Factors influencing tourist food consumption. Global vs local food. Slow food. Classification of food: dietary principles and nutritional quality. Drinking and mineral waters; water management in the hospitality sector. Food preservation and packaging. Assurance systems for food safety and certifications. Awareness of the quality of food and investigation about food frauds. Global impact of food waste. Food wastage in the hotels. Sensorial properties and analytical methods for food quality.
Lecture notes and slides on Moodle (integrative readings for no-attending students).
Obiettivi Formativi
Understanding tourists’ needs and wants in terms of food consumption in the hospitality businesses. What is food? Explain how to classify foods and dietary principles. Knowledge of the nutritional role of macro and micronutrients (including food supplements and natural compounds) in a healthy diet. Make a critical analysis of the main pyramid models of diet around the world: the Mediterranean diet in comparison to the Asian and Latin America diet.
Cultivate a more enquiring approach to, and awareness of, the variety and quality of food and investigate about frauds. Give examples about the main food frauds and fakes.
What are the positive and negative impacts of food globalization? From global to local food: the biodiversity, the quality and the healthy perspective and sustainability of local products.
Describe the properties of water, as a natural resource, drinking water and mineral water. Be aware of the principal methods used in the hospitality sector to reduce the water wastage.
Categorize the main preservation methods in food industry, and describe the systems involved in the quality and safety management that ensure the food safety (HACCP plan).
Criticize the main food manufacturing processes and explain traceability system in food supply chains.
Define the main food safety and hygiene international standards (BRC, IFS, ISO 22000).
Be able to identify mandatory indications on a food label, including the presence of GMOs and identification and classification of dietary supplements. Critically discuss the problem of food waste in the world. Understanding food consumption and food waste generation mechanisms in the hospitality sector, in order to be able to propose specific food waste prevention plans. Be aware on how sensory analysis is used in food industry for the food quality assessment and to investigate about consumers’preferences.
Be aware of some experimental methods for the evaluation and quality control of food (densitometry, refractometry, viscosimetry, microscopic and spectrophotometric analysis).
Prerequisiti
A good knowledge and understanding of written English.
Metodi Didattici
Lectures (30 h), seminars (2-4 h) and experimental practice in laboratory (4 h),
presentations in classroom by the students and discussion (8 h).
Altre Informazioni
The laboratory lessons will take place at the Laboratory of Commodity Science and Quality of Resources (Mer.Qu.Ris.), Pole of Novoli, D15 Building, III floor.
Modalità di verifica apprendimento
EXAMINATION FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS (attending students must follow at least 2/3 of the course, that is, at least 32 hours out of 48)
MID-TERM EXAM (at the beginning of April): It consists in a written test with 3 open questions, one of which contributing for 1/3 to the final grade of 30.
In the last days of the course there will be a second written test with 2 questions, one of which contributing for 1/2 to the final grade. This second test can be substituted by a home-work (defined during the previous lectures). At the end of the Course, each attending student present 5-8 slides about a “FOOD ITINERARY” of her/his choice, putting in relevance the linkages of the selected foodstuff to specific geographic area (city, region) where that typical and/or local food product(s) is/are presented.
EXAMINATION FOR NO-ATTENDING STUDENTS
ORAL examination on the whole program course, with 3 questions. Each question accounts 1/3 of the final grade. Duration of the exam: 25-30 min.
Programma del corso
The following is a tentative program, subject to changes in case of seminars or research duties of the teacher:
Lecture 1: Introduction to the Course. Main topics and learning objectives. Type of assessment for attending and no-attending students.
Lecture 2: FOOD FRAUDS: adulteration and misbranding. Food frauds and global scandals. Food frauds in the history
Lecture 3: Why Italians love to talk about food? Spaghetti & Co: the Italian Pasta. Sensory testing.
Lecture 4: Food globalization. Sustainable food production. Global and local foods. Glocalization. SLOW FOOD movement.
Lecture 5: The main causes of food spoilage and classification of food preservation methods.
Lecture 6: Minimizing food risks along the supply chain.
Lecture 7: Factors influencing tourist food consumption. Tourist approach to local foods. STREET FOOD.
Lecture 8: Food and nutrition. Food groups. Food pyramid: a model for a sustainable diet.
Lecture 9: Carbohydrates and Lipids.
Lecture 10: Proteins, Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Lecture 11: MID-TERM EXAM AND DISCUSSION.
Lecture 12: Water and tourism. Mineral waters: new trends.
Lecture 13: EXPERIMENTAL LESSON PART I – Group 1.
Lecture 14: EXPERIMENTAL LESSON PART I – Group 2.
For organizational reasons, for some activities, students will be divided into two groups.
Lecture 15: Italian food label law. Evolution of food TV commercials in Italy.
Lecture 16: Sensorial properties of food: honey tasting.
Lecture 17: Food quality international standards and certification.
Lecture 18: Food waste and packaging.
Lecture 19: Efforts to promote local foods and traditional agriculture. Sustainable food commodities.
Lecture 20: EXPERIMENTAL LESSON PART II – Group 1
Lecture 21: EXPERIMENTAL LESSON PART II – Group 2
Lecture 22: FINAL EXAM with student presentations
Lecture 23: FINAL EXAM with student presentations
Lecture 24: FINAL EXAM with student presentations.