Food Tecnology Joint
Learning outcomes of the course unit
Knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the basic knowledge about the processes most frequently used in the food industry and about the working principles of the correspondent equipment.
Applying knowledge and understanding
The student will be able to set up the design of a food process and its equipment
Making judgements
The student will be able to extend the approach used in this course to further processes used in the food industry and related equipment
Communication skills
The student will learn the vocabulary specific for food processing, food safety and food equipment
Learning skills
Students will be able to deepen their knowledge in the field of food processing by independently examining specialized texts, journals or magazines.
Knowledge and ability to understand: The class aims to give the student the basic knowledge sufficient to understand the main unit operations of food technology, by creating a path that links the physical principles behind the specific operations with their aim and with the plants usable for their realization Use of knowledge and understanding skills: The class aims to enable the student to apply the knowledge learned in the future working environment. Autonomy of judgment: the class aims to enable the student to develop an autonomous capacity to express evaluations and to make simple decisions through acquired knowledge. Communication skills: The class aims to enable the student to communicate the knowledge learned to skilled or unskilled people in the field, and when started to work, to supervisors and / or clients. Learning Ability: The class aims to give students the tools and bases for future work and / or to continue their studies in the Master's Degree.
Prerequisites
There are no compulsory prerequisites, but students are strongly advised to have attended the course of technical physics as well as the frequency of the classes of food microbiology and food chemistry partly delivered in the first semester.
Students are strongly advised to have supported the examen of technical physics as well as the frequency of the classes of food microbiology and food chemistry partly delivered in the first semester.
Course contents summary
Principles of unit operations and processes in the food industry ( Cleaning of equipment and raw materials, Cutting and dimension reduction, Mixing, incorporating, structuring, Heat treatments, Cooling and freezing, Unit operations aimed to food components separation and rheological modification) with examples of the corresponding machines.
The class aims to introduce students to the study of the unit operations of food technology, resuming the basic principles of technical physics and applying them to the operations of heat exchange, material exchange, fluid transfer, separation, texture modification. For a better understanding example of application and description of the operating principles of the plants used for carrying out such operations with reference to measurement and control systems will be done.
Course contents
Contamination, spoilage and processes
Hygienic requirements
Microbial stability
Heat treatments
Retorting
Hot filling and aseptic processing
Aseptic packing
Sanitation of raw materials and equipment
Size reduction
Mixing, structuring
Cooking
Drying and freeze-drying
Separation operations: particles filtration; fluid component, centrifugal separation; liquid liquid extraction and solid liquid extraction
Cooling and freezing
Fluid flow, with short notes about pumps and rheological flow behaviour of fluids Heat transfer and physical properties of foods Chilling and freezing Overview of equipment for heat transfer Heat treatments aimed to food sterilization. Fundamentals of heat inactivation kinetics. D, z and F0 parameters and equivalent heat treatments. Packaging of fluids and solids In container batch or continuous sterilization Continuous mass sterilization Aseptic packaging Mass transfer between phases. Diffusion. Separation operations: particles filtration; fluid component separation by cross flow filtration; flotation, sedimentation and centrifugal separation; iquid liquid extraction and solid liquid extraction Mixing operation applied to fluids and solids Size reduction operations applied to particles dispersed into fluids (homogenisation) or to solid foods (cutting, slicing, grinding, etc) Modification of structure and texture of foods (crystallization, coagulation) Heat and matter transfer combined operations: evaporative concentration; drying; freeze-drying Short notes about cleaning and sanitation of equipments will be given during lectures on specific unit operations
Recommended readings
• P. J. Fellows “Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice” http://www.webpal.org/SAFE/aaarecovery/2_food_storage/Food%20Processing%...
• R. L. Earle “Unit Operations in Food Processing” http://www.nzifst.org.nz/unitoperations/index.htm
• J.G. Brennan “Food Processing Handbook” http://www.kelm.ftn.uns.ac.rs/literatura/pdms/FoodProcessingHandbook.pdf
Pompei C. (2009) Operazioni unitarie della tecnologia alimentare. CEA Milano
The content of the slides given by the teacher may be developed on these books : Singh R.P. Heldman D.R. (2015) Principi di tecnologia Alimentare. CEA Ambrosiana Milano Pompei C. (2009) Operazioni unitarie della tecnologia alimentare. CEA Milano Fellows P. J.“Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice” (Woodhead Publishing in Food Science and Technology) Second edition - Woodhead Publishing Ltd, Cambridge England, 2000 Earle R. L.“Unit Operations in Food Processing” – Free Web edition by Dick and Mary Earle, with the support of the NZIFST: http://www.nzifst.org.nz/unitoperations/index .htm
Teaching methods
The theoretical topics of the course are explained by means of lectures enriched with practical examples and case studies.
lectures
Assessment methods and criteria
The learning test will be carried out through a written test consisting of a closed-ended questions for the access to the exam and open questions. The time available to the student will be 120 minutes. Students who gained at least 18/30 in the written examination may apply to take an oral supplementation (which will account for 50% of the final grade), or verbalize the mark of the written test.
The learning test will be carried out through a single written test consisting of three parts. The first part consists of 10 closed-ended questions on key issues of food technology. The correct answer to at least 9 of the 10 responses to this first part is binding to proceed with the correction of the second and third part and the estimation of the mark. The second part consists of a series of 30 closed-ended questions that evaluate the student's ability to logically master the knowledge learned and the ability to also find simple links among the different unit operations. The third part consists of one open question with which the student must demonstrate his ability to communicate in a synthetic manner to third parties the ability to use the acquired knowledge. The mark of second part of the test contributes to 70% of the final mark, and the remaining 30% is attributed to the third part.The time available to the student to answer the three parts will be 120 minutes.
Other informations
Attendance at a course is not mandatory but strongly recommended
