Courses

Introduction to Food Science and Technology

General

Course Contents

Introduction to the following topics:

  • Human nutrition and the evolution of food production: historical review from antiquity to modern times. Modern food trends.
  • The importance and origin of food. World food situation. Food legislation. International organizations.
  • Food categories: Fresh food, processed food of plant and animal origin, other types of processed food.
  • Origin of food: raw materials (vegetable and animal raw materials), additives, quality control, quality systems.
  • Enzymatic reactions (nature of enzymes, proteases, oxidases, lipases) and chemical reactions (oxidations, non-enzymatic browning, etc) in foods.
  • Food safety: food spoilage (microbiological and toxicological examination), toxic substances in food, hygiene (personal hygiene, hygiene of production areas, haccp system).
  • Food production and processing: preservation, food processing (cooling, freezing, drying, condensation, heat treatment, irradiation, fermentation), effect of food processing and preservation on its nutritional value.
  • Food standardization: definition and role of standardization, food packaging (purpose, materials, types, labels), food storage.
  • Research and development in food industry. New product development.
  • Trade and promotion (marketing) of food.
  • Food industry waste management.

Educational Goals

The course aims to provide the scope and importance of food science and technology. The purpose of the course is to understand the fundamentals of food science and technology associated with providing a safe, nutritious, and abundant supply of fresh and processed foods.

Concepts and applications of food chemistry, food analysis, food processing, biotechnology, sensory evaluation, food packaging, food product development and food engineering are discussed.

A brief presentation of how the food industry and research is addressing the potential health risks associated with toxic chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms that may be present in food and how food preservation and processing can extend the food availability from periods of abundance to periods of scarcity and from surplus to deficit regions.

General Skills

  • Searching, analyzing and synthesizing of information, also using the necessary technologies.
  • Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking.
  • Independent and group working.

Teaching Methods

Face to face:

  • Lectures in the classroom using PC and projector.

Use of ICT means

  • Lectures on PowerPoint slides using PC and projector.
  • Notes in electronic format.
  • Post course material and communicate with students on the Moodle online platform and email.

Teaching Organization

ActivitySemester workload
Lectures25
Total25

Students Evaluation

Evaluation methods:

  • Students are required to write a paper that is graded according to predetermined criteria.

Recommended Bibliography

  1. Κυρανάς Ε. (2012). Τρόφιμα: Σύσταση, Προέλευση, Αλλοιώσεις, Επεξεργασίας και Συσκευασία. Εκδ. Τζιόλα. Θεσσαλονίκη.
  2. Χεκίμογλου Ε., Ρούπα Χ.Ε. (2006) Η Ιστορία της Βιομηχανίας Τροφίμων. Κέρκυρα.
  3. F. Stewart, M.A. Amerine (1982). Introduction to food science and technology, 2nd ed. Academic Press USA.
  4. M. Gaman and K. B. Sherrington (Auth.).(1981)The Science of Food. An Introduction to Food Science, Nutrition and Microbiology 2nd Ed.
  5. Jeffrey M. Pilcher (ed.)(2012). The Oxford Handbook of Food History. Oxford University Press, NY.
  6. Jeantet, T.Croguennec, P.Schuck, G.Brulé(2016).Handbook of Food Science and Technology 1: Food Alteration and Food Quality. Wiley.
  7. Jeantet, T.Croguennec, P.Schuck, G. Brule(2016).Handbook of Food Science and Technology 2: Food Process Engineering and Packaging. Wiley.
  8. IFIS Dictionary of Food Science and Technology 2nd(2009).Wiley Blackwell.
  9. D. Belitz(2005). Food Chemistry. Springer Verlag.
  10. J. Montville, K.R. Matthews, K.E. Kniel (2012). Food Microbiology: An Introduction, American Society for Microbiology.
  11. Paul Singh, Dennis R. Heldman (2008).Introduction to Food Engineering, 4thEd.Food Science and Technology International Series.
  12. J. Fellows (2000) Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice. Woodhead Publishing in Food Science and Technology).
  13. J. Whitehurst, M. Van-Oort (2010), Enzymes in Food technology, 2ndEd., Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
  14. H. Lyon, M.A. Francombe, T.A. Hasdell, K. Lawson (1992). Guidelines for sensory analysis in food product development and quality control. Chapman & Hall, 2-6 Boundary Row, London.
  15. A.B. Gerorge (1996). Encyclopedia of Food and Color Additives. Vol. III. CRC Press.