FNH 309: Food Processing

Syllabus Version: 8th September 2022

Instructor: Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh (anubhav.singh@ubc.ca)

Office: Room: 213, Food Nutrition and Health Building

Teaching Assistant:  Xanyar Mohammad (‎xanyar91@mail.ubc.ca)

Course Details

Lecture: Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-9:30am (in-person at FNH 60)

Tutorial: Monday 4pm-5pm  (in-person at FNH-60) with Assignments due at 5pm on corresponding Thursdays.

Instructor’s Biographical Statement:

My name is Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh, and I am a chemical engineer by education (BTech+MTech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 2011), a software engineer by interest (acquired as the founder of two tech-service startups: Orangified and EstuMart), and a food scientist by training & practice (PhD in 2015 from McGill University, postdoc from University of Toronto in 2016). I also worked with R&D division of Enwave Inc., a UBC-spinoff company by UBC Food Science Professor Emeritus Dr. Tim Durance. In 2017, I joined UBC and setup the UBC Food Process Engineering Laboratory.

My main research focus on exploring novel approaches that: a) minimize deleterious effect of food processing on food quality & nutrition, and b) overcome the biological barriers to absorption of nutritional components of food. Some of the major research directions in our laboratory include:

1. developing non-thermal (pulsed light, ultrasound & cold plasma) technologies for decontamination food products,
2. using extrusion & other plant-based meat development technologies,
3. fortification of tea, salt & other food products with multiple nutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin B, folic acid etc.) together,
4. developing buccal and sublingual sprays/tablets for delivery of insulin & other bioceuticals orally bypassing GI tract
5. development of encapsulated rhACE2 for treating mild symptom CoVID-19 patients
6. upcycling of food industry wastes into value-added products, biodegradable & packaging solutions for the food industry,  

In 2019, I received the Endowed Professorship in Food & Beverage Innovation from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries, as part of which I am coordinating the establishment of Food Hubs across the Province of British Columbia, with a central R&D hub at the proposed UBC Food & Beverage Innovation Center, that is expected to be operational by 2024. As part of my current responsibilities, I am the Undergraduate Academic Advisor for the Food, Nutrition and Health program, LFS Representative Senator 2020-23 to the UBC Vancouver Senate, Member of the UBC Academic Policy Committee, and the UBC Research & Scholarship Committee, Privacy Officer of the St. James House Strata Council, UBC Representative to the Executive Board of the British Columbia Food Technologists (BCFT) Association, BC Representative to the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology (CIFST) Association, and Editorial Board Members for Elsevier's journal 'Applied Food Research' and Nature Publishing Group's journal 'Scientific Reports'. I am also currently writing a book on "Application of Microwaves in Foods".

Text Book/Required Material

1. Ramaswamy H. & Marcotte M. (2005). Food Processing: Principles and Applications (1^st Edition). CRC Press. (Available as e-book in UBC Library https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203485248)
2. Brennan J. and Grandison A. (2011). Food Processing Handbook, Second Edition. Wiley-VCH Verlag. (Available as e-book in UBC Library https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9783527634361)
3. Fellows, P.J. (2016). Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice (4^th Edition). Elsevier Science & Technologies. (Available as e-book in UBC Library https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/detail.action?docID=4711752)
4. Lecture slideshows, assignments and other readings posted on Canvas.
5. Additional reading/background material will be made available as required.

