FOOD PATHOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY

Academic Year 2019/2020 - 2° Year

Teaching Staff

Credit Value: 13
Course Language: Italian
Taught classes: 77 hours
Exercise: 28 hours
Term / Semester: 2°

Learning Objectives

Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products
Knowledge on principal biotic and abiotic diseases and mycotoxin contaminations, particularly referred to post-harvest, diseases diagnosis, epidemiology and control principles
Stored product pests
Provide knowledge on the biological and behavioral traits of the main groups of pests
in order to define of the most appropriate management and control programs for specific infestations
in the main territorial agro-food industries

Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products
The course will be provided by frontal lessons in the classroom as weel as laboratory exercises; moreover, educational visits will take place at companies involved in different sectors of agro-food chains organized ad hoc during the reference semester
Stored product pests
The course will comprise classes, laboratory training and field visits

Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products
The course provides students with the necessary tools for the diagnosis of principal biotic and abiotic diseases and mycotoxin contaminations vitiating the quality and quantity of vegetable in post-harvest and storage as well as the criteria and control methods for their prevention foreseen in post-harvest
Stored product pests
Introduction: foodstuffs and damage caused by animal parasites.
Arthropods: general characteristics.
Insects: morphology, anatomy and postembryonic development. Population development and damage.
Mites: morphology, anatomy, postembryonic development. Population development and damage.
Rodents: General characteristics. Murids: morphology, anatomy, development. Population development
and damage.
Birds and other harmful organisms: General characteristics and damage caused.
The main insect orders
Stored product insect pests
Stored product mite pests
Rodents harmful to foodstuffs
Ecology of biocenosis living on foodstuffs
Animal organisms as vectors of pathogens for humans and pets
Processing and commercial environments
Prevention of infestations
Pest monitoring techniques
Methods for the evaluation of solid impurities in food
Animals infesting the foodstuffs and the self-control system
Control methods: physical, biological, biotechnical and chemical tools

Postharvest Pathology of Plant Products
The teacher will provide all necessary, also by STUDIUM platform, to study covered topics. The student can consult any of the text field, for the study of the discipline we recommend the following books:
- Book 1: De Cicco V., Bertolini P., Salerno M.G. Patologia post-raccolta dei prodotti vegetali. Piccin Editore, 274 pp.
- Book 2: Belli G. Elementi di patologia vegetale. Piccin Editore, 475 pp.
- Teacher notes, papers and monographies
Stored product pests
1. Trematerra P. - Süss L. 2007. Prontuario di entomologia merceologica e urbana. Con note
morfologiche, biologiche e di gestione delle infestazioni. Aracne Editrice, (ISBN:
978-88-548-1195-9)
2. Trematerra P. 2016 Entomologia urbana applicata. Aracne Editrice, (ISBN: 978-88-548-9143-2)