Water and Food Analysis

Biology and Chemistry

The theoretical component, although predominantly expository, in order to provide the information inherent to the topics to be addressed, also intends to explore, whenever appropriate, the intervention of students and the discussion of topics, or clinical cases, as long as they are relevant to the themes to be addressed to develop. In the Laboratory-Practice component, the individual application of the planned laboratory procedures will be predominant. The observed results will be discussed and evaluated in groups.

The student must acquire knowledge of: • The existing legislation on the control of water quality, in particular those intended for human consumption; knowledge of the different parameters and analytical methods used for the evaluation of quality; knowledge of pathologies associated with water consumption which do not comply with the standards. • Importance of food and nutrients on health; potential risks inherent to their consumption (infection, toxic-infection and intoxication); food quality control – analytical techniques applied. The student must acquire skills of: • Select the laboratory parameters to be assessed in a sample of water and food in order to ensure their quality for consumption, taking into account the legislation. The student must acquire competences for: • Perform the different methodologies applied in the analysis of a water and food sample; interpret the analytical values obtained by determining the risk to the consumer.

Theoretical Program

. Water: characteristics, biological indispensability, natural reserves, hydrological cycle;

. Water pollution, evolution of this concept, polluting agents and their effects;

. Quality of water for human consumption – legislation, importance of organoleptic, physical-chemical parameters, undesirable, toxic and radiological substances – laboratory determination;

. Water microbiology: factors that affect the presence of microorganisms, their variety and associated pathologies;

. Quality indicators according to the type of water – laboratory determination;

. Food and nutrients: their classification, importance and pathologies associated with dietary deficits and excesses;

. Food quality – HACCP system;

. Food microbiology: microorganisms as agents of deterioration, production and contamination (infection, toxic-infection and intoxication);

. Factors that condition the colonization of food;

. Analytical parameters in food quality control – laboratory determination of ready-to-eat meals, hands of handlers, surfaces and utensils.

Laboratory Practice Program

1-Collection of water samples for quality study: chemical and microbiological parameters

2- Laboratory determination of some chemical parameters: chlorides, oxygen, hardness, nitrites …

3-Laboratory determination of microbiological indicators taking into account the type of water

4- Basic analysis of a food: some parameters such as water content,…

5- Collection and laboratory processing of samples of ready-to-eat meals: their classification and research of quality indicators

6- Laboratory determination of the microbiological quality of hands, utensils and surfaces

NAO

Primary References

B. Mendes, J.F. Santos Oliveira; Qualidade da Água para Consumo humano. 2004. Lidel.

Leonor S. Clesceri, Arnold E. Greenberg, Andrew D. Eatone; Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater. 2005. 21ª edition.

Hans Gerhard Maier; Métodos Modernos de Análisis de Alimentos.1981. Vol I, II, III, 2ª edição.

James J. Jay; Microbiologia Moderna de los Alimentos.1981. 3ª edição.

Martim R. Adams. and Maurice O Moss; Food Microbiology. RSCP publishing, 3ªEdição, 2008.

S. Suzanne Nielsen; Food Analysis. Springer-Verlag, 4th edition, 2010.

Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 2nd Ed., 2002. C. J. Hurst, R. L. Crawford, G. R. Knudsen, M. J. McInerney, L. D. Stetzenbach. American Society for Microbiology, Washinton, DC.

Hans Hermann Rump; Laboratory Manual for the Examination of water, waste water and soil. 1999, 3ªedição.

Lynne Mclandsborough; Food Microbiology Laboratory. CRC series, 2005.

R. E. Rester, R. M.Harrison; Food Safety and Food Quality. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK, 2001.