65885 - Quality Management And Analysis Of Agro-Food Products

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the main aspects of food quality and the interactions between technological processes and conservation, within the production chain, useful for its commercial classification. The Student is able to face the evaluation of the quality of an agri-food product, based on the knowledge acquired in relation to technologies and preservations related to it.

Course contents

The student will be able to acquire appropriate theoretical insights on the quality of agro-foods, for the main aspects to be considered. In addition, he will be given the current possibilities and in anticipation of stabilizing the characteristics of food products, in addition to the general principles of quality control of food products. Together with the quality the general problems of food alteration and their influence on quality will be acquired. The student will have the opportunity to distinguish the quality from the genuineness, in addition to knowing the meanings of typical products, DOP, IGP and other commercial indications.
The in-depth analysis of the food product classes will be for the student application examples of the first part of the course, which will reinforce and complete the general knowledge of the quality of agro-foods.
At the end of the course the student will have the ability to critically evaluate the phenomena and will be able to apply the skills of examining the quality of food products.

Training prerequisites
For this teaching the student must have a good preparation in the basics of mathematics, physics and chemistry. This knowledge is acquired through the basic courses of the first year of the course.

Broad teaching program
Quality: hygienic-sanitary quality, nutritional quality, hedonistic quality, socio-cultural quality, quality of use and service, quality at different levels of the chain, quality of control laboratories.
Food stabilization: Food stabilization techniques, Preservation techniques Drying, Cooling and refrigeration, Freezing and thawing, Osmosis, reverse osmosis and osmodehydration, Freeze-drying
Main food alterations
Oxidation and hydrolysis of fatty substances, Maillard reaction, enzymatic actions
Quality management for different food products:
Water: Water composition, origin, general characteristics, Drinking water, Meaning of the analysis of the main water components.
Milk and derivatives: Definition and composition of milk, Heat treatments on milk, Meaning of the analysis of the main components of milk, Cheesemaking: mechanism, Attitude of milk to cheese production, Technology of Parmigiano Reggiano, Technology of butter production.
Fatty substances: Composition and general characteristics, Extraction from oilseeds, Refining of crude oils, Extraction from oleaginous fruits, Oils from olive processing, Meaning of analyzes of the main components of fatty substances.
Alcoholic beverages: Composition and general characteristics, Grape processing technology: vinification in red, white, rosé and by carbonic maceration, The use of sulfur dioxide, Meaning of the analysis of the main components of wines.
Cereals and derivatives: Composition and general characteristics, Wheat flour, Gluten formation, Production of doughs, Meaning of the analysis of the characteristics and of the main components of wheat flour
Practical application exercises and Seminars (total 24-hour unit): Sensory evaluation of virgin olive oils, Outline of meat processing, Photosensitized oxidation of lipids in some foods, The problem of food fraud, Some other case studies.

Readings/Bibliography

At the end of the course the lecturer will provide students with specific teaching material (in electronic format) that integrates the notes taken during the lessons.
For bibliographical details, the following reference texts are recommended:

- COULTATE T.P., La chimica degli Alimenti, Ed. Zanichelli, Bologna, 2009

- CABRAS P., MARTELLI A., Chimica degli alimenti, Ed Piccin, Padova, 2004

- CAPPELLI P. e VANNUCCHI V., Chimica degli Alimenti. Trasformazione e Conservazione, Zannichelli, III edizione, Bologna, 2005

- CAPELLA P., FEDELI E., BONAGA G., LERCKER G., Manuale degli oli e dei grassi, Tecniche Nuove, Milano, 1997

Teaching methods

The course is divided into three didactic phases of which the first is theoretical and consists of lectures, while the second consists of applications to agri-food production sectors. The last phase, with exercises and seminars concerning the main topics covered in the course and also specific experiences

Assessment methods

The assessment of learning can take place with the oral exam, open to all students, for an approximate duration of 45-60 minutes. The questions concern the topics developed in the lectures. The Student will be asked at least two questions (up to a maximum of four) whose answers will be studied in depth, to assess your understanding and ability to reason in the corresponding topics.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, video projector, computer, internet access. All lessons are carried out with the help of ppt presentations, with the availability of the corresponding pdf in advance.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Lercker