INDUSTRIES AND FOOD QUALITY CONTROL

Integrated educational activity

Course Sheet

Academic Year of enrolment:

2020/2021

Optional/Mandatory:

Compulsory

Degree:

5-year Single Cycle Master's Degree Programme in VETERINARY MEDICINE

Language:

Italian

Moduls:

INDUSTRIE ALIMENTARI E ISPEZIONE DEI PRODOTTI DI ORIGINE ANIMALE

6 credits
NORMATIVA ALIMENTARE

1 credits
FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

2 credits

Credits:

Programme Year:

Hours of classroom activity:

Prerequisites:

The student attending the course should have acquired basic knowledge and skills in various training areas of the Veterinary Medicine degree program, including public health, animal production, economics, and organizational management, microbiology and immunology, general pathology and pathological anatomy, infectious diseases and public health; pharmacology and toxicology; animal breeding, production, and nutrition; economics and business organization. In this course, professional competencies of the Veterinarian are realized, focusing on zoonoses, chemical and biological risks, antimicrobial resistance, the impact of certain diseases, and animal welfare on the quality and safety of food. It also addresses the organization and impact of breeding and processing companies on sustainability.

AF code:

40001675

Assessment Methods

Verification of learning:

The exam is intended to verifiy the acquisition by the student of the following skills and competence:
- knowledge of methodologies for hygiene management and safety assessment of processes and food products of animal origin, and their applicatrion to food chain;
- Critical analysis and application to practical cases of methodologies for hygiene management, safety assessment, and official control.
- ability to communicate clearly with specialized stakeholders (Food Business Operators, professionals and officials control) and non-specialists (consumers, media, etc.);
-ability to identify informative resources, training paths to develop professional skills and knowledge, updating and adapting them to the context (consultancy, training, research, or official control activities).
The oral examination includes the assessment of the level of learning of the skills acquired by the student through attendance and participation in both theoretical and practical lessons, as well as individual learning.
The grading, expressed on a scale of thirty, is assigned during the final examination by evaluating the level of learning in reference to the criteria defined in the procedure approved by the Department.
The final assessment will refer to the different levels of preparation and depth of knowledge and the acquired competencies.
The oral exam involves assessing the level of learning of the skills that the student has acquired through attendance and participation in both theoretical and practical lessons, as well as individual learning. The grading, expressed on a scale of thirty, is assigned during the final exam by evaluating the level of learning in accordance with the procedure approved by the Department. The final evaluation will refer to the different levels of preparation and depth (see the section on educational activities) and the acquired skills.

Teaching period

First semester

Objectives

The Food Industries and quality course provides the following learning objectives:
a) Food Legislation
The student acquires knowledge and skills regarding the essential regulatory framework defined by European and national food legislation, outlining the requirements for Food Business Operator and the Official Control of products of animal origin, including Certifications. Basic knowledge is acquired concerning the sources of legislation and the relationships between regulations and sources, including definitions and terminology.
The international framework of organizations related to food sector, including rules and agreements with consequent relapses for the European Union's food legislation body, are analyzed. The main regulatory references of EU food legislation defined by Regulation 178/2002 are examined, concerning the principles of legislation, the obligations of the FBO (Food Business Operator), the establishment of the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), food safety procedures, hygiene standards, and official controls. Implications of national regulations on procedures relevant for official controls by Competent Authorities are analyzed.
b) Hygiene and Food safety management in food production
The objective of the course “Hygiene and Food safety management in food production” is to provide
students the basis knowledge for a correct application of food safety and hygiene requirements in food premises. The student will acquire the methodology of a Food Safety Management System in the production and marketing of foods of animal origin. Specifically, the course will be aimed to provide the elements of prerequisite programs (environmental and operational conditions); knowledge on the application of permanent procedures based on HACCP principles; the methodology
of risk analysis in to ensure food safety and to protect public health; the key steps in developing food traceability systems and withdrawal/recall actions.
c) Food Industries and Food Inspection of food of animal origin
The student acquires knowledge and skills in production, hygiene of technologies and foods of animal-origin, including:
-the relationships between food and microorganisms.
-abiotic contaminations of foods, including residues of veterinary medicines.
-adverse reactions associated with foods.
-technologies for the production, processing, preservation, packaging, and distribution of animal-origin foods.
-hygienic and safety management in the milk and dairy product supply chain, preserves and semi-preserves, and dehydrated foods (dried, freeze-dried), including relevant regulatory requirements and official control.
The student's training takes place in an informed context of relationships and responsibilities among stakeholders in food chains, including implications for public health, the international context, and societal expectations. This includes relationships among humans, the environment, and animals, as well as the distribution of responsibilities in the implementation of regulatory requirements by the Food Business Operator and the Competent Authority.
The module “Food microbiology” provides to the students the basic knowledge for a correct application of the methods for the detection and enumeration of microorganism in food e the
determination of antibiotic residues in raw milk.

