Elements of Commodity science. Production processes and sustainable technologies. Commercial frauds.
Natural resources (water, air and soil). Food resources, classification and preservation of food. Panel test. Control systems for food safety (HACCP).
BRC and IFS. ISO 22000.
ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
Metals, metallic properties and metallurgy. Energy from fossil fuels and from renewable sources.
Textile supply chain, new natural pigments and sensory tests.
Learning material is available on the moodle platform by asking for the password to annalisa.romani@unifi.it and chiara.vita@pin.unifi.it
Learning Objectives
KNOWLEDGE: In terms of knowledge will be presented: topics of general commodity science; natural resources (air, water and soil); metals, metallic properties and metallurgy; energy from fossil fuels and renewable sources; food principles and food preservation, quality management system, food safety and quality controls; production processes, sustainable technologies and the textile supply chain.
SKILLS: Ability to interpret and describe goods and related production processes, using appropriate conceptual tools and an appropriate technical language. In terms of skills, the student must be able to describe the goods from the point of view of quality, natural and incidental features, energy and environmental loads associated with its production process.
Skills acquired at the end of the course: Ability to classify goods. Distinguish the uses and critical issues related to the use of natural resources and the main fossil and renewable energy sources. Knowledge of the properties of water as a resource. Knowledge of the food principles, preservation methods and food safety assurance systems. Knowledge of the main voluntary certification schemes.
Teaching Methods
Frontal activity lessons: 48 hours
3 company visits and/or seminars by business contacts
2 seminars, also included in national meetings or congresses, with contents that can also be included in training courses for third-party ISO 9001 auditors
2 lectures with experiments
Type of Assessment
Oral examination: 3 questions
Duration: 20-25 minutes
Attending students are requested to provide a term paper, on a good selected by the student, which will be submitted at the oral examination in place of the first question.
Course program
GOODS - Characteristics of goods: natural characteristics (morphological, organoleptic, physical, chemical), incidental characteristics. Notion of quality. Alteration, denaturing, commercial fraud. Packaging: glass, paper, cardboard and composite materials, wood, ceramics, plastics, metallic materials. Production processes and sustainable technologies.
LITHOSPHERE AND FOSSIL FUELS The lithosphere. Natural resources of the lithosphere. Petroleum. Natural gas. Extraction. Transfer of resources. Environmental impacts: smog, ozone, acid rain, greenhouse effect.
METALS Properties of metallic materials. Toxicity from heavy metals. Metal alloys. Metallurgy. Metallurgy of aluminum. Copper: production and use. Steel-making
WATER AS A RESOURCE - Water properties. Hydrosphere and water cycle. Water classification. Water hardness. Water desalination. Classification of waters: drinking water, mineral water, industrial waters, water for agricultural use, waste water. Water as an energy source.
FOOD PRINCIPLES - Foods. Composition of foods and metabolism. Lipid substances. Function and metabolism of lipids. Carbohydrates. Function and metabolism of carbohydrates. Proteins. Function and metabolism of proteins. Regulatory foods (Biodynamic components and other substances). Presence of alien chemicals substances in food. Daily energy requirement. Innovative foods for sport and well-being. Panel test.
PRESERVATION OF FOODS - Main causes of alteration. Preservation. Cold processing. Heat processing. Treatments based on dehydration. Electromagnetic and ionizing radiation. Preservation by smoking.
QUALITY AND CERTIFICATION - Evolution of the notion of quality. Standardization and regulation. Certification. The certification process. Documentation management. Advertising of the certification. The ISO 9001 standard. Quality documents. Company policy. The communication. Customer satisfaction. Tools for continuous improvement.
FOOD SAFETY - The agri-food supply chain. The quality in the agri-food industry. Food safety management. HACCP system and hygiene and health own checks plans. Internationalization of food products and standardization. BRC and IFS standards. ISO 22000 and food supply chain. Traceability. Technical supply specifications and technical data sheets. Food labeling.