1st cycle of studies in Nutrition

Food Systems and Health3

Sistemas Alimentares e Saúde

Curse code:9554313

Madalena Bettencourt da Câmara

Learning outcomes of the curricular unit:

This CU aims to provide the acquisition of knowledge and technical skills related to food production and food supply systems for populations, namely with regard to the reduction of food waste, and food processing, with emphasis on the impact of conservation/preservation technologies in the compositional, nutritional and sensory quality of food products. Special emphasis is given to the quality of raw materials and the analysis of food / health relationships. At the end of the course, the student should be able to: identify and distinguish the different production systems covered; understand the problem of food waste and be able to propose actions to minimize it; understand the relevance of the quality of raw materials in the final product and understand the relationships between food systems / food / health.

Syllabus:

Lectures:

  1. Primary Production. Agriculture, viniculture, fruits and trees, forage and meadows. Animal production – Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Concepts – biologic and organic production versus conventional.
  2. Food technologies in food products:
    Dairy: milk, yoghurt and cheese.
    Meat products: ham, cold cuts and others. Impact in nutritive value and health.
    Bread, cereals and cereal products. Cereal processing and impact in its nutritive value.
    Juices, soft drinks and non alcoholic drinks. Characteristics, production fluxogram and impact in nutritive value.
    Dietary fats products such as vegetable spreads and butter.
  3. Food preservation technologies (thermal treatments and emerging technologies in food preserving).
 
Theoretical / practical classes:
 
Study Visits: 2 visits to farms with different production systems; and 2 visits to different industrial units (oral discussion of the visits in the classroom).
Presentation of some quality tools. Cause and effect flowcharts and diagrams. Exercises.
Production of a food of vegetable origin and a food of animal origin: reception of raw materials, preliminary operations, preserving and / or processing, packaging and packing, storage, shipping and transportation. The importance of an integrated 'farm to fork' approach.
Presentation by students of a monograph research (individual work).
Presentation and discussion of educational videos on some aspects of the subject taught.
 
Suggested Bibliography:
  • Pace M & Parker R (2016) Introduction to Food Science and Food systems. 2nd Edition. Delmar Cengage Learning. ISBN 143548939X
  • Galanakis CM (2018) Sustainable food systems from agriculture to industry: improving production and processing. Ed. London : Academic Press, ISBN: 9780128119358
  • Lawrence M, Friel S (2020) Healthy and sustainable food systems. Ed.London: Routlegde. ISBN: 9780815393276
  • Chaurasia A, Hawksworth DL, Miranda MP (2021) GMOs: implications for biodiversity conservation and ecological processes. Ed. Cham [switzerland]: Springer. ISBN: 9783030531829
  • Gordon IJ, Prins, HHT, Squire GR (2017) Food Production and Nature Conservation: Conflicts and Solutions. Ed. Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-138-85939-5
 

Additional Info

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