Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Food Science and Technology

The degree programme aims to produce second cycle degree graduates capable of carrying out activities related to planning, process management, innovation and development of food products employable in companies operating in the food sector (production, distribution, packaging, ingredients), public or private food control laboratories, technical and operational departments of public administrations and in public or private food research.
The aim is to provide students with the knowledge and competencies necessary to take the State Exam in order to work as FOOD TECHNOLOGIST as provided for by the regulations in force.
The aim of the programme is to provide graduates with advanced knowledge to investigate in depth topics related to the evaluation of the chemical, physical, nutritional and sensory quality of food products, control and management of production processes according to modern regulations and procedures in terms of quality, safety, business economics and marketing; to provide graduates with the competencies to rationally choose the most suitable processes and transformation phases for modern food production and/or supply of food.
This degree programme has a strong interdisciplinary approach to offer students the necessary competencies to tackle a sector like the food one, which is strongly multidisciplinary and very dynamic, and to produce qualified professionals and experts capable of operating in highly innovative and changeable contexts.
The course starts by studying in greater depth certain topics already studied at basic level in the three-year study programme related to the biological, technological, normative and nutritional aspects of food; the aim is to provide second cycle degree graduates with the knowledge and competencies to deal with product and process innovation, advanced research (with the possibility of going on to a PhD programme) and control of food quality thanks to the knowledge acquired of the analytical methods to study the chemical, physical, microbiological, nutritional and sensory properties of food also with a molecular analytical approach.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY:
Second cycle degree graduates:
• Will have solid training and good mastery of the scientific method so as to be able to optimise and manage industrial and research projects concerning the entire food production chain.
• Will have in-depth knowledge of food chemistry and of the molecular structure for the control of reactions in food during processing and storage.
• Will have an understanding of the fundamental principles and analytical techniques also advanced ones related to food.
• Will have an understanding of the role and meaning of microbial inactivation using fermentation processes.
• Will have an understanding of the role of nutrients in human health and of the impact of food on the nutritional status as well as the influence of transformation processes on the retention of nutritional properties.
• Will have an understanding of the sources and variability of food and their impact on transformation operations, and will have knowledge of food alteration and deterioration mechanisms and methods to control them and of innovations in the production of raw material of vegetable and animal origin .
• Will have an understanding of unit operations required to produce a certain type of food product and of the principles that make food safe for consumption .
• Will have an understanding of current process technologies and of the effects of process parameters on product quality.
• Will have knowledge of packaging techniques from a technical and marketing point of view to study product innovation opportunities.
• Will have the ability to use computers and the knowledge of how computer means can be used to tackle issues related to food science.
• Will have knowledge of the fundamental principles of quality management systems and of obligatory and voluntary regulations for the modern application of self-control principles and quality management aimed at continuous improvement.
The knowledge and understanding abilities are achieved and developed through lectures, practical activities, seminars, supervised home study, and individual home study provided for by the programme course units.
Learning is assessed mainly through oral and written exams, tests and oral presentations supervised by the professor.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND TO UNDERSTAND:
Second cycle degree graduates:
• Will have the ability to use laboratory techniques of basic and applied food chemistry.
• Will have the ability to select appropriate analytical techniques to solve a practical problem.
• Will be able to identify main food spoilage micro-organisms and pathogens and the conditions in which they may develop and will have the knowledge to apply laboratory techniques to identify micro-organisms in food.
• Will have the ability to identify the conditions, including sanitation techniques, in which the main pathogens and spoilage micro-organisms are inactivated, destroyed or rendered harmless.
• Will have the full ability to use mass and energy balances for a given food process (heating, evaporation, freezing, etc).
• Will have the ability to apply and evaluate the main process-product management standards of the agro-food sector (UNI EN ISO, EC regulations, large-scale distribution standards etc.) and related to food safety (food hygiene legislation).
• Will have in-depth knowledge of packaging related problems and will be able to identify suitable packaging systems.
• Will have the ability to apply basic and advanced statistical principles in the application of food sciences to control and ensure the quality of food products.
The ability to apply the knowledge and understanding is achieved through critical reflection on texts proposed for home study stimulated through classroom activities, study of research and application cases indicated by the professors, numerical and practical laboratory activities, field and computer activities, bibliographic research and on the field, individual and/or group projects related to the common curriculum course units or elective course units included in the programme, as well as during the preparation of the thesis.
Assessment is through written and oral exams, reports and problem-solving activities which provide for specific tasks to assess command over instruments and methods, and critical autonomy.