Course Objective

The course is structured to cover the physical, chemical and microbiological basis of the various methods of food processing/preservation with special reference to thermal processing, freezing, dehydration and other novel processing methods. Thermal processing section covers everything from historical perspectives to classification and principles of thermal processing, concepts of lethality and resistance to microorganisms, simple process calculations, and a brief discussion of a wide variety of equipment used commercially. This chapter also covers quality aspects of thermally processed foods. Food freezing section covers refrigerated storage, food freezing and thawing, the quality and stability of frozen foods, simple mathematical models for the calculation of freezing and thawing times and a discussion of equipment. Food Dehydration section detail the principles and practices involved in successful production of high quality frozen/dried foods and covers basic concepts as equilibrium moisture content, water activity, drying kinetics, psychrometry, drying time caclulations and some novel drying technique. Apart from this, knowledge about other processing approaches such as separation & concentration operations and food packaging not covered directly through the course will be accumulated through self-study modules. In last part of the course, a flipped-classroom approach will be used to provide introduction to Emerging novel processing technologies finding usage in food preservation. Each student (in groups of ~7) will be involved in preparation & delivery of a lecture on any Novel Processing Approach to peers, and complete a group assignment & individual quiz on the topics covered by the individual groups on the last day of the class.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe the science (mechanism of action), history, importance, benefits and disadvantages of various processing approaches commonly applied in food industry.
2. Select appropriate mathematical models and Calculate important food processing parameters in order to Design an industrial food process.
3. Evaluate the destruction kinetics of a pathogen (or other biological entities) and Suggest the minimum time required at a particular temperature for complete death of that microorganism.
4. Construct the heat penetration curve from a time-temperature data, and Calculate the process lethality of a particular process or process time to achieve a particular lethality using various general and formula methods.
5. Explain the difference between moisture content and water activity and Correlate them using a moisture sorption isotherm.
6. Employ a suitable dehydration/freezing process for increasing the shelf-life of a food product.
7. Recognize emerging technologies and concepts in food processing.
8. Know where to look and how to find information about food process science and engineering principle, design and equipment.

Checklist for Course Preparation

• Sign up for groups on Canvas (Go to Canvas FNH 309 - People page - Groups - Join as soon as possible and before Monday 12^th September 2022 (Groups will be randomly assigned on Tuesday's class).
• Complete the Course Introduction Module, introduce yourself and tell us how to pronounce your name.
• Bring a smartphone or computer to all classes.
• Have access to a scientific calculator for all classes including tutorials and exam.
• Have access to course lectures, tutorials, assignments, textbooks and other materials posted on Canvas throughout the course.
• Use the discussion boards on Canvas to ask and answer questions. In the event you need to send a message to your instructor directly/privately, please send to: anubhav.singh@ubc.ca

Course Content

Introduction

Course outline, Tutorial schedule, Exam Structure

Module 1: Thermal Processing

Suggested Reading Material: Ch. 3 - Ramaswamy and Marcotte; Ch. 8, 11 & 12 – Fellows; Ch. 2 - Brennan and Grandison

Historical Overview & Thermal Processing Fundamentals

Thermobacteriology, Destruction kinetics

Heat Penetration Curve, Thermal Process Parameters

Thermal Process Calculations: General, Improved General and Formula methods

Thermal Processing Equipment; Retort Systems: Recent developments

Self-study Module 1: Separation and Concentration (Reading materials will be provided)

Evaporation

Membrane Processing

Freeze Concentration

Extraction

Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Osmotic Dehydration

MID TERM EXAMS 1 (13th Oct 2022 8:00am - 9:30am in-person at FNH 60)

Module 2: Food Freezing

Suggested Reading Material: Ch. 4 - Ramaswamy and Marcotte Ch. 20 & 22 – Fellows; Ch. 4 - Brennan and Grandison

Freezing Fundamentals, Thermophysical Properties influenced by Freezing

Freezing Methods and Models

Novel freezing techniques

Quality and Storage Stability of Frozen Foods

Module 3: Food Dehydration

Suggested Reading Materials: Ch. 5 - Ramaswamy and Marcotte; Ch. 14 – Fellows; Ch. 3 – Brennan and Grandison

Calculation of Moisture Content, Moisture Analysis Methods

Measurement and Prediction of Water activity

Constructing a Moisture Sorption Isotherm (MSI)

Understand Hysteresis and Associated Theory

Moisture Migration Between Components of Multi-Component Foods

Dehydration Fundamentals & Process

Drying Process and Technology

Novel Drying Techniques

Quality and Storage Stability of Dehydrated Foods

Self-study Module 2: Food packaging (Reading materials will be provided)

Introduction to Food Packaging

Food Packaging Material Properties & Manufacture

Food Packaging Safety

Role of Nanotechnology in Food Packaging

MID TERM EXAMS 2  (24th Nov 2022 8:00am - 9:30am in-person at FNH 60)

Flipped-Lecture Module: Novel Processing Technologies

Suggested Reading Materials: Ch. 7 – Fellows; Ch. 6 & 7 – Brennan and Grandison

Students will work in groups to choose from one of the topics to provide a group term chapter before Mid-Term 2, then deliver group lectures on their chosen topic, attend a tutorial and solve a group assignment, & complete an individual quiz.

