Sustainability of food production. Global vs local food. Slow food. Street food. Factors influencing tourist food consumption. Awareness of the quality of food and investigation about food frauds. Classification of food: dietary principles and nutritional quality. Drinking and mineral waters. Food preservation and packaging. Assurance systems for food safety and certifications. Examples of supply chains: wine, coffee, and pasta. Sensorial properties and analytical methods for food quality.
Lecture notes and slides on Moodle (with integrative readings for non-attending students).
Learning Objectives
Understanding the positive and negative impacts of food globalization. From global to local food: the biodiversity, the quality and the healthy perspective and sustainability of local products. Understanding tourists’ needs and wants in terms of food consumption in the hospitality businesses.
What is food? Explain how to classify foods and dietary principles. Knowledge of the nutritional role of macro and micronutrients (including food supplements and natural compounds) in a healthy diet. Make a critical analysis of the main pyramid models of diet around the world.
Cultivate a more enquiring approach to, and awareness of, the variety and quality of food and investigate about frauds. Give examples about the main food frauds and fakes.
Describe the properties of water, as a natural resource, drinking water and mineral water. Be aware of the principal methods used in the hospitality sector to reduce the water wastage.
Categorize the main preservation methods in food industry, and describe the systems involved in the quality and safety management that ensure the food safety (HACCP plan).
Criticize the main food manufacturing processes and explain traceability system in food supply chains.
Knowledge of the main steps of the wine making process. Awareness of the importance on the wine tourism. Sustainability of wine making process.
Define the main food safety and hygiene international standards (BRC, IFS, ISO 22000).
Be able to identify mandatory indications on a food label.
Be aware on how sensory analysis is used in food industry for the food quality assessment and to investigate about consumers’ preferences.
Be aware of the main features of some food/beverages supply chains.
Prerequisites
A good knowledge and understanding of written English.
Teaching Methods
Lectures (44 h), written test (4 h), other forms of teaching methods (as seminars and experimental lessons) suspended due to COVID 19.
Further information
Under normal circumstances, the experimental lessons (4 h) will be held in the Mer.Qu.Ris Laboratory of the Novoli Pole, building D15, floor III.
Type of Assessment
ATTENDING STUDENTS (attendance of 60% of the lectures): two written test, a mid-term and a final term, and the presentation of a food itinerary during the examination date. Each written test consists of 2 open questions on the course program (specific lectures will be indicated). The duration of the written test is 20 minutes, and for each question, it is possible to write 10 lines of text. Each test and final food itinerary contribute 1/3 to the final mark.
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: ORAL examination overall program course, with 3 questions. Each question accounts 1/3 of the final grade. Duration of the exam: 20-30 min.
Course program
Tentative program of the lectures (subject to change):
Lecture 1 (Sept-15): Introduction to the Course. Main topics and learning objectives. Type of assessment.
Lecture 2 (Sept-16): Food globalization; risk and trust in the food sector; the main international actors in the food safety assessment; sustainable food production; environmental impact of food production. Food production and global warming. Sustainable food products.
Lecture 3 (Sept-22): Efforts to promote local foods and traditional agriculture. Glocalization. The biodiversity, the quality and the healthy perspective of typical products. Slow food movement. Slow food presidia and the Ark of Taste. Farm to fork networks.
Lecture 4 (Sept-23): FOOD FRAUDS: adulteration and misbranding. Food frauds and global scandals. Food frauds in the history
Lecture 5 (Sept-29): Food tourism and gastronomy, evolution of the phenomenon (Foodies, pop up restaurants). Factors influencing tourist food consumption. Tourist approach to local foods.
Lecture 6 (30 Sept): Food and nutrition. Food groups. Food pyramid: a model for a sustainable diet.
Lecture 7 (Oct-6):The main causes of food spoilage. Example of food-borne diseases, frequently found in catering. Classification of the main techniques used by the food industry for food preservation: methods that use temperature control (refrigeration, refrigeration with MAP, pasteurization and canning); methods that use water control (concentration, drying, lyophilization); and gamma radiations. Preservation methods with physical and chemical methods: the obtaining of smoked food.
Lecture 8 (Oct-7): Carbohydrates: classification, metabolism and nutritional properties. Intense sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, cyclamates). Natural substitutes of sugars (honey, HFCS, stevia).
Lecture 9 (Oct-13): Lipids and fats: classification and nutritional role. Fats and food supplements: lecithin, omega-3, omega-6, omega-9. Nutritional role of essential fatty acids.
Lecture 10 (October 14): a promenade on the Street food.
Lecture 11 (Oct-20): Minimizing food risks along the supply chain. HACCP system for food safety.
Lecture 12 (Oct-21): Quality management systems: ISO9001. Certification process. Other relevant certification standards: ISO14001, SA8000, fair trade.
Lecture 13 (Oct-27): Mid-term for attending students.
Lecture 14 (Oct-28): Classification and nutritional role of proteins. Essential amino acids. Proteins from animal and vegetal sources. Vitamin and food supplements: classification and biological properties. Minerals in the diet. Natural compounds (antioxidants) for a healthy diet: nutraceuticals, herbal drugs and superfood.
Lecture 15 (Nov-3): Water and tourism. Mineral waters: new trends.
Lecture 16 (Nov-4): WINE, with a special focus on the technique of production, territory and wine tourism (PART I).
Lecture 17 (Nov-10): WINE, with a special focus on the technique of production, territory and wine tourism (PART II).
Lecture 18 (Nov-11): HONEY and sensorial properties of food (with a remote sensory tasting).
Lecture 19 (Nov-17): Italian food label legislation, mandatory requirements, traceability, and examples of label and packaging of Italian foodstuff.
Lecture 20 (Nov-18): All about COFFEE (with the description of a scoring card for the sensory tasting)
Lecture 21-22 (Nov-24 and 25): a virtual tour in the chemistry lab for the food quality assessment (type of flours, sugar content in fruits and beverages, density of the milk, mineral water analysis).
Lecture 23 (Dec-1): PASTA. Why Italians love to talk about food? Spaghetti & Co: the Italian Pasta. Sensory testing.
Lecture 24 (Dec-2): End of the course. Final term (written test) for attending students.