FSC5030 · Food microbiology and safety

Overview

This unit, in line with the other core science units will provide the foundational knowledge of the importance of food microbiology and safety to the food industry. After completing this unit, you should be able to engage with the advanced elective unit Advanced food microbiology, Food safety and biotechnology which focus on current and future technical innovations and trends. This unit explores the important micro-organisms present in the food supply chain, including the management of risks to consumers associated with their unsafe proliferation. Methods of examination, identification and the functional roles of diverse classes of organisms, originating from soil and animals will be studied. The impacts of micro-organisms in food spoilage, preservation, food borne illness and public health will also be considered. The unit includes the principles of managing food safety embodied in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedures. The unit teaches evidenced-based problem solving and predictive thinking through the analysis, critique and interpretation of empirical scientific data and established microbiology theory relevant to the food industry. The unit will develop your knowledge of microbiology and the complex interactions the microbes have with food. On completion of this unit you should gain a strong foundation of practical aspects of quality control and regulatory control as it applies to food microbiology and safety.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Describe microorganisms and assess the relationships that exist between microorganisms and food, including the factors affecting microbial growth and survival;
2. Explain how factors affecting microbial growth are applied to form the principal techniques of food preservation, including the process of fermentation;
3. Describe the microorganisms and microbial enzymes associated with food spoilage, and evaluate the impact of spoilage on global food production;
4. Explain the common causes of food borne illness and evaluate their threat to public health;
5. Outline and evaluate the current methods for examining the microbiological quality and safety of food;
6. Interpret and apply the principles of food safety management such as GMP and HACCP principles and articulate how these are put into practice in different operational settings;
7. Develop effective methods for communicating the importance of food safety to a variety of different stakeholders.

Workload

• 6 hours of directed learning (seminars, workshops, pre- and post-class activities) and • 6 hours of independent study per week

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.