Corso di Laurea in Tecniche Erboristiche

The students-based learning objectives of this course include knowledge on the chemical composition of food, main transformation processes and their impact on food quality and safety. General framework of EU legislation on food safety and quality will be also introduced providing students of practical tools for real-world application of basic concepts.
Dietary Products Course provides adequate knowledge about the nutritional properties, about the chemical and technological characteristics of dietary products.

Expected learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

At the end of the course, the student demonstrates that:

• Know the aspects concerning the chemical composition of foods, the production cycles from which they derive and which lead them to have different characteristics, the reactions to the food principles during the technological processes of transformation, sanitization and conservation, as well as the analytical aspects related to food safety and quality assessment.
• Know the basics of nutrition and dietetics and the physiological / nutritional effects of functional foods, food supplements, and foods intended for specific groups of the population and any interactions of the diet with drug therapies.
• Discriminate between different food products and their healthy use according to the presentation and their composition, as well as having the ability to advise and orient themselves in an appropriate and profitable way in the advice.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Achievement of the ability to apply knowledge and understanding in order to orient oneself appropriately and profitably within the profession even when, in the light of new knowledge and scientific evidence, guiding and / or reference parameters have not yet been defined. Furthermore, the student will be able to describe the parameters that define the quality and the chemical / composting characteristics of the different foods, novel foods, functional foods and food supplements in the practice of the profession.

Making judgments

Ability to make rational choices and evaluate which, among different foods and / or related products, are most appropriate in the contexts of prevention and maintenance of good health. He will make choices on the basis of knowledge and skills acquired during the course from different points of view: chemical composition, product aspects and nutritional profile.

Communication skills

Acquisition of fundamental skills in written and oral communication useful for spreading objective scientific knowledge and skills acquired during the course and the activities proposed by the course.

Learning skills

Clarity in knowledge leads to refine the ability to evaluate one's level of preparation in the field of study, with the relative development of autonomy on the assessment of the need to face subsequent training levels.

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The course will be delivered in presence by keeping a streaming channel for those students that cannot reach the University site. Moreover, multiple modalities in an integrated ambient by e-learning (documents and lessons on Moodle), in classroom and in a blended class configuration will be realized.
On Moodle students will find: video-lessons; practical exercises, self-assessment tests, scientific literature, seminars and webinars dealing with the discipline. Al material will be presented to the students and contents discussed through forum and in presence.

A selection of video-lessons from Visiting Professors will be also made available.
The main objective of this teaching modality is to create a continuum between different situations: classroom in presence, self-learning and critical discussion.

Water for human consumption, mineral water. EU and National legislation, qualification parameters. Water activity and shelf-life. Milk and dairy products: milk, physical and physico-chemical properties, general composition, Milk processing: thermal treatments, creaming, heat treatments and markers of treatments (enzyme residual activity, Maillard reactions, lattulose formation). Dairy products: fermented milk products, yogurt, sour milk pro-biotic and pre-biotic products. Cream and butter production. Cheese. Aroma and taste of dairy products.
Edible fats and oils: compositive characteristics, biosynthetic peculiarities Processing: extraction, refining, bleaching, deodorization, deacidification, fractionation, interesterification, hydrogenation. Olive oil legislation: denomination of extra virgin olive oil, peculiarities, marker of authenticity and quality.
Cereals and cereal products: wheat and rye origin, general composition, proteins (gluten composition anc chemical characteristics), carbohydrates (starch and gelatinization), lipids and other constituents. Milling, milling products (wheat flour characteristics and legislation), backing products (bread and pasta).
Wine: grape cultivars, growth and harvest, must production and chemical composition. Fermentation, Aroma compounds, pigments and chemical modification during storage and aging. Sparkling wines. National and EU legislation.
Food packaging: pre-requisites for materials adopted in food packaging, migration test conditions, simulants. Vegetable food, antioxidants and antinutrients; examples.

Food analysis
1) Water: Chemical Oxygen Demand, Hardness, Iron and chlorides determination;
2) Wine: ethanol content, total and volatile acidity, total anthocyanes, sulphates;
3) Milk: density, fat content, dry extract, pH and acidity (°SH);
4) Oil and Fats: free acidity, peroxide number, iodine value, saponification value.

Fundamentals of human nutrition and health and nutrition goals. Security needs, RDA and RDAs, Food Guidelines. Energy demand: basal metabolism, diet-induced thermogenesis, thermoregulation, physical activity assessment methods. Macronutrients: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, protein requirements, micro-nutrients: vitamins, minerals, classification, biological and nutritional aspects, food sources, essential nutrients (fatty acids, amino acids). Production techniques and food storage: effects on the nutritional value of foods, nutrient-induced modification processes. Food Safety and HACCP in herbal medicine. Food Additives: definition, toxicity, some examples of the various classes. Food labelling. Concept of Claim. Health products: functional foods, dietary supplements, foods for special diets. Definitions, legal frameworks. Examples of various classes: to gut's target (probiotics and prebiotics) to blood's target (phytosterols, ω-3 fatty acids and ω-6, in primary and secondary prevention purposes and epidemiological evidence), antioxidants, herbal ingredients in products with different target (for weight control, drainage, the mood, sleep promotion, ergogenic, adaptogenic). Quality and safety of herbal ingredients. Dietary aspects of developmental age, lactation and weaning, pregnancy and lactation, in old age. Dietary products for subjects with metabolic disorders: food allergies (especially to cow's milk), gluten (gluten-free products), diabetes (diabetic products, artificial sweeteners), lactose intolerance.