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? How does processing affect the aroma of a product? Chemometrics and univariate data analysis will be important tools.

Learning outcome

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:

  • Explain the aroma chemistry in food products
  • Evaluate possibilities and limitations of aroma analysis for food quality analysis
  • Ability to choose the proper method to evaluate aroma of food products
  • Ability to identify important aroma compounds through organoleptic perception and dynamic release in the nasal cavity, using e.g. GC-olfactometry or nose space PTR-MS 
  • Ability to treat and handle instrumental aroma data using the most advanced techniques
  • Hands-on experience with aroma analysis
  • Ability to assess reliability of data
  • Ability to perform suitable data analysis on instrumental data and to relate it to sensory data.

 

Competences:

  • Apply aroma analysis to solve current challenges relating to food quality
  • Handling complex data sets and reporting results
  • Relate different aroma sampling techniques and 
  • 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.

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 correlated to instrumental data. Based on the practical work, a written report is prepared. The students are encouraged to make a critical use of AI in the preparation of the report. The students should also reflect on the processes in problem-oriented group research.

A mandatory 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.

Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
The exam is conducted in both report (submisssion in groups) and the curriculum.

In order to access the oral exam the submission (group report) must be submitted during the course.
Exam registration requirements

Hand in of E-learning cases. 

Laboratory work carried out in groups (physical participation needed), 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 the ordinary 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. In that case, the report must be submitted no later than one week before the re-examination.

Criteria for exam assessment

See 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
4-29 August 2025
4-week summer course in August
Week 1 (4-10 August): E-learning and reading
Week 2-3 (11-24 August): Teaching on campus
Week 4 (25-29 August): Report writing and 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   (14-7c82757f6e7c7d6e7b377178757d496f78786d37747e376d74)
  • Bodil Helene Allesen-Holm   (4-7379727951778080753f7c863f757c)
    (Course coordinator)
Saved on the 02-10-2024

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