Enkeltfag Engelsk 10 ECTS

Introduktion til fødevareproduktionskæder

Overordnede kursusmål

To enable the students to analyse and understand food production chains and the interdependence of their components. The course focuses on understanding interactions between production processes, quality, raw material properties and rheology, as well as mass and energy balances, process design, product management and innovation at a basic level. In addition, students are introduced to sustainability considerations across the value chain, including identification of critical points where environmental and climate impacts are most significant—particularly in post-harvest handling, processing, and distribution. The overall aim of this course is, at an introductory level, to enable students to understand and integrate the different elements of the entire food production chain.

See course description in English

Analyse a food production chain (from raw material to consumer) and identify safety, quality and planning issues, and the interactions between these and process operations.
Define the degree of innovation in relation to the theoretically developed product.
Apply strategic tools for product management
Apply mass and energy balances related to unit operations.
Identify raw material properties of importance to the final product.
Describe the major parameters that influence the quality of food.
Evaluate where in the value chain optimisation in relation to quality can be addressed.
Validate solutions to practical problems using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Prepare concise executive summary and deliver oral presentation of a technical topics.
Provide constructive feedback on contributions from other course participants.
Write (as team-work) a technical report suitable for decision making in a company.

The course aims to teach the students how to understand and analyse the fundamental interactions along food production chains. These interactions involve quality, processes, product management, and sustainability aspects, all of which must be considered integrally in order to achieve robust and responsible product planning and design. Students will work with the theoretical development of food products, from raw material to consumer, and propose solutions in teams. Team work is central in the course, and the teams are introduced to diversity and communication within collaborative settings. Through case studies, teams will explore a wide range of common challenges related to food production. THe course includes key elements such as process technology, mass and energy balances, bottlenecks, and current challenges for the food industry, including the transition towards more sustainable and resource-efficient food systems. Generic competences such as technical reporting, presentation skills, and constructive peer feedback are also integrated into this introductory master-level course. Guest lectures are included where possible, and excursions to relevant actors in the food sector may be arranged.
The course format is a combination of learning through lectures (acqusition), literature search and evaluate (inquiry), discussions among students and teachers, collaborative team work leading to a shared output (technical report), development and presentation of concepts, results, and practical solutions.

23711/23511, or similar level in Food Science & Technology (including food microbiology)

Lectures, seminars, group work and home assignments