Università Roma Tre

GENERAL SECTION
1) Introduction to Food chemistry: Foods and nutrients. Essential nutrients. Classification of nutrients. Dietary balance. Calculation of caloric requirements. Nutrition education. Energy and caloric requirements. Body Mass Index (BMI). Basal metabolic rate. Principles of food variety and rotation. The Mediterranean diet. Dietary guidelines and Recommended Nutrient Intake Levels (LARN) for different age groups. Concepts of food deterioration, adulteration, and sophistication (fraudulent alteration).
2) Main classes of substances in foods: a. Carbohydrates: Classification and nutritional role. Structure and physicochemical properties of the main naturally occurring and modified monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Intrinsic reactivity. Enzymes involved in carbohydrate chemistry. Sweet-tasting substances: sweetening power and basic concepts of receptor theories. Natural and synthetic sweeteners. b. Lipids: General concepts and classes of compounds. Nomenclature, occurrence, and physicochemical properties of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Maltodextrins. Biological and nutritional roles of lipids. Modifications induced in lipids by oxygen, light, heat, biocatalysts, and other factors. Evaluation of fat preservation and quality status. c. Proteins: Natural amino acids: nomenclature and structural classification. Physical properties and principal reactivity. Essential amino acids. Limiting amino acid. Protein quality. Classes of proteins in foods and protein sources. Nitrogen equivalents according to the Kjeldahl method. Maillard reaction. d. Vitamins and inorganic components: Main dietary sources and biologic role. e. Dietary Fiber: Definizione. Definition. Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. f. Prebiotics and Probiotics: Functional properties of prebiotic and probiotic foods. g. Water as a Food Component: Water as a food. Chemical and physical characteristics and their effects on the properties of water-containing foods. Classification of water in foods (total, free, and bound water). Water activity. Influence of water activity on food stability. Water intended for human consumption. Drinking water. Mineral waters.
3) Analytical methodologies in food analysis: Traditional and innovative analytical methods (Chromatography; Mass spectrometry; NMR spectroscopy).

SPECIALIZED SECTION
4) Main food classes: a. Cereals and Cereal Products: General aspects. Composition of the main cereals. Global and Italian cereal production. Wheat. Wheat classes. Triticum aestivum (common wheat) and Triticum durum (durum wheat). Structure and composition of the wheat kernel. Production of wheat flour: milling and refining technologies. Flour classification and evaluation methods. Pasta products: outline of the pasta-making process and legislative aspects. Bread: production technologies and involved reactions. Shaping and baking. Bakery products (overview). Rice: rice species and processing treatments used to obtain the commercial product. b. Edible Oils and Fats: Olive oil: composition and commercial classification. Main analyses required by European regulations for the determination of quality and authenticity. Seed oils, hydrogenated fats, and margarine: general aspects, production technologies, and refining processes. Effects of technological treatments. Composition of the main seed oils. c. Milk and Dairy Products: Definition and composition, with particular reference to the protein and lipid fractions of cow's milk. Defects and alterations. Effects of heat treatments. Regulatory requirements. Cream: types and production methods. Butter: overview of the butter-making process. Cheese: definition, historical background, classification, and composition. Transformations occurring during cheese ripening. Ripening coefficient.
5) Special foods: Dietary products intended for individuals with disorders of carbohydrate metabolism (lactase deficiency, galactosemia, fructose intolerance); Dietary products for diabetic patients; Dietary products for celiac disease; Dietary products intended for individuals with disorders of amino acids metabolism (phenylketonuria); Dietary products intended for obese patients or with eating disorders.

- Patrizia Cappelli; Vanna Vannucchi. Principi di chimica degli alimenti. Conservazione, trasformazioni, normativa, Ed. Zanichelli.
- Luisa Mannina; Maria Daglia; Alberto Ritieni. La chimica e gli alimenti. Nutrienti e aspetti nutraceutici, Ed. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
- Paolo Cabras; Carlo I. Tuberoso. Analisi dei prodotti alimentari, Ed. Piccin.
Some useful websites:
- http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Joint Research Centre of the EU
- http://www.fao.org FAO
- http://www.who.int WHO
- http://www.fda.org US Food and Drug Administration
- http://www.ismaa.it Fondazione Edmund Mach (ex Istituto Agrario S. Michele all'Adige, TN)
- http://www.politicheagricole.it/ Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali