66048 - Quality and innovation of primary prodcutions

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be able to evaluate the quality of vegetable primary productions from different perspectives, understanding the possibility to improve/impact on the final quality applying adequate agronomic practices.

Course contents

The concept of quality of crop primary productions. The qaulity along the whole value chain from producers to consumers (2 h)

The role of agricultural practices and management in the final quality of vegetable products. In particular there will be a focus on new and innovative agronomic practices, e.g. organic farming, NBT (new breeding technologies), regenerative agriculture, low input agriculture, precision agriculture, etcs on the final quality of crop productions. (15 h)

Main aspects of quality and the methods to assess them: external aspect, shape, colour, texture, taste, etc. (8 h)

Healthy aspects of primary productions: the role of bioactive compounds on plants, and the possibility to modiy them by applying optimized agronomic practices. In particulars, nutraceutical compounds, dietary fibers, antioxidants, phytextrogens, biofortified crops, etc. In this part seminars at or with local industries and experts will be organized within the course (12 h).

Some aspects of post-harvest quality, such as: transpiration, respiration, frost damages, senescence, etc. (3 h)

Readings/Bibliography

study material will be distrubuted to students by the professor

Teaching methods

In class lessons or online (TEAMS), team work, seminars and visits to local industries operating in the field of quality in primary productions 

Assessment methods

written exam by EOL with open questions (2/3) to be completed in about 30 minutes

Teaching tools

visits to local companies, online seminars, TEAMS, EOL, IOL, ZOOM

Office hours

See the website of Federica Zanetti