B019054 - COMMODITY SCIENCE AND RESOURCE QUALITY LAB

Italian

The course offers conceptual-analytical tools to identify and understand relevant phenomena in business and technology. It is mainly focused on the study of different production processes and the organization of production, through the analysis of management, quality and environmental aspects. Considering a value chain, the emphasis is particularly given to the concepts of circular economy, sustainability, environmental impacts and corporate social responsibility.

• Chiacchierini E, “Tecnologia e produzione”, CEDAM (2012)
• Lang T, Heasman M, “Food Wars. The global battle for mouths, minds and markets”, Routledge (2015)
• Persico MG, Rossi F, “Comunicare la sostenibilità – Comunicare il nuovo paradigma per un nuovo vantaggio competitivo”, Franco Angeli (2016)
During the classes, additional readings and online publications could be recommended.

KNOWLEDGE - The modern Commodity Sciences determine the characteristics and the value of a commodity. The studying of quality, safety and cost of raw materials, and the evaluation of social and ecological impacts along all the phases of the supply chain. The knowledge is related to the three areas of interest: technology, environment and quality. The Laboratory gives an overview on the concepts of technology and technological innovation, focusing on the study of the interactions between new technologies, modern production processes and the relative environmental impacts. The course is particularly devoted to the main aspects of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) within the company and in reference to traditional and innovative productions of different fields of technology. From the use of water resources to food production and other production processes or value chains.

SKILLS - Knowing how to understand and describe, by using appropriate conceptual tools and technical language, the production processes from the point of view of the circular economy and sustainability. Particular attention is paid to certification tools, social and ecological impacts along all phases of the supply chain, also assessing the effects at local level and on the local development. Students will be able to describe the environmental impacts of the main production processes, related to raw materials and energy resources, and the main techniques, including the innovative ones, for their mitigation. They will also be able to become critically aware of the main environmental issues at a global level, with particular reference to the global warming.

ACQUIRED SKILLS - Students will be able to apply the main techniques of quality assurance and assess the environmental impact of the technologies. In particular, the Laboratory of Technology, Environment and Quality offers useful ideas for the assumption of a commodity scientist mentality that, updated to modern requirements in the field of processes and goods, can effectively contribute to the understanding of problems and to the formulation and experimentation of sustainable solutions. This aspect is fundamental, also in relation to the increasing awareness of consumers regarding the environmental and social impacts of production processes.

A good knowledge and understanding of written English.
An operative knowledge of a personal connected computer and of the usual software products for navigation, word processing, calculus and presentation.

The course consists of three modules (technology, environment and quality) where traditional lectures will be alternate with seminars on specific topics of study, held by Unifi teachers (Stefano Alessandri and Leonardo Borsacchi) and by experts coming from CNR and the business sector. Guided tours in local companies could be also organized.

The course is held at the PIN, University Campus of Prato.

A project work is planned for attending students.
For not attending students the eligibility will be awarded after an oral exam with three questions, one for each module of the course.

TECHNOLOGY (16 hours)
1) Commodity, international trade and frauds: natural resources, production chains and globalization, goods handling, customs controls and commercial frauds.
2) New materials and new technologies, opportunities and critical issues: supply of raw materials, fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, with particular reference to biomass, wind and solar energies.
3) Circular economy: products, by-products and waste. Technological and normative constraints for the affirmation of the circular economy. Responsible consumption and reduction of waste in production.
4) Sharing and reuse: the particular case of information, information technology and software, open source systems (GNU, Linux).

ENVIRONMENT (16 hours):
5) Greenhouse effect and global warming. Greenhouse gases (sources, chemical and physical roles). Emissions of greenhouse gases and ecological footprint of intensive animal husbandry, transports, energy production from fossil fuels, waste management: a comparative analysis.
6) Desalination and potabilization of water for productive uses. Advanced recycling experiences and circular economy. Water as a resource.
7) Impacts of intensive and extensive agriculture. Innovation through the use of precision agriculture and reduction of chemical inputs. Organic productions and vale chains.
8) Business sustainability: the basis of all vision, strategy and innovation. The sustainability report.

QUALITY (16 hours)
9) Standardization and certification. Quality management systems and environmental certifications. Integrated management systems. Life Cycle Assessment.
10) Food hygiene and safety. HACCP and quality controls for import / export. Nutritional aspects of foods. New foods and functional foods. Traditional and innovative packaging materials.
11) Labeling and origin of goods. Quality labels and Ecolabel.
12) Analytical quality control methods of the industry: sensory analysis; physical methods (densitometry, viscosimetry), optical (microscopy, refractometry, spectroscopy) and chromatography (TLC, HPLC and GC) with experimental lessons held by the teacher at the Mer.Qu.Ris Laboratory. (Commodity Science and Quality of Resources Laboratory) at the Social Sciences Pole (Novoli - Florence).
All the theoretical topics will be also explained through case studies of some specific production processes and supply chains.