1.“Microbiologia dei prodotti alimentari” G.A. Farris, E. Neviani, M. Vincenzini 2012, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (biblioteca Agraria – 5 copie, p.le delle Cascine 18, Tel. 055.3288232 e-mail: bibag@unifi.it ; illagraria@unifi.it)
2.“Microbiologia degli alimenti” Springer – Verlag (MI), 2009 Jay, Loessner, Golden, Ed italiana: A. Pulvirenti (biblioteca Agraria -4 copie)
3. Manuale di microbiologia predittiva. F. Gardini, E. Parente. Springer-Verlag, 2013
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired:
Knowledge of theoretical and practical tools to plan and perfom microbiological analysis for food quality control.
Competence acquired (at the end of the course): Knowledge of conventional and molecular microbiological techniques for control of food processing.
Skills acquired (at the end of the course):
Ability to evaluate and optimise the microbiological quality of foods. Ability to apply rapid techniques for enumeration and identification both at species and strain level of microorganisms in foods. Critical evaluation of the analytical data.
Prerequisites
Courses required: General microbiology, Food Microbiology.
Teaching Methods
CFU:9
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 225
Hours reserved to private study and other indivual formative activities: 153
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 43
Contact hours for: Laboratory (hours): 24
Seminars (hours): 5
Stages: 0
Intermediate examinations: 0
Further information
Frequency of lectures and laboratory, although non compulsory, is strongly recommended
Teaching tools
Video projector, PC, overhead projector, experimental fields, labs
Type of Assessment
Oral examination
Course program
Lectures:
Importance of food microbiological control. Microbiological criteria. Sample schemes: two-class and three class attributes plans. Microbiological parametrs. Traditional enumeration methods: plate counts and counts by optical microscope. Chromogenic and fluorogenic culture media. Statistical analysis of data resulting from plate counts. Viable but non culturable cells. Rapid methods for microbial counts: DEFT (Direct Epifluorescence Filter Technique), Flow cytometry, Hydrophobic Grid Membrane Filter Technique (HGMF), immunological techniques (homogeneous and non homogeneous assays, competitive and non competitive assays), electrical techniques and appropriate instruments, (RABIT, MALTHUS), bioluminescence technique, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), Real-time PCR, genetic probes (FISH: Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization), molecular methods for intraspecific differentiation of food microorganisms. Predictive microbiology: experimental design and data collection, predictive modelling in food microbiology, challenge test
Laboratory practices
Rapid methods for detecting and enumerating food microorganisms.
Visits of food companies and analytical food laboratories