The course is intended to give basic knowledge on the role of micro-organisms in transformation, preservation and alteration of foods of vegetal and animal origin, and in the production of novel foods and ingredients using microbial biomass.
Microbiologia alimentare applicata - L. Cocolin, M. Gobbetti, E. Neviani - Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (Milano, 2022)
Learning Objectives
To acquire knowledge on food micro-organisms and their metabolic activities, either beneficial or detrimental, with emphasis on fermented foods.
To acquire knowledge on the environmental conditions and the processes that favour or hinder microbial growth in foods.
To acquire the capacity to identify the critical points during food production on which is possible to intervene to hinder the development of spoilage or to favour beneficial micro-organisms.
Prerequisites
Courses recommended: Biochemistry and fundamentals of nutrition, General microbiology
Teaching Methods
48 hours of lectures and 25 hours of seminars and laboratory practices
Type of Assessment
Oral examination. The examination will aim at verifying that specific knowledge has been acquired and that this knowledge can be applied to solve problems concerning different aspects of the subject object of the course.
Course program
Definitions; historical outline and role of micro-organisms in food industry. Taxonomy, ecology and physiology of microbial genera of major relevance in the food sector. Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on microbial growth. Physical and chemical techniques to hinder growth and activity of spoilage micro-organisms in foods. Rapid methods to identify and count microbes in foods. Main microbial genera that cause food alterations. Microbial starter cultures: selection, maintenance and propagation of selected strains. Fermented foods and beverages: wine, beer, bread and other baked products, fermented vegetables, fermented milk products, cheeses, salami. Potable waters. Probiotics and functional foods; foods and ingredients from microbial biomass. Laboratory practices - Observation of food microorganisms at the optical microscope; enumeration of microbial groups from waters and food; cultivation of chemiotrophs and growth/fermentation measurements; determination of protein content in microbes based food/ingredients.