Microwave processing and Radiofrequency processing

Ohmic Heating

High Pressure Processing

Pulsed Electric Field

Pulsed light Processing

Ultrasonication Processing

Cold Plasma

Irradiation Processing

Novel Encapsulation Technologies

Tentative Course Outline Breakdown of Semester Timeline

See Course Summary or Calendar on Canvas

Assessment

The overall grade for the course will be calculated according to the following table.

Mid term 1 Exam – Closed Book - 1.5 hr (30%).

• Exams are Closed Book In-Person, but if moved online, will be delivered as a Canvas Quiz in a 1.5 hr time-stressed open book format.
• Date: 13^th October 2022 8:00-9:30am in FNH 60. 
• 80% of the questions will be based on Module 1: Thermal Processing.
• 20% of the questions will also be from Self-Study Module 1: Separation and Concentration.
• Students should bring a scientific calculator to the exam.

Mid term 2 Exam – Closed Book - 1.5 hr (30%).

• Exams are Closed Book In-Person, but if moved online, will be delivered as a Canvas Quiz in a 1.5 hr time-stressed open book format.

• Date: 24^th November 2022 8:00-9:30am in FNH 60. 
• 80% of the questions will be based on Module 2: Food Freezing and Module 3: Food Dehydration.
• 20% of the questions will also be from Self Study Module 2: Food Packaging.
• Students should bring a scientific calculator to the exam.

Group Work (30%: 12% group assignments, 3% peer evaluation, 15% on Flipped Module: Novel Processing Techniques).

• Group Signup: 27.5% weightage in the course will be given to Group Activities. 9 Groups with suggested topics for lectures/term-paper have been created on Canvas. Students can enroll in a group of their choice on a first-come first-service basis through People page. Each group can accommodate a maximum of 7 members. Each group is already allocated a suggested topic for the group term chapter & lecture (which can be changed with permission of the instructor) and it is thereby important to sign up for the groups on Canvas - People - Groups page as soon as possible.
• Group Assignments (12% weightage + 2.5% for the Flipped-Module Assignment): There will be 6 homework group assignments (each 2% weightage, 3 from Module 1: Thermal Processing, 1 from Module 2: Food Freezing, and 2 from Module 3: Food Dehydration) at the end of each tutorial which will be submitted in groups on Canvas as per dates highlighted in the Course Summary on Canvas. There is another 2.5% weightage to the group assignment on Flipped Module: Novel Processing Techniques. Tutorials will be held on Friday with TA to help solve group-assignments, and time is allocated on Wednesdays for the groups to work together and finish assignments on time.
• Flipped-Module  Group Term Chapter (5% weightage): Each group will submit a 5000-8000 word term paper on the group topics and date identified in the Course Content and Course Summary respectively. This term chapter must be uploaded as a pdf file on Canvas before Mid-Term 2 exam. A partial submission of the group term chapter outline & abstract is required by Mid-Term 1. The chapter shall form the basis of the Group Lecture, and help the peers in solving the Group Assignment and Individual Quiz on Flipped Module: Novel Processing Techniques. The chapter will be graded equally on following rubric:
  • Adherence to scientific writing fundamentals;
  • Extent of the coverage of the topic, and lucidity of the information presented in the chapter;
  • Quality of assignments & practice materials provided in the chapter for learners;
  • Critical analysis of the 2-year (2021-22) literature on books. journal articles, news articles and patents on the topic;
  • Future outlook and conclusions presented.
• Flipped-Module Group Lecture (5% weightage): Each group will deliver a 15-minute group lecture, followed by 15-minute of Q&A on the group topics and date identified in the Course Content and Course Summary respectively. Final lecture presentation must be uploaded as a .ppt/.pptx file on Canvas before 5pm on the day of lecture, and shall be made available to the peers for the Individual Quiz on Flipped Module: Novel Processing Techniques that must be taken by 9th December 2022. Each group is already allocated a suggested topic (which can be changed with permission of the instructor) and it is thereby important to sign up for the groups on Canvas - People - Groups page as soon as possible. The lectures will be graded equally on following rubric:
  • the quality of the lecture delivery;
  • extent of information covered on the proposed topic;
  • ability to answers questions and doubts from other students;
  • quality of the ppt file submitted;
  • Participation in Lectures & question asking. 
• Peer Evaluation (3% weightage): Each group member will distribute 100 points amongst other group members, except themselves. Total points should not be more than 100 and no one student can get more than 30 points, else the scores submitted by the student will not be counted and all group members will receive default 100/(n-1) points (where n is the number of group members). One can allocate less than total 100 points. Total score received by each group member from their peers will be counted towards the 3% weightage of the course. Please note that over-contributors can get more than 100% marks in this scoring format, while those not contributing can get 0% marks. A suggested peer evaluation rubric is below highlighting the levels of contribution.

