Course syllabus
Course-PM
KLI011 Food chemistry lp2 HT19 (7.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Biology and Biological Engineering
Contact details
Examiner: Ingrid Undeland (undeland@chalmers.se)
Other lecturers are given in the separate schedule (see under files).
Course purpose
Food chemistry deals with the chemical, physical and functional properties of food constituents and the chemical changes these constituents undergo during handling, processing and storage including those that limit food shelf life. Food chemistry is a major aspect of Food science, that is an interdisciplinary subject in which the engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying food processing, and the improvement of foods from a consumer and sustainability perspective. The aim of the course is to provide the students with a deep understanding of how food components contributes to overall quality of foods; and to enable students to evaluate and explain how the highly complex nature of food may result in a multitude of desired and undesired reactions which are controlled by a variety of parameters.
Schedule
See separate document with lecures/teachers/times
Course literature
Compulsory for the Food chemistry course (C):
C. “Food: the Chemistry of Its Components”, 6th ed. T.P. Coultate (2016), The Royal Society of Chemists (RSC), Cambridge, UK Available at Cremona or as e-book here:
http://proxy.lib.chalmers.se/login?url=https://app.knovel.com/web/toc.v/cid:kpFTCCE018/viewerType:toc//root_slug:foodchemistry-its-components/url_slug:preservatives?&issue_id=kpFTCCE018
Additional textbooks available at the Departments Seminar room (F) and/or available as an e-book at Chalmers library (B):
B: “Food Chemistry”, 4th ed. Belitz, Grosch & Schieberle (2009), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany Available as an e-book at Chalmers Library
F: “Fennema´s Food Chemistry“, 4th ed. Damodaran, Parkin & Fennema (2008), CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA
A reading list is provided under files.
Course design
The course includes lectures with the following content:
- Water and its interaction with food components and food stability
-
Carbohydrates:
Mono-, di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides
Decomposition - reducing and non-reducing sugars
Starch - granule structure and properties, native and modified
Heteropolysaccharides - pectic substances and seed gums
Sweeteners -
Lipids:
Fatty acids and triglycerides
Phospholipids
Lipid oxidation (rancidity)
Rancidity - hydrolytic and oxidative
Hydrogenation - mechanisms and catalysts, trans fatty acids
Interesterification
Polymorphism
Synthetic fats -
Proteins:
Amino acid chemistry
Protein structure
Protein changes during processing
Vegetable, milk, cheese and meat/fish proteins -
Browning reactions:
Maillard reaction - formation and control
Enzymatic browning - Emulsions
- Colours and colorants
- Food additives
- Flavours
- Toxic substances
- Biopolymer structures
- Food analysis
Compulsory parts:
- Laboratory practicals will cover topics such as, Lipid oxidation, Enzymatic browning of vegetables and fruits, Protein processing. Lab reports should be provided and can yield in total 7 credits which are added to the credits of the final exam,
- Seminar work where the students should critically review of the chemical composition of a food product The outcome is presented in an oral presentation and a power point presentation with references which is handed in for evaluation.
Communication between students and teacher takes place in person or via Canvas or e-mail.
Changes made since the last occasion
The order of lectures has been changed.
The Protein solubility lab has been updated based on input from students
Learning objectives and syllabus
Learning objectives:
The students will be trained to understand and discuss the main principles, theories and concepts underlying established knowledge in food chemistry. On completing this course, students should be able to:
- describe reactions and mechanisms important in food chemistry
- explain the chemistry of the most important food components, including their properties and reactions
- develop and distinguish how individual food components contributes to the overall quality of foods
- explain the major chemical reactions that occur during food handling, processing and storage, including those that limit food shelf life
- demonstrate knowledge on the relationship of chemical markers and key chemical compounds that relate flavour and colour attributes to thermal processing, chemical reactions (e.g. oxidative changes, Maillard reaction) and product quality
- demonstrate sufficient knowledge of food chemistry to control reactions in foods.
- implement a selection of laboratory techniques common to basic and applied food chemistry
- apply their knowledge and laboratory skills to measure, control and modify the chemical and physical properties of food
- explain the principles behind some of the most common analytical techniques used in food analysis (primarily chemical and physical analyses)
- be capable of designing and conducting experiments and interpreting data to understand important food chemistry principles
- In oral presentations, debate and written documentation, discuss and critically analyse literature data and food product information within a selected food chemistry topic.
- seek and acquire information, and to conduct independent studies in order to advance the personal knowledge within the area
- based on study vist(s), have brief knowledge about how a food production company operates.
Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.
Examination form
A written exam is provided at the end of the course providing questions equal to 93 credits. The exam consists of one part with shorter questions and one part with more thorough questions where students can show a more deep understanding of the topic.
As stated above, lab reports can provide up to 7 credits if they are handed in on time, and approved in the first round. If not, credits are reduced.
Course summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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