Unit CHEMISTRY OF NUTRACEUTICS AND FUNCTIONAL FOODS
- Course
- Quality control of healthcare products
- Study-unit Code
- A005295
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Francesca Blasi
- Teachers
-
- Francesca Blasi
- Hours
- 50 ore - Francesca Blasi
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline chimiche
- Sector
- CHIM/10
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Chemistry of food ingredients, nutrients, and bioactive compounds present in functional foods and nutraceuticals. Altering and adulterating phenomena of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Dietary fiber. Probiotics and prebiotics. Novel foods and non-conventional foods. Food labeling. Nutrition and health claims (regulatory aspects).
- Reference texts
- -LA CHIMICA E GLI ALIMENTI: nutrienti e aspetti nutraceutici (L. Mannina, M. Daglia, A. Ritieni; Zanichelli Editore).
-Alimenti e Nutraceutica (E. Novellino, V. Iadevaia; PuntoEffe; 2012).
-Trattato Italiano di Nutraceutica Clinica (Arrigo F.G. Cicero: Scripta Manent Edizioni, 2023).
- Food Chemistry (H.D. Belitz, W. Grosh, P. Schieberle; Springer, 2009).
-Teaching materials available on the Unistudium platform.
-Lecture notes. - Educational objectives
- The course aims to provide students with adequate knowledge of:
- structure, chemical-functional properties, and alteration reactions of nutraceutical and functional food constituents;
- main nutraceuticals and functional foods currently available on the market and their use in health management;
- chemical composition of functional foods;
- mechanisms of action of the active ingredients of certain nutraceuticals in relation to their prophylactic and/or therapeutic use.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge, achieving the following skills:
-the ability to evaluate the quality of nutraceuticals and functional foods based on compositional data and potential alteration and adulteration phenomena;
-the ability to interpret certain regulatory aspects of foods and nutraceuticals, including proper label reading. - Prerequisites
- To fully understand the course content and successfully achieve the intended learning objectives, students are expected to have a good knowledge of general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology.
- Teaching methods
- The course is based on lectures (35 hours) on all the topics of the program, as well as practical activities (15 hours) regarding food analysis and the correct reading of the labels of functional foods and nutraceuticals.
The methods are designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities and/or specific learning disabilities (SLD) (personalized learning plan; compensatory tools; dispensation measures; adapted assessments). - Other information
- Course attendance is strongly recommended.
- Learning verification modality
- Learning of the course content and concepts will be assessed through an oral exam (about 30 min). This exam will aim to assess the student's:
-knowledge of functional food chemistry and nutraceuticals;
- learning ability on the topics presented in class and listed in the syllabus;
- communication skills, including proper language and independent organization of presentations on the topics covered in the syllabus;
- ability to apply the acquired skills and logical reasoning. - Extended program
- Definition of functional foods and nutraceuticals, classification based on their use in health management.
Chemistry and health properties of constituents of functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Chemical composition of some functional foods of animal and plant origin.
Novel foods, unconventional and sustainable food products (goal n. 12, Agenda 2030).
Natural and synthetic sweeteners.
Non-digestible polysaccharides, dietary fiber, the structure of individual constituents, and properties. Alteration processes of functional food constituents, including enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions.
Food labeling to support responsible consumption, environmental sustainability, and the fight against food waste (goals 2 and 12, Agenda 2030).
Bioactive molecules with antioxidant activity: structure and mechanism of action.
Overview on the use of nutraceuticals and functional foods in the health promotion and disease prevention (goal n. 3, Agenda 2030) in some health areas, including cardiovascular and atherosclerosis, ocular health, metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- The course topics align with objectives 2, 3, 4, and 12 of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development: Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, and Responsible Consumption and Production.