Module: BIO5100-20 Food Analysis

Level: 5

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Anil de Sequeira

Module Tutor Contact Details: a.desequeira@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This module will look at the way in which our food is processed and packaged, the effects of processing on nutritional quality, how food quality and safety is managed in the industry and the nutritional analysis of food products. Students will undertake some practical food processing and carry out an extended analysis of the products using some of the standard analytical techniques. Through this they will gain an insight into the importance of Good Laboratory Practice and factors that affect the reliability of results.

2. Outline syllabus

The microbiological aspects of food quality and safety will be reviewed in lectures and tutorials; and the food quality management systems, that provide consumer protection, studied through case studies and role plays. Legal aspects of food and nutrition will be considered with emphasis on consumer protection. You will study the way in which foods are processed, including high and low temperature preservation, drying, fermentation, cooking and recent developments in food processing. Samples of food will be processed, for example by canning, freezing or drying and later analysed for key nutrients using standard methods. The effects of processing will be compared with the unprocessed food to gain an understanding into the effects of such processing and the results compared across the class to give an understanding of the reliability of such data.

3. Teaching and learning activities

The module will be taught through a mixture of lectures (2 hours), seminars and practical workshops (2 hours). The lectures will introduce you to the main ways in which foods are processed and develop your understanding of how the quality of food is managed within the food industry. In the practical sessions you will prepare selected foods and apply simple preservation processes. These will later be analysed to see how compare the effects of the different processes on the nutrients, and other aspects of food quality and safety, such as the prevention of spoilage and the removal of anti-nutrients.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Coursework

• Description: Laboratory report (3000 words)

• % Weighting: 60%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Exam

• Description: Exam (2 hours)

• % Weighting: 40%