1000569 - STABILIZZAZIONE E CONSERVAZIONE DEGLI ALIMENTI

courses
ID:
1000569
Duration (hours):
60
CFU:
6
SSD:
Food Science and Technology
Located in:
REGGIO DI CALABRIA
Url:
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY SCIENCES/Percorso Generico Year: 1
Year:
2026

Overview

Date/time interval

Secondo Ciclo Semestrale (01/03/2027 - 28/05/2027)

Syllabus

Course Objectives

The educational objectives of the course are the acquisition by students of knowledge regarding food degradation processes by studying and applying descriptive and mathematical phenomenological models. Through these models and knowledge, the student will be able to analyze the parameters and kinetics that define the shelf life of food. In addition, the student will be provided with the necessary knowledge in order to safeguard the quality of food during its storage. In particular, the methods of reduction/elimination of the microbial population and the evaluation, through the use of thermodynamic and kinetic models, of the effect of remediation treatments will be defined.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge and understanding
Acquisition of notions related to food preservation with particular regard to the unit operations applied for the stabilization and estimation of quality retention during shelf life.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Ability to independently apply the notions learned to the management of the preservation process of a food, also using forecasting models.
Making judgements
To be able to evaluate the different technical solutions applicable to stabilization according to the characteristics of the food.
Communication skills
Ability to present the results of applications and to relate to specialized technical figures in the sector, ability to coordinate the management of a food according to its shelf life.
Learning skills
Using the knowledge acquired in the course, you will have the ability to follow and self-learn specialized topics related to food preservation processes.

Course Prerequisites

Knowledge of concepts of mathematics (derivatives and integrals), physics (thermodynamics) and basics of unit operations of food technology.


Teaching Methods

Lectures
Simulation exercises of shelf life, thermal treatments calculations
Laboratory experiences



Assessment Methods

Oral examination


Texts

Teaching material distributed by the teacher (present in the teaching material of the intranet).


For consultation:

Ø A. Porretta e S. Porretta. L' industria delle conserve alimentari. Scienza, tecnologia, evoluzione. Chiriotti Editore (1999).

Ø S. Porretta. Shelf-life degli alimenti. Chiriotti Editore (2008).

Ø M. C. Nicoli. Shelf Life Assessment of Food. CRC Press. (2012).


Contents

1.                     Food alterations (2 hours)

2.                     Description of phenomenological kinetics. Descriptive models of reaction orders (6 hours).

3.                     Exercises to determine the order of reaction and the main parameters correlated with quantitative variations (1 hour of exercises).

4.                     Chemical kinetics of food degradation applied to marker molecules (4 hours).

5.                     Models for estimating the shelf-life of food by means of chemical-physical and mathematical models. Dependence of storage on temperature (6 hours).

6.                     Water activity: principles, isotherms, models and influence in the determination of shelf life (4 hours).

7.                     Shelf life calculation exercises (6 hours of exercises).

8.                     Heat transmission. Quantitative calculation models (4 hours).

9.                     Thermal stabilization. Theoretical principles. Definition of parameters D, Z and F. Examples of calculation of the equivalent sterilizing effect. Sterilization and pasteurization (principles, HTST and UHT processes and biological quality; discontinuous and continuous thermal remediation). Heat treatment plants (6 hours).

10.                Exercises on the calculation of the efficiency of a remediation heat treatment with laboratory tests on heat penetration curves and related calculations (6 hours of exercises).

11.                Storage by low temperatures. Refrigeration. Deep-freezing. Examples of implants (4 hours).

12.                Exercises on calculating freezing times (2 hours of exercises).

13.                Stabilization of food under high pressures (2 hours).

14.                Stabilization and heating of food with ohmic heating systems (2 hours).

15.                Treatment of food with ionizing radiation (1 hour).

16.                Processing of food with pulsed electric fields (2 hours).

17.                Stability of food emulsions (2 hours).



Degrees

Degrees

FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY SCIENCES 
Two-year Master's Degrees
2 years
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People

Other

Main module

Food stabilization and preservation