FUNDAMENTALS IN FOOD SCIENCE, NUTRITION AND MICROBIOLOGY: A PRACTICAL APPROACH - 2025/6

Module Overview

The purpose of this year-long module is to provide an understanding of the major food components (water, fats, carbohydrates, proteins and alcohol) and some important minor food components, in terms of their nature and role in foods. It provides insight into the nutritional principles of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and how dietary macronutrient requirement values are derived. The module is also designed to introduce students to the practical features relating to food science (including Microbiology) and nutrition. It provides students with an understanding of the key properties of macronutrients, how they can be analyzed and how their physical and chemical properties can influence the properties of foods which relate to how they operate in industry and in the domestic setting. The module also introduces students to the major groups of microorganisms in the environment & in foods and their relationship to health. It examines the micro-flora of foods and how these can be evaluated using standard laboratory techniques relevant to the food industry. Several practical classes are used to illustrate the features being studied in the module. The module is a pre-requisite for BMS2042 Food Science: Perception, Processing and Preservation, which is undertaken by students in Food Science & Nutrition, Nutrition and Nutrition & Dietetics. The module prepares students for BMS 2042 Food Science and also, where applicable, BMS2041 Food Microbiology. This year long module is relevant to all Nutritional Sciences programs.

Module provider

School of Biosciences

Module Leader

BROWN Jonathan (Biosciences)

Number of Credits: 30

ECTS Credits: 15

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

Indicative content includes:

Introduction to Food Science, Nutrition and Microbiology, Learning Outcomes, Assessment, Feedback)
Introduction to Key concepts in Nutrition (Dietary reference values: terminology & definitions)

Water in foods: chemical and physical nature of water and ice
Water in foods: water activity, water content, quality and spoilage
Alcohol ¿ overview of the processes used and the different products made in the fermentation process relevant to the beverage industry.
Alcohol and Nutrition

An introduction to lipids as key food components (nature & occurrence in foods)
Fats and oils ¿ overview of the extent and variety of fats and oils present in foods, their structure and a focus on their properties, analysis and functionality in foods.
Triglycerides: chemical and physical properties & how these influence foods
From commodity to supermarket shelf: How lipids are extracted & refined
How lipids are modified for food use 1: Hydrogenation
How lipids are modified for food use 2: Inter-esterification, tempering, fractionation
Designer lipids: specialised lipids including lipid substitutes
Rancidity 1: lipases (endogenous & exogenous), lipoxygenase & ketonic rancidity
Rancidity 2: auto-oxidation, sensitizers, initiation, propagation, relative susceptibility
Rancidity 3: assessment (sensory & chemical), predicting & preventing rancidity
Fat and oil properties (Lab practical) ¿ melting points, and melting behaviour of fats (e.g. chocolate), appreciation of the rancidity of fats and the susceptibly of different commercially available fats/oils, spectrophotometric methods used to determine oxidation.
Lipids: nutritional properties & dietary reference values
Formative assessment

Proteins ¿ overview of the extent and variety of proteins present in foods, their structure and a focus on the different methods that can be used in their analysis.
Food proteins 1: Classification, structure and chemical modification
Food proteins 2: Structure function relationships and food enzymes
Food proteins 3: Egg & soya proteins
Food proteins 4: Dough & bread: gluten structure
Feedback tutorials on short answer test questions (formative)
Food proteins 5: Milk proteins
Food proteins 6: Milk products including cheese making
Food proteins 7: Meat protein structure & post-mortem changes
Food proteins 8: Processed meat Proteins: nutritional properties & dietary reference values
Protein analysis practical (Lab practical) ¿ coverage of Kjeldahl in class and also spectrophotometric methods. Some comparing and contrasting of these methods.

Food dispersions - formation and stability of foams and emulsions, gelling mechanisms: factors affecting gelation of protein and polysaccharides,
Food dispersions: formation and stability of foams and emulsions.
Emulsions (Lab practical) ¿ preparation of different emulsions with different formulations and then microscopy and image analysis appreciation of the changes that occur.

Carbohydrates ¿ overview of the different classes of carbohydrates and their properties - including functionality.
Food carbohydrates: monosaccharides and sugar alcohols
Food carbohydrates: disaccharides
Food carbohydrates: polysaccharides and starches
Carbohydrate properties (Lab practical): solubility, crystallinity (using microscopy), measurement of reducing sugars, sweetness.
Carbohydrates: nutritional properties and dietary reference values

Minor plant constituents: good or bad?
Novel Foods: food revolution of the new millennium?

Microbiology: An introduction to the microbial world: Bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi.

Microbiology of Foods ¿ an introduction and overview ¿ what kinds of microbes are found in foods and the environment, the influence of the environment, the influence of processing and the role of preservatives.

