Biology and Biochemistry of Plants for Foods and Beverages

The primary outcome will be a sound understanding of the biochemistry behind plant growth and development, as well as the composition of plant parts, from individual cells and their compounds to whole organs. A secondary outcome is an understanding down to molecular level of processes (e.g., germination, fermentation) that can be exploited to modify raw material properties.

Knowledge:

• Demonstrate ability to apply cell biology understanding to properties and processes in plants for foods and beverages.
• Describe biochemical pathways and the basic chemical structures leading to important components of plants for foods and beverages.
• Describe the structure and biochemical composition of plant parts (e.g., seeds, grains) and link with raw material properties (e.g., lipid oxidation)
• Understand how biotransformations such as germination/fermentation can affect raw material qualities.

Skills:
 

• Apply biochemical understanding for the development of plant raw materials with targeted characteristics (e.g., flavours) for the design of plant-based foods and beverages with predictable properties.
• Perform simple lab-scale experiments relevant to plant-based foods and beverages.

Competences:

• Work independently and use scientific literature
• Be theoretically prepared for the subsequent course Plants for Food 2 – Processing and Functionality (for which this course is a prerequisite), as well as for Brewing I & II and Cool Climate Viticulture