Description

This course contains a series of lectures and exercises followed by a group work assignment and mandatory student presentations before the exam. Lectures start with an introduction to the area, its basic vocabulary and scientific methodologies. Then additional lectures will exemplify plant food, dairy and meat bioactive components, shortly touching upon their functionality in the food organism but with a main focus on their bioavailability, biotransformation, and bioactivities after consumption in humans at the physiological, nutritional and biochemical level. Also the scientific methodologies used to investigate such actions are detailed with respect to study designs and biomarkers. At least 8 of the following themes for lectures and theoretical exercises will typically be covered but others may also be added:

• Overview of basic concepts in evaluation of bioactivity and functionality, including demands on scientific documentation for health claims and basics of chemical safety evaluation.
• Overview of plant foods and health.
• Relationship between special plant components and taste, interactions in taste.
• Vegetables and their bioactive constituents: Crucifers including cabbage, mustards and watercress, onion, garlic, carrots, asparagus, parsnip, tomato, green leafy vegetables
• Fruit and their bioactive constituents: Stone fruit, pomes, citrus  , grapes, strawberry, blueberry, craneberry,.
• Bioactive components in plant cell walls, cereals and wholegrain, and legumes.
• Bioactive components in spices
• Bioactive components in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Dairy products and their bioactive constituents.
• Meat and fish products and their bioactive constituents.
• Probiotics.
• Innovation and sustainability aspects of bioactive foods.
• Evaluation of health claims on foods in the EU and other countries.

Following the lectures student group work will take place related to health claims on foods in the EU. The student groups will present their evaluation of a health claim orally to be eligible for the exam.

The course will give examples of specific non-nutritive components in foods and their possible mechanisms of action. The course is the only one in these educational programmes giving a systematic overview of non-nutritive bioactive components. The course will give a critical insight into the meaning of bioactivity and functional components, an important aspect of formulating health claims to improve innovation. It also aims to give a more in-depth insight into the health effects of many common foods, beverages and spices. After completing the course the student competences should include:

 

Knowledge:

• Describing the most common types of bioactive compounds and components in foods, beverages and spices, and their modes of action in the human body.
• Knowing the most important laboratory methods and study designs to evaluate typical health effects of foods.
• Knowing the use of biomarkers of exposure, susceptibility and biological effect.
• Referring to the formal scientific demands for placing a health claim on a food product, - an important criterium for applying innovative activities in the biotechnology field.
• Describing demands on innovating foods in relation to health.

 

Skills:

• Critically assessing methods, results, and conclusions in scientific papers related to bioactive compounds, human health and innovation.

 

Compentences:

• Working independently and analytically with scientific literature.
• Critical oral and written presentation at a high scientific level.
• Insights into what it takes to bring a health-promoting product to the market.

Recommended qualifications

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is needed.