FOOD SC 3540RG - Food Chemistry III

Regency Park - Semester 1 - 2018

Students will learn about the chemistry and analysis of food and its components (water, amino acids, peptides and protein, sugars, polysaccharides, lipids, vitamins, minerals); reactions of food components during processing (Maillard reaction and enzymic browning); and;non-microbial contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides, colour pigments, aroma compounds, sugar and fat replacers. The chemistry required to interpret the food legislation prescribed by the Food Standards Code to ensure conformance and details on the analysis of key food components are also covered. Students will gain practical experience in analysing some of the food components from the following list: colour, texture, caffeine, water, ash, fat, sugars, calcium, sodium, protein and flavour compounds.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code FOOD SC 3540RG
    Course Food Chemistry III
    Coordinating Unit School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s Regency Park
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 5 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Incompatible FOOD SC 2500RG
    Assumed Knowledge BIOCHEM 2501
    Restrictions Available to B.Food & Nutrition Science students only
    Course Description Students will learn about the chemistry and analysis of food and its components (water, amino acids, peptides and protein, sugars, polysaccharides, lipids, vitamins, minerals); reactions of food components during processing (Maillard reaction and enzymic browning); and;non-microbial contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides, colour pigments, aroma compounds, sugar and fat replacers. The chemistry required to interpret the food legislation prescribed by the Food Standards Code to ensure conformance and details on the analysis of key food components are also covered. Students will gain practical experience in analysing some of the food components from the following list: colour, texture, caffeine, water, ash, fat, sugars, calcium, sodium, protein and flavour compounds.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Fred Bowring

    Dr. Fred Bowring
    Room 02 22.03, K block, TAFESA Regency Campus, Days Road, Regency Park.
    email: bowring.frederick@tafesa.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    1.  identify solutions to problems related to the chemical composition and functionality of food and to apply and expand upon the theoretical concepts presented in lectures.
    2.   demonstrate familiarity and competence with the practical skills and techniques used in food processing, research and analysis. This will include experimental planning, the preparation of reagents and use of basic instrumentation (spectrophotometers, viscometers, colour meters, chromatographic apparatus etc), the collection of experimental data and its presentation, analysis and interpretation.
    3.   use terminology, appropriate to the field of food chemistry, correctly and contextually.
    4.   explain the benefits and limitations (scientific and ethical) of food additives and processing aids currently used by the food processing industry and those additives which may be permitted to be used in the future.
    5.   formulate foods that are designed to address and contribute to reducing community health concerns.




    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1-5
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2,4,5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3,4
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1-5
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    2,4
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures are used to deliver content relevant to the knowledge-related outcomes and practical activities are used to enable students to achieve the skill-related outcomes. Lectures also include open discussion, sample problems and demonstrations. Time allocated to lectures and practicals can be used for tutorials on request.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies
    required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).
    Learning Activities Summary
    Learning activities are centred around the properties of the major classes of chemicals that make up food, specific reactions common in foods, physical properties of foods and the detection of chemicals and measurement of food properties. Food chemicals that will be investigated include esters, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, colloids, the additives used in baking and the role of water in food chemistry. Browning reactions, rancidity and enzyme catalysed reactions will also be investigated. These areas will be explored using spectrophotometry, chromatography and a range of other instruments.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Written Assignment #1 Formative & Summative Week 4 15% 1-5
    Written Assignment #2 Formative & Summative Week 9 15% 1-5
    Laboratory report #1 Formative & Summative Week 7 10% 1-5
    Laboratory report #2 Formative & Summative Week 11 10% 1-5
    Final Exam Summative TBA 50% 1-5
    Assessment Detail
    Assignments 1 and 2 comprise a number of short answer questions worth 30 to 40 marks. The assignments will probe student understanding of both the theoretical component and the type of calculations common in food chemistry.

     Practical reports are short accounts (approximately 500 words plus tables/graphs) of two laboratory exercises from the practical component. They will give students an opportunity to explore the methods of chemical experimentation in detail. Reports should be organised using the standard format used in scientific research papers with a brief introduction, a description of methods, a summary of results and a short discussion of the data.

    The final exam which runs for  2-hours, comprises 20 multiple choice and 7 to 10 short answer questions.  Short answer questions are the same format as those in assignments  1 and 2.


    Submission

    Hard copies of assignments must be submitted to the Administration office in Corridor 2 of K Block by the date and time that will be specified. Submission dates will always be dates on which lectures are delivered to avoid the need to travel to the TAFE campus on
    other days. A cover sheet is required and will be provided via MyUni.  Students are urged to contact the lecturer by email if they are unable to submit an assignment by the due date. Assignments will not be accepted after 1 week beyond the due date. Assignments are usually marked and returned with model answers 2 weeks after the due date.

    Penalty for Late Submission of Assessment Tasks

    Assessment tasks must be submitted by the stated deadlines. There will be a penalty for late submission of assessment tasks: the submitted work will be marked ‘without prejudice’ and 10% of the obtained mark will be deducted for each working day (or part of a day) that an assessment task is late, up to a maximum penalty of 50% of the mark attained. An examiner may elect not to accept any assessment task that a student wants to submit after that task has been marked and feedback provided to the rest of the class.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.