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 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Sector
- AGR/13
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Soil genesis and composition. Texture and structure. Oxide-hydroxide, clay and humus properties. Soil sorption, pH and buffer capacity. Characteristics of calcareous soils. Acidic soils. Saline soils. Alkalin soils. Irrigation water quality. Soil fertility evaluation. Laboratory practical classes.
- Reference texts
- M. BUSINELLI. Chimica del Suolo. Morlacchi editore, Perugia, 2009.
P. SEQUI, C. CIAVATTA, T. MIANO. Fondamenti di Chimica del Suolo. Patron Editore, 2017. - Educational objectives
- The goal of this course is to provide students with the basic knowledge to understand the processes occurring in soils and determine soil characteristics, enabling them both interpreting analytical certificates to assess the state of soil fertility, and planning practices to improve yield capacity. The main knowledge gained will cover:
- soil inorganic and organic components,
- soil colloids,
- cation and anion retention and release in soil,
- soil pH and buffering capacity,
- soil macro and micro nutrients,
- anomalous soils and their reclamation,
- effects of saline-sodic-alkaline water on soil behavior,
- chemical characteristics of soil fertilizers.
The main skills (ie the ability to apply their knowledge) will be:
- to work and learn independently,
- to identify problems, create solutions, innovate and improve current practices,
- to generate ideas and adapt innovatively to changing environments,
- to define and analyse problems,
- to apply critical reasoning to issues through independent thought and informed judgement,
- to evaluate opinions, make decisions and to reflect critically on the justifications for decisions. - Prerequisites
- In order to understand, interpret and know how to apply theoretical principles and analytical techniques, subject of this course, it is necessary to have successfully passed the “Chemistry” examination (I year). Knowledge of the basic principles of general and organic chemistry is an indispensable prerequisite for the student who wants to attend this course; such preliminary knowledge is also required for non-attending students to be able to successfully undertake the study of the course, using the available teaching material (UNISTUDIUM UNIPG Chimica del Suolo).
- Teaching methods
- The course is organized as follows:
- Lectures on all subjects of the course
- Laboratory exercises at the Soil Chemistry Lab concerning:
Silicate molecular models. Soil carbonate, texture, organic matter, Cation Exchange Capacity determinations. Determination of soil pH. Determination of electrical conductivity of soil and irrigation water. Critical evaluation and interpretation of soil analysis certificates.
The exercises will be done in a single group, students will follow guided exercises , preceded by an introduction lecture. At the end of each practical exercise, each student will have to fill out a form reporting his name, data, calculations and results obtained: this form, which will be delivered to the lecturer at the end of the exercise, will allow to verify the student’s participation. - 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 exam is an individual oral test, before which the student is given a pen and papers, where he will write chemical reactions, graphics and everything he thinks fit to expose the subject. The test consists on an interview, of about 20-40 minutes long aiming to ascertain the knowledge level and the understanding capability acquired by the student on theoretical contents and practical applications as indicated on the course program (i.e. pedogenesis, colloids, soil retention capacity, pH and buffering capacity of the soil, soils with physical, chemical and nutritional abnormalities, irrigation water characteristics). A student may also choose to be examined only on one of the two parts (soil chemistry principles, i.e. from pedogenesis to soil buffering capacity included) completing the test in the following examination dates. The partial test passed has no deadline. The oral test will also verify the student's communication skills and his autonomy in the organization and exposure of topics.
Support services for students with disabilities and/or DSA: 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
- Goals: 2 (Fame zero), 3 (Salute e benessere), 15 (la vita sulla terra)