JUDGEMENT SKILLS
Second cycle degree graduates:
• Will have the ability to analyse different production and market situations, plan actions and manage interventions to improve the quality and efficiency of production and any other related activity to guarantee environmental sustainability and eco-compatibility.
• Will have the ability to describe and measure in a detailed manner the main physical properties of food and experimentally evaluate their value.
• Will have in-depth knowledge of health risks related to chemical contaminants in food and of appropriate methods to reduce the risk.
• Will have the ability to make judgements in technical, economic, human and ethical terms.
• Will have the ability to carry out the necessary optimisation interventions in terms of choice of raw materials or semi-finished products.
• Will have the ability to evaluate the advanced and innovative engineering aspects of food machinery.
• Will have the ability to judge the operational conditions and actions needed in a specific context on the basis of information obtained from updated literature
• Will have the ability to plan, apply and statistically interpret valid sensory evaluation methods to assess food quality or consumer acceptability.
• Will understand the importance of government regulations on the production and sale of food products and will be able to precisely evaluate the performance of a process and the conformity of food with the laws and specifications.
Judgement skills are developed in particular through practical activities, seminars, papers and through the activities assigned by the thesis supervisor in preparation of the thesis.
The acquisition of judgement skills is assessed by evaluating the course units of the study programme; the capacity to make autonomous judgements and to work alone is assessed through the work carried out in preparation of the thesis.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Second cycle degree graduates:
• Will have the ability to describe biochemical, chemical, physical and biological factors important for the synthesis and metabolism of food.
• Will have the ability to describe food preservation principles and method s.
• Will have the ability to communicate effectively with specialists to define a corporate marketing plan.
• Will have the ability to describe the characteristics and properties of food packaging materials and identify suitable packaging systems.
• Will have the ability to communicate, and work as part of a multidisciplinary group; will have the ability to work in a team, even as a leader and to use instruments and computers with expertise.
• Will have the ability to communicate orally and in writing in at least one foreign language of the European Union other than Italian, preferably English, as regards complex technical and scientific vocabulary related to subject areas of the degree programme.
• Will have the ability to communicate in a professional way with food engineering experts.
• Will have the ability to research case studies autonomously and to investigate them in depth by preparing short dissertations on specific aspects being analysed.
• Will be able to express in writing and discuss, within the context in which they operate, issues of interest related to the degree programme with good propriety of language and conciseness.
Written and oral communication skills are developed in particular through seminars, practical activities and course units that provide for the preparation of reports, written papers and their oral presentation, and also through the presentation of group activities concerning assigned market survey or product analysis projects. The evaluation/assessment of communication skills listed above is provided for also through the preparation of the thesis and its presentation.

LEARNING SKILLS:
Second cycle degree graduates:

• will have an understanding of transport, food transformation unit operations both theoretically and in laboratory conditions with the competence to assess the influence of operational conditions on transport.
• will be up-to-date on important topical matters concerning the food sector.
• Will have an understanding of the organisational logic of the food system and keep updated on recent developments.
• Will have cognitive instruments, logical elements and familiarity with new computer technology instruments that guarantee continuous updating of knowledge in a specific professional sector or scientific research area.
• Will have the learning ability to pursue further studies (PhD programme or 2nd level Professional Master's degree) with a high degree of autonomy.
The learning abilities acquired are a result of the entire period of study, in particular during home study, in the preparation of individual projects, in the preparation of the thesis and through all the in-depth home study of a topic such as the research work for the thesis.
Learning skills are continuously assessed during the course units and through the presentation of data collected autonomously, through projects and the evaluation of self-learning skills matured during the activity in preparation of the thesis. During the study programme the subdivision of the overall number of study hours into different categories offers students the possibility to continuously check and improve their learning skills. The work for the thesis has the same aims and contributes to developing these skills as students are asked to understand and tackle new information not necessarily provided by the thesis supervisor.