Unit FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY
- Course
- Food science and technology
- Study-unit Code
- 80053506
- Curriculum
- Viticoltura e enologia
- Teacher
- Daniele Del Buono
- Teachers
-
- Daniele Del Buono
- Hours
- 54 ore - Daniele Del Buono
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2020
- Offered
- 2021/22
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Academic discipline
- AGR/13
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- The course topics will regard the living matter, from the most straightforward chemical events that occur in the cells until the more recent technology. The course will address the role that the major classes of molecules exert in the metabolism and the kinetic aspects of enzymology, thermodynamics and bioenergetics. The main metabolic processes, photosynthesis, metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, protein metabolism and genetic information, will be addressed.
- Reference texts
- D. DEL BUONO, Dispense dalle lezioni.
PINTON R., COCUCCI M., NANNIPIERI P., TREVISAN M., Fondamenti di Biochimica Agraria. Pàtron Editore, Bologna
DAVID L. NELSON, MICHAEL M. COX, Principi di Biochimica di Lehninger, Zanichelli - Educational objectives
- The course topics will regard the living matter, from the simplest chemical events that occur in the cells until the more recent biotechnology.
Course Goals
Knowledge
1. Energetic flows of the metabolism
2. Evaluation of the energetic balances associated with the metabolic processes.
3. Enzyme catalysis and the effect of inhibitors and regulators.
4. Role of the light in the photosynthetic process
5. Carbohydrates' metabolism in plant and animal cells.
6. Nature and role of the processes of fermentation and respiration.
7. Biosynthesis and catabolism of lipids.
8. Metabolism of amino acids and proteins.
9. The formation, structural characteristics and properties of DNA and RNA and their involvement in protein synthesis.
Skills
1. Assessment of the spontaneity or less of biochemical reactions.
2. Ability to identify the enzymes involved in the different metabolic pathways
3. Calculation of the energy obtainable in the catabolism of carbohydrates, as food
4. Calculation of metabolic energy required for the biosynthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides and then that obtainable from their catabolism, as food
5. Evaluation of the protein content of food and agricultural products.
6. Links among the various metabolic pathways that affect the destinies of the food. - Prerequisites
- To understand the main aspects of this course, the students must have successfully passed the Chemistry course (first year). In particular, the students should be able to apply the basic concepts of inorganic chemistry and recognize the principal functional groups of organic molecules and their reactivity.
- Teaching methods
- The course will be organized in:
- classroom teaching aimed at developing theoretical skills;
- classroom exercises in order to determine the amounts of energy changes associated with reactions in the cells, and the evaluations of energy balances related to carbohydrates and lipids metabolism;
- Laboratory experiments aimed to estimate the content of plant pigments and proteins and to determine the activity of some enzymes. - Other information
- Reception in the afternoon at the U.R. of Agricultural Chemistry from 2:30 to 4:00 pm.
- Learning verification modality
- The exam will consist of a final test (about 40 minutes) to verify the level of knowledge and understanding reached by the students on the theoretical and methodological contents of the program. The debate will focus on some course topics, including bioenergetics, protein structure and catalysis, photosynthesis, primary metabolism, the nitrogen cycle in plants, DNA and RNA, protein biosynthesis.
Student evaluation
18-21: sufficient knowledge of the basic topics of the course; sufficient understanding of the concepts.
22-24: good knowledge of the course topics;
good understanding of the concepts.
25-27: very good knowledge of the course topics;
very good understanding of the concepts.
28-30: excellent knowledge of the course topics;
excellent understanding of the concepts.
Furthermore, the exam will check the student's communication capacity and present the topics required. Finally, the exam will permit to verify the student's ability to apply the knowledge acquired to solve some real cases. - Extended program
- Bioenergetics and enzyme catalysis. Elements of thermodynamics and biochemical reactions. Concepts of enthalpy, entropy and free energy, exergonic and endergonic reactions and their coupling. Concept of metabolism and energy flows in catabolic and anabolic phases. Mechanism of enzyme catalysis, structure and characteristics of the enzymes, the Michaelis-Menten theory and definition of the kinetic parameters of an enzyme. Inhibition and regulation of enzyme activity. Isoenzymes, allosteric enzymes and zymogens. Mechanism of action and biochemical role of hydrolases, oxidoreductases, transferases, lyases, isomerases and ligases.
Photosynthesis and carbohydrate synthesis: Photosynthetic pigments. Role of the light and the reaction of Hill. The photosystems and photosynthetic electron transport. Cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation. CO2 fixation and the Calvin cycle. Photorespiration. Formation of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.
Respiration and carbohydrate metabolism: glycolysis and fermentation processes. The way of the phosphogluconate. Gluconeogenesis. Citric acid cycle and glyoxylate way. Respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation. The energy yield of fermentation processes and respiratory systems.
The metabolism of fatty substances: Nature and chemical structure of fatty substances. Biogenesis of fatty acids, glycerides and the related energy requirements. Catabolism of fatty acids and triglycerides. Energy and nutrient budgets in the catabolism of fatty acids and glycerides. Biochemical role and metabolism of phospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols.
Metabolism of nitrogen compounds: Notes on the nitrogen cycle in nature. Biochemical aspects of nitrogen fixation, nitrate reduction, and insert on carbon structures of ammonia. Formation of amino acids and proteins. Protein catabolism: proteolysis, oxidative degradation of amino acids and nitrogen mineralization.
Nucleic acids: DNA structure. DNA replication: the role of DNA polymerase, helicase, topoisomerase, primase and DNA ligase. DNA repair. Structure and synthesis of RNA, the role of RNA polymerase, transcription and post-transcriptional modifications. Genetic code and its translation into protein synthesis.