Food Processing

Code:

CAGR3016

Acronym:

CAGR3016

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Agrarian Sciences

Instance: 2024/2025 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Agricultural Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L:EA	0	The study plan from 2019	3	-	6	48	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

A- Understanding the main operations and equipment used in food processing.

B- Development of skills to describe unit operations and calculate the process variables involved in order to design that food processing operation.

C- Ability to evaluate the effect of the unit operations covered on the quality and safety of food products.

D- Visit a company in the agri-food chain to familiarize in professional environment with the topics covered.

Learning outcomes and competences

The lectures in this course aim to provide knowledge of the main operations and equipment used in food processing and are divided into various operations in accordance with the syllabus.

In the practical classes, classroom exercises, laboratory work and company visit are carried out so that the student can develop the skills to design food production processes and critically evaluate the effect of the unit operations covered on the quality and safety of food products.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Prior attendance of the curricular unit Basis of Food Technology (CAGR2016), or similar, is recommended.

Program

1 INTRODUCTION TO PROCESS ENGINEERING AND FOOD PROCESSING

2 PROCESSING OPERATIONS WITH THE APPLICATION OF HEAT
2.1 GENERAL CONCEPTS
Brief reference to the various heat application operations, definition and importance, operating principles, equipment (heat exchangers), heat exchanger design and effect on product quality and safety.
2.2 COOKING
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality and safety.
2.3 FRYING
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality and safety.
2.4 MICROWAVE, RADIOFREQUENCY AND INFRARED HEATING
Heat transfer by radiation. Heating methods (dielectric and radiant heating) and their characteristics. Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality for each type of microwave, radiofrequency and infrared heating.

3 REACTION PROCESSING OPERATIONS
3.1 GENERAL CONCEPTS
Definition and importance, types of reaction, types of bioreactors, ideal bioreactors (RF, RP and RPA), Concept of mixing time and passage time.
3.2 FERMENTATION
Definition and objectives, advantages, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment (fermenters) and effect on product quality.
3.3 ENZYMATIC BIOREACTION
Definition and objectives, advantages and disadvantages, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment (enzyme bioreactors) and effect on product quality.

4 PROCESSING OPERATIONS TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS
4.1 GENERAL CONCEPTS
Definition and general objectives, operating principles and effect on product quality.
4.2 CUTTING OPERATION FOR SIZE REDUCTION
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.
4.3 TRITURING
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.
4.4 MILLING (AND SIEVING)
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, equipment design, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.
4.5 HOMOGENISATION
Specific definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.

5 PROCESSING OPERATIONS WITH THE REMOVAL OF A COMPONENT
5.1 GENERAL CONCEPTS
Brief reference to the various component removal operations in liquid and solid products, definition, importance, operating principles.
5.2 CONCENTRATION/EVAPORATION
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, types of evaporators (reduction of energy consumption, single and multiple effects, vapour recompression), evaporator design, equipment (industrial evaporators, industrial condensers) and effect on product quality.
5.3 MEMBRANE SEPARATION (HYPERFILTRATION OR REVERSE OSMOSIS, NANOFILTRATION, ULTRAFILTRATION, MICROFILTRATION)
Definition, objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.
5.4 SEDIMENTATION
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.
5.5 CENTRIFUGATION
Definition, objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment and effect on product quality.

6 PROCESSING OPERATIONS WITH MIXING
Definition and objectives, applications in the food industry, operating principles, industrial equipment, equipment design and effect on product quality.

Mandatory literature

R. Paul. Singh; Introduction to food engineering. ISBN: 9780126463842

Complementary Bibliography

Zeki Berk; Food process engineering and technology. ISBN: 978-0-12-415923-5

Comments from the literature

Singh, R.P. and D.R. Heldman. Introduction to Food Engineering - 3rd edition, Academic Press, 2001. 

Fellows, P.J., Food Processing Technology – principles and practice, CRC Press, 2000.

COMPLEMENTAR
Beckett S.T. Physico-chemical aspects of food processing. Blackie Academic & Professional, 1995. 

Berk, Z. Food Process Engineering and Technology, Academic Press, 2009.

Geankoplis, C.J. (1993). Transport Processes and Unit Operations. Prentice-Hall International. ISBN:0 13 045253 X.

Ibarz A. and Barbosa-Cánovas G.V. (2003). Unit Operations in Food Engineering, CRC Press. ISBN 9781566769297.

Karel, M. and D.B. Lund, Physical Principles of Food Preservation, Marcel Dekker, 2003. 

Manso, M. C., F.A.R Oliveira and L.M. Cunha, Kinetics of Quality and Safety Indicators under Steady Conditions – Shelf life of foods. In Handbook of Food Science, Technology and Engineering, Volume III: Food Engineering and Food Processing. Ed. Y. H. Hui et al., CRC Press, New York, 2006. 

Taub, I.A: and R.P. Singh. Food Storage and Stability, CRC Press, 1998.

Scientific articles and notes to be provided by the teachers.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes will present the topics described in the syllabus, with the help of application examples and videos of the main food production processes.

Practical classes will involve:
- Classes in the classroom solving exercise sheets with the completion of 2 mini-tests.
- Practical laboratory classes requiring the interpretation and preparation of experimental protocols and the production of reports and results sheets on practical work.
- A technical visit to an agri-food company.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	55,00
Teste	20,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Trabalho laboratorial	15,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	100,00
Frequência das aulas	48,00
Trabalho escrito	14,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Minimum attendance (75% of the practical classes).

Conduction of two mini-tests throughout the semester

Delivery of laboratory report and report results sheets

Company visit and report

Calculation formula of final grade

The assessment of the course will consist of the weighted average of the Continuous Assessment (45 %) and Examination (55 %) components. The continuous assessment grade is the average obtained in the 2 mini-tests carried out during the semester (marked in the 1st class) (2 X 10%), the laboratory work reports (15%) and the technical visit report (10%).

The marks for continuous assessment will be accepted in the following two academic years, provided there are no changes to the syllabus or assessment criteria. The minimum grade for the exam component is 8.0. The marks for each component are given to the nearest tenth of a unit and the final mark is rounded up to the nearest unit.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

TE or DA students may request partial exemption from the practical component until the end of the second week of classes. The exempted student will still be required to complete a written assignment as an alternative to the laboratory component and a technical visit (25%), and the exam will count for 75% of the final grade, maintaining the requirement for a minimum mark of 8.0 marks.