FSC5080 · Food science and technology in practice

Overview

This unit is designed to deliver a tangible experience of the practical aspects of food science and technology used in current industrial practices. This unit develops knowledge and skills to enable the application of the theoretical science concepts into the food industry. You will participate in 6 authentic food industry work place exercises designed to complement the chemistry, engineering, microbiology, marketing, nutrition and future foods core units, where you will need to observe and map the scientific considerations of food processing. These exercises will comprise a variety of one day activities such as incursion to laboratories within Monash, excursions to farm land and site visits to manufacturing plants. You will perform practical activities to understand the modification of food from the chemical, microbiological, engineering and nutrition contexts. You will synthesis their observations and data into authentic documentation designed to inform decision making of a variety of stakeholder from across the food industry. You will draw on theoretical and technical concepts to explain and rationalise the choices made in authentic work experiences and synthesise complex scientific data into concise documentation aimed at informing key decision makers from a range of backgrounds within food and agribusiness industries The unit teaches evidence based problem solving and predictive thinking through the analysis, critique and interpretation of empirical scientific, economic and business data, and established food science and agribusiness theory. The unit will interweave disciplinary and interdisciplinary ideas in complex contexts across the science and business of industrial food production. The unit develops your ability to manipulate technologies relevant to food science, interpret complex scientific and economics data and present arguments to a variety of stakeholders using visual and oral media.

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. Relate the practical application of food science and agribusiness principles to authentic work place contexts and analyse the theory underpinning the practical choices;
2. Correctly and safely manipulate food unit processes in order to produce and analyse food and beverage products and generate empirical data;
3. Assess data collected from practical activities and observations to synthesise research briefs and policy recommendations for industry, research and/or government audiences;
4. Observe food and beverage production from a variety of industries and map these procedures to explain and contrast the considerations of food production from a variety of discipline perspectives;
5. Create the specifications, quality assurance and risk management procedures related to the food industry and food processing suitable for a range of stakeholders.

Workload

• Contact hours equivalent to minimum six hours per week. • Additional requirements of six hours of independent work.

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