Food Ingredients and Structure Design

Course content

The course will focus on food ingredient functionality and innovative applications. Subjects as the influence of ingredients on food structure and quality as well as food processing and analysis will be covered. The course is based on lectures, theoretical exercises, journal clubs, and laboratory workshops. The participants will be given multiple assignments which will be collected into a portfolio (exam). As part of the curriculum the participants will visit an ingredients company.

The following core subjects will be covered:

  • Important structuring ingredients in foods (e.g. polysaccharides, protein, lipid)

  • Structure characterization (e.g. rheology, microscopy, spectroscopy)

  • Influence of processing (e.g. drying, encapsulation, extrusion, freezing)

  • Structure properties and stability (e.g. molecular weight, water absorption, oxidation)

Education

MSc Programme in Food Science and Technology
MSc Programme in Food Innovation and Health

Learning outcome

After completing the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge

  • Outline the variety of structuring food ingredients

  • Explain basic physico-chemical principles determining ingredient functionality

  • Interpret how various ingredients can be used to obtain specific structure and quality in a given food system

  • Describe the methods being used to measure and evaluate ingredient functionality

 

Skills

  • Make choices in application of ingredients based on scientific principles

  • Discuss the interplay between various ingredients in a complex food matrix

  • Evaluate possibilities and limitations of instrumental techniques for characterization of ingredient functionalities

  • Design test protocols for the evaluation of ingredient functionality

 

Competences

  • Apply ingredient knowledge in the structure design of foods

  • Apply relevant analytical methods to evaluate specific aspects of ingredient functionality

 

Lectures, journal clubs, group based case work, laboratory workshops, excursion

See Absalon for a list of course literature.

The course requires qualifications at least equivalent to a 3rd year BSc in Food Science with a good knowledge of food chemistry.

Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio
The portfolio exam contains three parts each accounting for 1/3 of the final grade. All three parts must be passed.

1) Case assignment (group, oral presentation), during course
2) Essay assignment (individual, written), during course
3) Multiple choice test (individual, written), 1 hour, exam week
Aid
Only certain aids allowed

Multiple choice test: no aids.

Essay and case assignments: all aids.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Criteria for exam assessment

See Learning Outcome

Single subject courses (day)

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 50
  • Theory exercises
  • 22
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Preparation
  • 109
  • Exam
  • 1
  • English
  • 206