Food quality and safety

Subject description

The main points in the contents of the subject are as follows:

Integral concepts of food safety and quality management; Risk assessment in food processing (including risk assessment of food by-products and wastes for possible further processing into high quality and safe food or feed products or additives with prolonged shelf-life.

Description of theoretical bases, which describe the processes of oxidative transformations in food; presentation of advanced approaches to determining and evaluation of the development of oxidative changes in food products and their prevention. Connection of these processes with chemical composition and structural properties of food. Impact of food component oxidation on nutritional value, safety and sensory properties of food.

Thermal and non-thermal processing of food – quality and safety aspects.

Physico-chemical parameters of food quality assessment.

Sensoric analysis of food products – its role in food safety and quality management and shelf-life determination.

Food authenticity; Detection of unacceptable procedures and falsification; Methodological approaches and case studies of food adulteration;

Assessment of chemical, biological (microbiological and biotechnological) and physical hazards. Assessment of advances in nanotechnologies for food quality and safety;

Principles of traceability in food production and supply chains. Competences and responsibilities of all stakeholders from the farmer to the consumer for ensuring quality and safety in the food chain. The role of extrinsic factors (e.g. national surveillance and inspection systems, public media, education system etc.) for risk management and ensuring quality and safety in food production and supply chains. Ethics in the system of food qualiyt and safety. Analysis of case studies from the practice and from recent research projects. What we could learn from them?

Microbial physiology in minimal processing of foods in the light of food safety requirements.

Genetically modified organisms in food – novelties in analytics and requirements for food safety according to ISO 17025;

Novel technological principles for food and feed safety and quality management under conditions of minimal processing (e.g., role of new materials for reducing the problem of microbial adhesion on surfaces, microbial biofilm formation and other forms of persistence of microorganisms presenting the risk of food spoilage or transmission of diseases; the problem of increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents, novel strategies such as active packaging, biological control, hurdle technologies, hygienic design etc.). General concepts of safety assessment in the food production and supply chains.

The subject is taught in programs

Objectives and competences

The candidate should acquire theoretical knowledge and skills for food quality and safety management and also for basic and applied research work that can provide important results in the field of food quality and safety.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, individual study, project work.

Expected study results

Knowledge and understanding of the processes associated with loss of food quality and safety, knowledge of the importance and usefulness of traditional and modern physical, chemical, sensory, microbiological and biotechnological approaches for determination and evaluation of quality and safety of food products and processes along the whole food production and supply chains.

Basic sources and literature

Present knowledge in Food Safety: A risk based approach through the food chain. Academic Press 2023; 1154 str. (izbrana poglavja).

Evaluation Technologies for Food Quality. Zhong J. (Ur.), Wang X. (Ur.). Cambridge, Woodhead Publishing, Elsevier, 2019; 914 str. (izbrana poglavja)

Smole Možina, S. 2022. Naravne bioaktivne snovi – primeri raziskav in uporabe v živilstvu v tekočih raziskovalnih projektih 2020-2022 = Natural bioactive compounds – research case studies and food applications in current research projects 2020-2022. V: Živila, hranila in prehrana prihodnosti = Foods, nutrients and nutrition of the future : 31. Bitenčevi živilski dnevi 2022 = 31st Food Technology Days 2022 dedicated to Prof. F. Bitenc : 15. junij 2022, Ljubljana. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za živilstvo, 2022. Str. 171-190

Klančnik, A., Sterniša, M., Demšar, L. Smole Možina, Sonja. 2019. Konvencionalni in alternativni načini konzerviranja hrane = Conventional and alternative ways of food preservation. V: Živilstvo in prehrana med tradicijo in inovacijo = Food science, technology and nutrition between tradition and innovation : 30. Bitenčevi živilski dnevi 2019 = 30th Food Technology Days 2019 dedicated to Prof. F. Bitenc : 19. junij 2019, Ljubljana. 30. Bitenčevi živilski dnevi 2019 = 30th Food Technology Days 2019 dedicated to Prof. F. Bitenc, 19. junij 2019, Ljubljana. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za živilstvo, 2019. Str. 40-58

Smole Možina S.,, Klančnik, A., Raspor, P. Mechanisms of microbial resistance in biofilms. V: Simoes, M. (ur.), Mergulhao, F. (ur.). Biofilms in bioengineering, (Microbiology research advances). New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2013, str. 311-332.

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