Unit FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY
- Course
- Food science and technology
- Study-unit Code
- 80053506
- Curriculum
- Tecnologie agro-alimentari
- Teacher
- Daniele Del Buono
- Teachers
-
- Daniele Del Buono
- Hours
- 54 ore - Daniele Del Buono
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Discipline della produzione agro-alimentare
- Sector
- AGR/13
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Course topics will cover living matter, from the simplest chemical events occurring in cells to the latest technologies. The course will address the role of the main classes of molecules in metabolism, together with enzymatic kinetics, thermodynamics and bioenergetics. In addition, the main metabolic processes, including photosynthesis, carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism, 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, I Principi di Biochimica di Lehninger, Zanichelli - Educational objectives
- The course aims to provide students with the fundamental knowledge of biochemistry applied to the food and nutritional field, with particular reference to the structure and function of the main biomolecules, the biochemical mechanisms that regulate cellular processes, and the main pathways of intermediate metabolism. At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to understand the relationships between food composition, nutrient metabolism, and the functional state of the organism, as well as to interpret the main nutritional phenomena from a molecular and metabolic perspective. The course also aims to enable students to acquire an appropriate scientific language and the conceptual tools necessary to relate biochemical processes to issues concerning nutrition, the nutritional quality of foods, and the main metabolic alterations associated with pathological conditions.
- Prerequisites
- For a proper understanding of the topics addressed in the course, students must possess a good basic knowledge of Chemistry and Biology. In the first lessons, a number of hours will in any case be devoted to aligning prior knowledge, with a review of the main biological, chemical, and physical foundations that are preparatory to the course programme.
- Teaching methods
- The course will be organized in: - lectures covering the topics listed in the programme; - classroom exercises focused on the calculation of free energy changes associated with cellular metabolic reactions, as well as on the estimation of the energy balances of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism; - laboratory activities aimed at determining the content of pigments and proteins in plant extracts and at assessing the activity of selected enzymes.
- Other information
- Attendance is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended.
Study materials will be provided by the lecturer and made available to students on the UNISTUDIUM platform at www.unistudium.unipg.it
.
Office hours: the lecturer is always available; students are kindly requested to send an e-mail to alessandro.magini@unipg.it
in order to arrange the day and time of the meeting. - Learning verification modality
- The examination will consist of a final test (about 40 minutes) to verify the students' level of knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and methodological contents of the program. The discussion will cover some course topics, including bioenergetics, protein structure and catalysis, photosynthesis, primary metabolism, plant nitrogen cycle, DNA and RNA, and 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.
The examination will also test the student's ability to communicate and explain the topics covered by the course. Lastly, it will assess the student's ability to apply the knowledge acquired to solve practical cases, working out solutions independently.
For information on support services for students with disabilities, visit http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa - Extended program
- Biochemistry as a bridge discipline between chemistry and biology. Organisation of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell, cellular compartmentalisation, and function of the main organelles. Basic concepts of bio-organic chemistry and bioenergetics: functional groups of biomolecules, stereochemistry and chirality, weak interactions, principles of biological thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, energy coupling, ATP, and phosphorylated compounds.
Structure and function of nucleic acids. Nucleosides and nucleotides; differences between DNA and RNA; phosphodiester bond, polarity of polynucleotides, chemical-physical properties of nucleic acids, DNA structure, denaturation, and reassociation.
Structure and properties of amino acids: ionisable groups, pKa, isoelectric point, polarity, and titration curves. The peptide bond and conformational constraints. Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure of proteins. Protein folding, denaturation, and renaturation. Globular and fibrous proteins. Oxygen transport: myoglobin and haemoglobin, cooperativity, Bohr effect, and elements of allosteric regulation.
Enzymes: classification, enzymatic catalysis, cofactors, coenzymes, and vitamins. Regulation of enzymatic activity, allosteric enzymes, enzymatic inhibitors, principles of enzyme kinetics.
Structure and biological role of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides, glycosidic bonds, relationship between structure and function. Fatty acids: nomenclature, properties, and function. Complex lipids and biological membranes: structural organisation, fluid mosaic model, and main biological functions.
Basic methodologies for biochemical studies and applications: principles of biomolecule quantification and analysis, chromatography, electrophoresis, and the main biochemical and biomolecular techniques.
Metabolic Biochemistry
Introduction to metabolism and general principles of metabolic regulation. Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. Glycolysis, fate of pyruvate, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, and pentose phosphate pathway. Tricarboxylic acid cycle. Respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation.
Digestion and absorption of lipids. Mobilisation of triglycerides. Activation, mitochondrial transport, and ß-oxidation of fatty acids. Ketone bodies: formation and utilisation under different physiological conditions.
Amino acid catabolism: transamination, oxidative deamination, fate of the carbon skeleton. Urea cycle and metabolic handling of nitrogen. Metabolic integration among the main organs and tissues in the maintenance of energy homeostasis.
Plant Biochemistry
Principles of plant biochemistry. Photosynthesis: light phase and carbon fixation phase. Sugar biosynthesis and metabolic significance of photosynthesis in the energy balance of the plant cell.
Nitrogen assimilation in plants. Glyoxylate cycle and its metabolic role in plant tissues, with particular reference to the processes of conversion of lipids into carbohydrates. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile