Aroma - the Chemistry behind Odour
Course content
The course describes the role of aroma components in foods, and gives a thorough review of techniques for sampling and analysis of aroma. The relationship between the aroma profile and the sensory quality of a product is an important issue of the course, and includes working with the complexity of the chemical background for odour impressions. The use of multivariate techniques - chemometrics - to relate aroma analysis to sensory evaluation data is an integrated part of the course.
Through practical work with aroma analyses, the course will aim to enable the students to answer questions like: Why do low alcoholic beers taste different? Why does addition of milk change the aroma of coffee dramatically? Can aroma analyses be used to make a perfect copy of e.g. a leading product? Can the choice of frying oil affect the aroma of the fried product? How does heat treatment affect the aroma of a product? Chemometrics and univariate data analysis will be important tools.
Knowledge:
- Understand the complexity of the chemical backgroud for odour
- Understand the principles and methods being used to measure and interpret aroma
- Know the commonly used techniques for aroma analysis
- Know how results obtained through aroma analysis relate to measured sensory quality.
Skills:
- Evaluate possibilities and limitations of aroma analysis for food quality analysis and the relation to sensory quality through multivariate statistics
- Treat instrumental aroma data using the most advanced techniques
- Hands-on experience with aroma analysis, including planning experimental setups, sampling, and general practical laboratory work
- Ability to assess reliability of data
- Ability to perform suitable data analysis on instrumental data and to relate it to sensory data.
Competences:
- Reflect on the role of aroma properties in quality of food
- Cooperate with fellow students in a project group, including planning, executing and reporting experiments
- Reflect on working in groups.
A combination of self-studies and e-learning before the
attendance part of the course will give the student the basic tools
and knowledge required for the course, including the theoretical
background on techniques and instrumentation for aroma analysis of
food.
Through practical projects, where the students work in groups,
measurement of aroma will be carried out. Sensory data will also be
used and the results from the two types of measurements should be
correlated. Based on the practical work, a written report is
prepared. The students are encouraged to make a critical use of
ChatGPT or other Large Language Models in the preparation of the
report. The students should also reflect on the processes in
problem-oriented group research.
A seminar will be held, where the students present their results to
each other. Theoretical exercises based on authentical datasets
a.o. will be arranged. Before the course start, the participants
must read selected scientific literature and complete the
E-learning materials.
The participants are expected to have basic skills within food
chemistry and chemometrics.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is highly
recommended, including experience with larger projects,
presentation of data and skills in academic writing.
If the qualifications are not met, students should expect a high
workload to acquire the needed level of knowledge through the
E-learning.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 25 min
- Type of assessment details
- The exam is conducted in both reports (submisssion in groups)
and the curriculum.
In order to acces the oral exam the submission (report) must be submitted during the course. - Exam registration requirements
-
Laboratory work carried out in groups, and presentation given at the seminar.
- Aid
- Without aids
No aids allowed for the oral exam, but the student can bring a paper version of the project report.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Re-exam
-
Same as regular exam.
If the exam requirements have not been met prior to the re-examination, students must retake the course.
If the student has submitted the report but did not participate in the oral exam, the re-examination should be based on the original report. If the student fails the regular exam, a re-examination can be based on either the original report or a new report prepared individually by the student. n that case, the report must be submitted no later than 2 weeks before the re-examination.
Criteria for exam assessment
Cf. Learning Outcomes
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 16
- Preparation
- 58
- Theory exercises
- 5
- E-Learning
- 50
- Project work
- 76
- Exam
- 1
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- NFOK16002U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Placement
- Summer
- Schedulegroup
-
Summer course 4 weeks in August, weeks 32-35. The first week (week 32) is for e-learning and reading, weeks 33 and 34 comprise teaching on campus, and the last week (week 35) is for report writing and the oral exam.
- Capacity
- 30
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student. - Studyboard
- Study Board of Food, Human Nutrition and Sports
Contracting department
- Department of Food Science
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Mikael Agerlin Petersen (3-7d718050767f7f743e7b853e747b)
- Sylvester Holt (14-7f857882717f80717e3a747b78804c727b7b703a77813a7077)
- Bodil Helene Allesen-Holm
(4-646a636a4268717166306d7730666d)
(Course coordinator)
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