1. 1st Member Name - 25-30      most active and has the greatest contribution.

Surprise Quizzes & Participation (10% + 2.5% for the Flipped-Module Assignment quiz).

• The attendance in the course will be tracked through 5 surprise quizzes (each with 1% weightage), that will count towards 5% of the course.
• Another 2.5% is allocated to the Flipped Module: Novel Processing Techniques individual quiz.
• The other 5% will be based on participation in classes, canvas participation assignments and participation in online discussion boards.

Extra-curricular participation in the food science sector (3% bonus marks).

• 3% extra marks is allocated to students involved in extra-curricular participation in the food science sector.
• Any student involved in an extra-curricular activity related directly to food science such as volunteering in a conference, participating in a food-science professional organization, submitting/publishing a manuscript, volunteering in a research group, unpaid internship in a food science company etc. could claim upto 3% extra marks. The activity must be between 1^st January 2022 to 31^st December 2022.
• In order to claim these marks, submit a 1-page pdf copy of a document titled “Rationale for Extra Marks for STUDENT NAME [GROUP NUMBER]” identifying the student involved and describing the number, nature, and significance of such contributions including the contact information (name, email, phone number) of 1 referee (ideally the direct supervisor/team lead/manager during the contribution) before the start of the final exam.

Additional Notes

Academic accommodations will be made in accordance with university policies. Students requiring accommodations should notify the instructor as soon as possible.

The instructor reserves the right to deviate from the syllabus as needed. Students requesting an exception to the syllabus must submit the request via email to the instructor.

Learning Analytics

 Learning analytics includes the collection and analysis of data about learners to improve teaching and learning. This course will be using the following learning technologies: Canvas. This tool captures data about your activity and provide information that can be used to improve the quality of teaching and learning. In this course, I plan to use analytics data to:

• View overall class progress
• Review statistics on course content being accessed to support improvements in the course
• Monitor adherence to academic integrity by applying analytics on quizzes, assignments and on-line exams.

Academic integrity

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. All UBC students are expected to behave as honest and responsible members of an academic community. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work.

It is the student's obligation to learn, understand and follow the standards for academic honesty. Students must be aware that standards at the University of British Columbia may be different from those in secondary schools or at other institutions.

Violations of academic integrity lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious actions are taken. Plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on an assignment, exam, or course. More serious

consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Academic misconduct may result in a one-year suspension from the University and a notation of academic discipline on the student's record.

The UBC Library has a useful Academic Integrity website that explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. If a student is in any doubt as to the standard of academic honesty in a particular course or assignment, then the student must consult with the instructor as soon as possible. A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s policies and procedures, may be found in the Academic Calendar.Links to an external site. All course work may be submitted to Turnitin.com for review.

University Policies

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions.

Details of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website.