis, Academic Press, 2018. 
• Sustainable Food Processing, Edited by Brijesh K. Tiwari, Tomas Norton, Nicholas M. Holden, Wiley Blackwell, 2014.
• Innovation and Future Trends in Food Manufacturing and Supply Chain Technologies, Edited by C.E. Leadley, Woodhead Publishing, 2016.
• Sustainable Food Waste Management - Concepts and Innovations; Monika Thakur, V. K. Modi, Renu Khedkar, Karuna Singh Editors, Springer 2020. 

Teaching methods

The course consists in theoretical lessons (32 h) and practical lessons (20 h) for a total of 52 h (6 CFU). Other practical exercises (e.g. brainstorming, working groups) and seminars will be held.

Assessment methods

At the end of the course, students will acquire applied technical knowledge on the relevance of sustainability issues for the food industries, with a focus on some selected food technologies/food chains as case studies. Students will be able to examine, interpret, prioritize and critically analyze the key sustainability factors of food processing, also thanks to practical exercises - e.g. open discussion of research articles -.

The knowledge and skills taught in this course are evaluated by an oral exam based on questions on the course content (seminars are not assessed), and an optional 3 minutes oral speech focused on a specific topic related to the course content - and discussed in a scientific article - to be presented through a conceptual map or a storytelling video (max 2 points/30 of the final mark). Any exercises - proposed by the teacher at the lessons and discussed/presented during the oral exam -  will also be evaluated (maximum 2 points/30 of the final mark). It is possible to obtain the maximum evaluation (30 cum laude) even without carrying out the oral presentation and the exercises.

Teaching tools

The teaching material consists of suggested books and presentations (slides) of the lessons in .pdf format; the latter will be made available to students in the virtuale.unibo.it platform of the course, together with the audio video recordings of the lessons.

Blackboard, PC and projector are used as tools to support the teaching.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Valli