Educational offer - University of Padova

Information on the course unit

Degree course	Second cycle degree in FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Ord. 2017) AG0064, Degree course structure A.Y. 2017/18, A.Y. 2017/18	bring this page with you
Number of ECTS credits allocated	8.0
Type of assessment	Mark
Course unit English denomination	ANIMAL FOOD QUALITY
Website of the academic structure	http://www.agrariamedicinaveterinaria.unipd.it
Department of reference	Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment
E-Learning website	https://elearning.unipd.it/scuolaamv/course/view.php?idnumber=2017-AG0064-000ZZ-2017-AG01122714-N0
Mandatory attendance	No
Language of instruction	Italian
Branch	LEGNARO (PD)
Single Course unit	The Course unit can be attended under the option Single Course unit attendance
Optional Course unit	The Course unit can be chosen as Optional Course unit

Syllabus

Prerequisites:	The student should have some basic knowledge about livestock farming systems and the key technologies for the storage and processing of animal derived foodstuffs.
Target skills and knowledge:	The student will acquire knowledge about the evolution of the concept of quality along the production chains of the main animal derived foodstuffs. Production and processing systems of meat, milk and eggs will be analyzed along with the main factors affecting their nutritional, organoleptic and technological properties. There will also be acquired information about the main qualitative traits of fish and honey. For all these foodstuffs, information will be provided on recent trends in the domestic consumption and the marketing channels as well as on the evolution of their of quality concept in the light of environmental sustainability and animal welfare issues.
Examination methods:	At the end of the teaching semester, there will be a written final exam made of a multiple choice test. All the following exams included in the Academic calendar will be oral and they will consist of at least of 3 main questions on different topics of the course.
Assessment criteria:	The evaluation will take into account the student's understanding and acquisition of the topics covered by the course as well as the his ability to apply the acquired knowledge in an autonomous and professional manner.
Course unit contents:	Through a logical path the course covers the quality issue of animal derived foodstuffs, starting from general concepts upto the specificities of the single chains of production (meat, milk, eggs etc..). The framework of the course is the following (number of credits ECTS): - Definition of quality for an animal derived foodstuff and factors involved in its determination. Meaning of quality along the production chain of the animal derived foodstuffs. Animal derived foodstuffs and proper nutrition. Methods for the quality assessment of animal derived foodstuffs. Applications of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and XRF technology in the evaluation of food quality (1 ECTS). - World's trend of production and demand of meat and the Italian market. Strenghts ane weaknesses of different types of meat. The transport of animals to the abattoir and quality. Post-mortem evolution of muscle tissue. Protocols of meat quality evaluation and biological and technological factors involved in the control of the quality for different types of meat. (2 ECTS). - Production and market of domestic milk. Trend of consumption of drinking milk and dairy products. The quality of milk for cheese production, technological and sanitary parameters. Milk payment systems. Intensive and extensive milk supply systems and effects on raw milk quality and dairy products (1 ECTS). The quality of eggs. Market grading of eggs according to their supply. Quality traits of shell, yolk and albumen. Key quality requirements of honey and fish (1 ECTS). The organic method of animal food production. Ethics in animal husbandry and environmental sustainability of livestock supply chains as new quality drivers (1 ECTS). Technical visits, practical training, seminarsand laboratory training (2 ECTS).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods:	The course is developed through a set of frontal lectures and educational seminars supported by specific laboratory exercises and technical visits.
Additional notes about suggested reading:	The material used for classroom teaching and seminars is available in PDF format on the following web platform https://elearning.unipd.it/scuolaamv/ The material might be supplemented by specific scientific literature.
Textbooks (and optional supplementary readings)