Unit FOOD CHEMISTRY
- Course
- Industrial pharmacy
- Study-unit Code
- A003597
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Lina Cossignani
- Teachers
-
- Lina Cossignani
- Federica Ianni (Codocenza)
- Hours
- 48 ore - Lina Cossignani
- 15 ore (Codocenza) - Federica Ianni
- CFU
- 7
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2023
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline farmaceutico-alimentari
- Sector
- CHIM/10
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- English
- Contents
- Functional foods and nutraceuticals. Chemistry of biological macromolecules and nutrients. Food alteration and adulteration. Composition and analysis of the most common foods of animal and plant origin. Food quality control. Innovation in the agri-food sector, circular economy, and sustainability.
- Reference texts
- HD Belitz, W Grosh, P Schieberle; Food Chemistry, Springer, 2009. L Mannina, M Daglia, A Ritieni; La Chimica e gli Alimenti, Ambrosiana Publishing House, 2019. Teaching materials provided by the teacher.
- Educational objectives
- The aim of the course is to provide adequate knowledge of the structure and properties of food constituents, the mechanisms of the main alteration reactions, and the application of analytical techniques in food quality control. The main skills acquired will concern: food composition, structure of food constituents, food alteration and adulteration phenomena, and food quality control. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge, acquiring the following skills: the ability to assess food quality based on compositional data and potential alteration and adulteration phenomena; the ability to interpret analytical and legislative aspects of food; and the ability to find and interpret data from recent literature on food quality.
- Prerequisites
- To better understand the content and achieve the course objectives, students must possess a general understanding of the structure and biosynthetic processes of the main organic macromolecules. Knowledge of the main analytical techniques, both traditional and innovative, for the qualitative and quantitative determination of inorganic and organic compounds is also essential.
- Teaching methods
- The course is organized as follows: classroom lectures on the topics covered in the syllabus; laboratory exercises on the application of analytical techniques to food quality assessment. Specifically, students will perform analytical determinations to detect alterations and adulterations and to characterize bioactive compounds in foods. Some activities will be carried out in team working and problem solving mode.
- Other information
- The teacher can be contacted by email: lina.cossignani@unipg.it. The teacher receives in person or via the Teams platform, by appointment.
- Learning verification modality
- The exam includes an oral examination consisting of a discussion lasting approximately 30 minutes, aimed at assessing the student's level of knowledge and understanding of the topics presented in class and outlined in the syllabus. Questions will focus on aspects related to the structure of food constituents and the mechanisms of their alteration, compositional and legislative aspects of major foods, and analytical aspects essential for defining food quality. Overall, the oral examination will assess the student's ability to communicate with proper language, apply acquired skills, and develop independent judgment solutions.
- Extended program
- Food quality and safety. Functional foods and nutraceuticals. Chemistry and biosynthesis of food macromolecules and nutrients. Dietary lipids: structure and properties. Fatty acids and their nutritional/health and functional properties. Fatty acid structure and biological effects. Modifications of natural lipids: hydrogenation, fractionation, genetic modification, interesterification reactions. Chemical and enzymatic methods for the synthesis of structured lipids. Carbohydrates in foods: sweet taste theory. Natural and synthetic sweeteners. Non-digestible polysaccharides: structure and properties. Dietary proteins: chemical and nutritional aspects. Enzymatic methods for the production of protein hydrolysates. Moisture and water activity: influence on the rate of food spoilage. Minerals, metal speciation. Food spoilage processes: enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions. Lipid autoxidation and mechanisms of formation of primary and secondary oxidation and photooxidation products. Antioxidant compounds: structure and mechanism of action. Application of instrumental techniques for quality control of food matrices. Advanced lipid analysis. Composition and analytics of the most common foods of animal and plant origin.
- Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- The topics developed are in line with some of the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Zero Hunger, Health and Well-being, and Responsible Consumption and Production.