FOOD PACKAGING

Academic Year 2022/2023 - Teacher: Giuseppe MURATORE

Expected Learning Outcomes

The course aims to provide the essential knowledge to connect the notions acquired in other disciplines with the particular problems of conditioning technologies and distribution of food products; The course also aims to provide the knowledge and procedures for the study of the shelf life of food products.

At the end of the course students will be able to make, and / or direct, conscious and effective choices of food packaging and make a packaging solution more sustainable.

Course Structure

Lectures (21 hours - 3 CFU) and exercises (42 hours - 3 CFU) (classroom and company), also on line.

If teaching is done in mixed or remote mode, specific changes to the program may need to be made.

During the course monographic articles will be given from magazines in the sector, autonomous and guided research will be carried out on websites and specific texts for the food packaging sector will be consulted

Information for students with disabilities and/or DSA. As a guarantee of equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their specific needs and on teaching objectives of the discipline. It is also possible to ask the departmental contacts of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Inclusion - Services for Disabilities and/or DSAs), in the persons of professors Giovanna Tropea Garzia and Anna De Angelis.

Required Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of Food Technologies, Food Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry.

Attendance of Lessons

Strongly recommended, but not mandatory

Detailed Course Content

Food Packaging definitions, statistics and modern tendencies. Outlines on materials science. Diffusional properties. Packaging materials: chemical structure, production techniques, characteristics, uses and disposal for glass, stainless and coated steels, aluminium, cellulosic materials and plastic polymers. Rigid and flexible packaging. Packaging technologies. Shelf life.

Textbook Information

4. Food Packaging Science and Technology. Dong Sun Lee, Kit L. Yam. Luciano Piergiovanni, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, (ISBN 9780429109232).

Course Planning

	Subjects	Text References
1	Definitions, terminology, statistics and evolutionary trends in the food packaging. Packaging as a complex unitary operation of food technologies. The profile and main activities of a technician of "Food packaging”.	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
2	References to the chemical and physical properties useful for the characterization of the materials used for the conditioning of food. Mechanical properties. Thermal properties. Electromagnetic properties. Diffusional properties: Permeability, Migration.	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
3	Packaging Materials: Chemical structure, production techniques, main characteristics, uses and disposal problems	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
4	Plastic polymers: general information and economic and statistical data, production techniques. Most Used Polymers in the Food Packaging Sector.	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
5	Glass packaging: structure and production, chemical and physical properties	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
6	Metals: stainless steel, aluminium, tinplate and other coated steels; corrosion of metals	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
7	Cellulosic materials: production techniques; paper and cardboard, special papers, corrugated cardboard, stretched cardboard, coated cardboard	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
8	Biopolymers. Edible packaging materials	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
9	Rigid Packaging: Manufacturing techniques and main characteristics of glass and plastic bottles and metal boxes	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
10	Flexible Packaging: Manufacturing techniques and main characteristics of plastic films, flexible composite structures (coextrusion and coupling), thermoformed and injection molded packaging	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
11	Shelf Life: Durability of a packaged food: setting the problem	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
12	"Shelf-life dependent product": recalls of chemical kinetics and accelerated conservation tests	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
13	"Shelf-life dependent packaging": procedures for assessing and predicting the shelf life of a product sensitive to gaseous exchanges and/or moisture transfers	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
14	Functional packaging: active and intelligent packaging. Rfid Technologies (Radio Frequency Identification)	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
15	Packaging Technologies. Changes in atmosphere	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher
16	Packaging of food products	Text 4. Lecture notes of the lessons provided by the teacher

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

The assessment of learning takes place through an oral interview. The evaluation of the student's preparation will take place on the basis of the following criteria: learning ability and level of depth of the topics covered, synthesis and exposure properties, and the student's reasoning skills.

The vote follows the following pattern:

Not eligible

Knowledge and understanding topic: Important shortcomings. Significant inaccuracies

Analysis and synthesis skills: Irrelevant. Frequent generalizations. Inability to synthesize

Use of references: Completely inappropriate

18-20

Knowledge and understanding of the subject: At the threshold level. Obvious imperfections

Analysis and synthesis skills: Just enough skills

Use of references: Just appropriate

21-23

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Routine knowledge Analysis and synthesis skills: It is able to correct analysis and synthesis. Argue logically and consistently

Use of references: Use standard references

24-26

Knowledge and understanding topic: Good knowledge

Analysis and synthesis skills: He has good analytical and synthesis skills. Arguments are expressed consistently

Use of references: Use standard references

27-29

Knowledge and understanding topic: Knowledge more than good

Analytical and synthesis skills: Has remarkable analytical and synthesis skills

Use of references: Deepened the topics

30-30L

Knowledge and understanding topic: Excellent knowledge

Analytical and synthesis skills: He has remarkable analytical and synthesis skills.

Use of references: Important insights.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

1. Definitions and terminology of the food packaging and packaging sector;

2. The migration of materials and articles intended to come into contact with food;

3. Definition and methods of estimating the shelf life of food;

4. Laws regulating permeability;

5. Main conditioning technologies;

6. Functional packaging;

7. Packaging materials;

8. Properties of packaging materials;

9. Choice of packaging material in relation to the characteristics of the food;

10. Simulate the study of shelf life of a food product.

Degree Course in

Food Science and Technology