Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-07 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameLivsmedelskemi
- CodeKLI011
- Credits7.5 Credits
- OwnerMPBIO
- Education cycleSecond-cycle
- Main field of studyBioengineering, Chemical Engineering
- DepartmentBIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
- GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language English
- Application code 08127
- Maximum participants30 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
- Block schedule
- Open for exchange studentsYes
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0107 Examination 7.5 c Grading: TH | 7.5 c |
|
In programmes
- MPBIO - BIOTECHNOLOGY, MSC PROGR, Year 1 (compulsory elective)
- MPBIO - BIOTECHNOLOGY, MSC PROGR, Year 2 (elective)
- MPISC - INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, MSC PROGR, Year 2 (elective)
- MPMED - BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, MSC PROGR, Year 1 (elective)
- MPMED - BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, MSC PROGR, Year 2 (elective)
Examiner
Ingrid Undeland- Full Professor, Food and Nutrition Science, Life Sciences
Eligibility
General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Specific entry requirements
English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Course specific prerequisites
Undergraduate profile (BSc) with courses in chemistry, including inorganic, physical and organic chemistry; and biochemistry.Aim
Food chemistry deals with the chemical, physical and functional properties of food constituents and the chemical changes these constituents undergo during handling, processing and storage. A large focus is on changes that limit food shelf-life or change nutritional properties; subjects of increasing importance as food security steadily climbs in relevance on the global agenda. Food chemistry is an interdisciplinary subject in which the engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying food processing, and the improvement of foods from a consumer and sustainability perspective. The aim of the course is to provide the students with a deep understanding of how food components contribute to overall quality of foods; and to enable students to evaluate and explain how the highly complex nature of food may result in both desired and undesired reactions which are controlled by intrinsic and surrounding parameters. Both traditional and emerging food commodities are addressed, the latter including e.g., new protein sources.Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
The students will be trained to understand and discuss the main principles, theories and concepts underlying established knowledge in food chemistry. On completing this course, students should be able to:
- describe reactions and mechanisms important in food chemistry
- explain the chemistry of the most important food components, including their properties and reactions
- develop and distinguish how individual food components contributes to the overall quality of foods
- explain the major chemical reactions that occur during food handling, processing and storage, including those that limit food shelf life
- demonstrate knowledge on the relationship of chemical markers and key chemical compounds that relate flavour and colour attributes to thermal processing, chemical reactions (e.g. oxidative changes, Maillard reaction) and product quality
- demonstrate sufficient knowledge of food chemistry to control reactions in foods.
- implement a selection of laboratory techniques common to basic and applied food chemistry
- apply their knowledge and laboratory skills to measure, control and modify the chemical and physical properties of food
- explain the principles behind some of the most common analytical techniques used in food analysis (primarily chemical and physical analyses)
- be capable of designing and conducting experiments and interpreting data to understand important food chemistry principles
- In oral presentations, debate and written documentation, discuss and critically analyse literature data and food product information within a selected food chemistry topic.
- seek and acquire information, and to conduct independent studies in order to advance the personal knowledge within the area
- based on study vist(s), have brief knowledge about how a food production company operates.
Content
The course includes lectures with the following content:
- Water and its interaction with food components and food stability
- Carbohydrates:
Mono-, di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides
Decomposition - reducing and non-reducing sugars
Starch - granule structure and properties, native and modified
Heteropolysaccharides - pectic substances and seed gums
Sweeteners - Lipids:
Fatty acids and triglycerides
Phospholipids
Lipid oxidation (rancidity)
Rancidity - hydrolytic and oxidative
Hydrogenation - mechanisms and catalysts, trans fatty acids
Interesterification
Polymorphism
Synthetic fats - Proteins:
Amino acid chemistry
Protein structure
Protein changes during processing
Vegetable, milk, cheese and meat/fish proteins - Browning reactions:
Maillard reaction - formation and control
Enzymatic browning - Emulsions
- Colours and colorants
- Food additives
- Flavours
- Toxic substances
- Biopolymer structures
Compulsory parts:
- Laboratory practicals will cover topics such as, Lipid oxidation, Enzymatic browning of vegetables and fruits, Protein processing.
- Seminar work where the students should critically go in depht within a food chemistry topic.The outcome should be presented in an oral presentation and a written documentation.
Organisation
The course includes lectures, compulsory laboratory exercises and seminar work.Literature
Food: the Chemistry of Its Components, 6th ed. T.P. Coultate (2015), The Royal Society of Chemists (RSC), Cambridge, UK. (ebook via Chalmers library).Handouts of lecture notes and scientific literature.
Examination including compulsory elements
The examination is based on a written exam, approved laboratory exercises, and an oral and written presentation of the seminar work.The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.