Contents

The contents of the Integrated course included:
a) Food Legislation
Overview of legal sources and food legislation
Food safety and international dimension
EU Food legislation:
Traceability
Traceability in the food chain; procedures and responsibilities, official control, and sanctions
The European Food Safety Authority
Function and tasks; Organization; Operation, principles, and general aspects
Rapid Alert System, emergency situations, and crisis management
Network, contact points, notifications, and activation.
Legal bases on food hygiene
Definitions and scope of application of Regulations 852/2004 and 853/2004
Official Control
Regulation 625/2017. Delegated and implementing regulations
b) Hygiene and Food safety management in food production
Food safety
Food Safety Management Systems
Prerequisite Programs: environmental and operational conditions
HACCP system – Introduction and preliminary steps and Principles
Risk Analysis
Guides to good practice
Traceability, withdrawal and recall
Practical activities
Cleaning and disinfection in food industries
HACCP simulation
c) Industries and Inspection of Animal-Origin Foods
Training and role of the Veterinary Hygienist in the food sector at the European and national levels, basic concepts of food:
Foods and nutrition:
Abiotic contaminations of foods:
Microbial contaminations of foods:
Microbiology of food products of animal origin:
Methods for assessing microbial contaminations:
Technological interventions affecting the safety and shelf life of foods:
Food alterations:
Additives and technological aids.
Preserved foods
Foods preserved in plastic films, vacuum-sealed, in hypobaric and modified atmosphere.
Milk and dairy products.
-module Laboratory of food microbiology
Introduction to food microbiology.
Total bacterial count in raw milk;
Detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes
Detection of Enterobatteriaceae and coliforms
Enumeration, isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus

Recommended Bibliography

Colavita G.: Hygiene and Technology of Animal-Origin Foods, Point Veterinaire Italy, Milan 2023 (ISBN: 978889921190).
Cappelli P., Vannucchi V.: Food Chemistry, Conservation and Transformation, Zanichelli, Bologna 2015 (ISBN: 9788808621238).
Guide to Food Legislation. Daniele Pisanello (2022). EPC Editore, Rome, 3rd Edition. ISBN 978-88-9288-141-9.

Teaching Methods

Teaching teorethical lessons are supported by presentations and other digital materials. They are aimed to provide to the student definitions, references, and basic knowledge related to the subject, including the acquisition of methods. To stimulate a critical and applicative approach the student during theoretical and practical lessons is involved in the interactive discussions of concrete cases. Practical teaching takes place in small groups (approximately 15 students and two instructors, except for the practice in the cow milk chain, which involves 22 students and two instructors) and, when scheduled at facilities, involves the participation of qualified personnel and technicians of the establishments. Practical activities include HACCP simulation (classroom activity) and Sanification Procedures,
Practical activities of food microbiology module are held in the microbiology and parasitology laboratory. In this module students work in personal station with all the necessary supplies and laboratory equipment for the conduction of the analysis for the determination of the target microbiological parameter. Students mandatory attendance is required for practical teaching activities. They are conducted with the help of preparatory lessons and guidelines that students use to report elements and information or actively make decisions (e.g., regarding compliance).
The progression in acquiring content and skills in educational activities can be attributed to three levels:
I) Definitions, basic concepts, and understanding of topics;
II) In-depth study of topics, acquisition of methodologies, ability to associate knowledge;
III) Critical application of knowledge and methodologies in the study of practical cases.

Contacts/More Information

Further informations, lectures planning, lecture slides, handouts, and legislation references are available on the e-learning website of the courses (on http://evet.uniss.it/)

INDUSTRIES AND FOOD QUALITY CONTROL

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