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MVI220 Food Microbiology

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Hilde Marit Østlie

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Limits of class size:26

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:Lectures: 40 hours. Laboratory exercises: 65 hours. Excursion: 5 hours. Preparations, report writing, self-study and exam: 140 hours. 250 hours in total.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Spring parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Spring parallel.

About this course

Central topics: Foods as ecological niches. Relevant microbial groups. Microbes found in raw materials and foods that are detrimental to quality. Factors that influence the development of microbes in food. Qualitative and quantitative methods for detection and characterisation of microbes. Infections and intoxications caused by food microbes. Physical, chemical and biological methods for controlling microbes. Fermentations. The topics will be highlighted in lectures and laboratory exercises. Sustainable food and food production are an important foundation in the field. The UN’s sustainability goals include ensuring sufficient food and safe food and to achieve this, competence is required in all central topics of the course.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

On completion of the course the student should have:

  • General knowledge about how microbes develop and how they can be controlled in food.
  • Necessary knowledge about methods for general and specific analysis of microbial groups in foods.
  • A perspective of the newest developments in the field.

Skills

On completion of the course the student should have:

  • Experiences with laboratory projects within food microbiology.
  • Laboratory skills in microbiology related to sampling and analysis of foods.
  • Skills to find scientific literature on relevant topics in books and scientific journals.
  • The student is able to perform the preparations, techniques and analyses employed in the course.
  • The student masters the instruments and equipment used in the course.

General competence

On completion of the course the student should:

  • Understand possibilities and limitations related to food microbiology.
  • Be able to plan and perform microbiological analysis of various foods.
  • Have an overview of typical groups of microbes in different foodstuffs and what affect their growth and survival.
  • Learning activities
    Lectures and laboratory exercises with journals. Excursion to a food analysis laboratory/food production company if possible.
  • Teaching support

    The course responsible and other teachers may be contacted during office hours or by e-mail hilde.ostlie@nmbu.no.

    Canvas.

  • Prerequisites
    Knowledge of microbiology equivalent to BIO130 and knowledge of biochemistry equivalent to KJB100/KJB200.
  • Assessment method

    Combined assessment: a) Portfolio and b) Written examination. Both a) and b) must be passed to get a total grade.

    Portfolio: Laboratory journals (written in groups or individually) count 30 % of the total grade, and have to be approved to qualify for the exam.

    Written examination: Final exam (3.5 hours) counts 70 % of the total grade, and must be passed.



    Written exam Grading: Letter grades Permitted aids: A1 No calculator, no other aids Portfolio Grading: Letter grades
  • Examiner scheme
    An external examiner assesses all examination papers. Laboratory journals are assessed by internal examiners.
  • Mandatory activity
    1. Attendance at the first lecture, compulsory.
    2. Attendance preparation of media, compulsory.
    3. Attendance laboratory exercises, compulsory.
    4. Submission of laboratory reports, compulsory.
    5. Participation on a possible excursion, compulsory.

    All mandatory activities have to be accomplished and approved to be admitted to examination.

    The validity of the compulsory activities can be extended.

  • Notes

    All mandatory activities have to be accomplished and accepted before examination can take place.

    Some laboratory work outside structured teaching time must be expected.

  • Teaching hours

    Lectures: 4 hours/week. Laboratory exercises: 6 hours/week

    Some laboratory work outside structured teaching time must be expected.

  • Preferential right
    M-MATVIT
  • Admission requirements
    Special requirements in Science