Food Microbiology 1: (Lab practical) Isolating microbes from different foods ¿ preparing dilutions and plating out ¿ importance of aseptic technique: Foods tested: Meat (cooked and uncooked), lettuce (washed and unwashed)

Food Microbiology 2: (Lab practical) Evaluating the results from the previous session, counting numbers of colonies, identifying types of bacteria present, Gram stain, oxidase and catalase tests; Second part of practical, isolating microbes from different foods from probiotic drinks (e.g. Yakult drink) (bacteria), kefir (bacteria + yeast), Roquefort (bacteria + fungi).

Food Microbiology 3: (Lab practical) Observe and evaluate results from previous session, numbers of colonies, identifying different types of bacteria/fungi present, Gram stain, oxidase and catalase tests; Discussion of all the results.

Revision tutorials covering past questions and expected answers.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Not applicable

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to: provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge by correctly answering short answer and multiple choice style questions designed to test their understanding of the module content. Students are also set calculation questions using data relevant to the practicals that they have undertaken to test students¿ analytical skills. Using this approach, the module team can assess knowledge and skills across a broad range of topics. The practical component of the module is designed to introduce the students to basic techniques in Food Science, Nutrition and Microbiology as well as to train and develop their ability to keep accurate laboratory records and analyze experimental data.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: two exams with short answer questions as well as a selection of multiple choice questions, these cover the content delivered in the first part of the module (Semester 1) and the second part of the module (Semester 2) and tests students ability to interpret results/calculate findings based on the skills developed through the practical classes and formative coursework. The first (Semester 1 exam) addresses learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13) and the second (Semester 2 exam) addresses learning outcomes 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11,12,13). FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: This is provided in the mid-Semester 1 test. In addition a laboratory manual/handbook ¿ consisting of laboratory instructions and space for record keeping will be used y the students. This exercise gives the students an opportunity to record observations of experiments and analyze data generated from such experiments. Demonstrators and academic staff go round all students and discuss their lab manual with students to ensure that they are following good laboratory practice and are recording the information accurately and succinctly and that they understand the process of calculating the data. Formative Feedback: Formative feedback is provided in the lectures and practicals and provides students with the opportunity to appreciate in real time where they may not fully understand some aspects in those settings. There are also some formative short answer questions and MCQs available on SurreyLearn covering each lecture/practical combination focusing on each of the main topics. Students receive immediate feedback (the correct answers) on their performance with some feedback on those answers.

Module aims

• Introduce students to the field of Food Science, Nutrition and Microbiology and help students become familiar with the variety of terms used in these fields.
• Develop students understanding of the sources, nature, role and importance of macronutrients; water, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins as well as some more minor components in foods.
• Help students appreciate the changes that can occur to the major components in foods related to their deterioration.
• Develop students understanding of the nutritional importance of the macronutrients and the process required to derive their respective requirement values.
• Help students develop their appreciation of the fundamental practical techniques used in food science and nutrition and to give students a basic understanding of the methods used in determining food composition
• Provide students with a practical understanding of the nature of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates and proteins) and how their chemical and physical properties relate to their behaviour in foods, in particular, in relation to the nature and role of disperse systems in foods
• Provide an understanding of the process of fermentation to produce alcohol, including the different types of beverages
• Help students appreciate the major groups of microorganisms and an understanding of how bacterial cells and viruses function
• Develop their understanding of the importance of microbes in foods, but also in the environment and what constitutes our natural microbiota and how it impacts on health

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: provide students with a supportive, step by step approach to enable a thorough grounding and appreciation of the key macronutrients in foods. The module is divided into sections covering water, lipids (fats and oils), proteins and carbohydrates as well as microbiology. It covers the fundamental lectures related to Food Science and is complemented by lectures covering the nutritional features of these nutrients. Each week consists of several hours of teaching (focusing on the theory) and there are practical classes distributed throughout the module (focusing on the applied aspects of the topics). In each teaching session students are encouraged to participate and there are opportunities for formative assessment. This module continues to develop skills and is designed to provide students with a framework from which to build their knowledge and inform further learning in their specific programmes (Food Science & Nutrition, Nutrition or Nutrition & Dietetics.)

Approximately halfway through the first Semester there is a formative test which covers all the topics covered thus far. This test is designed to enable students to develop test experience on an online platform but to also allow students to show what they understand from the material at that point. The test is marked, and feedback tutorials are provided to offer opportunities to understand where students may have gone wrong and how they can improve. This aligns with the program strategy to help students to acquire and develop a thorough understanding of food science and nutrition in the early stages of their program.

The learning and teaching methods include: Lectures (with interactive question and answer sessions). Formative test opportunities. Revision tutorials with example test questions. SurreyLearn video clips on some aspects of the module. The module also includes practical classes in which there are 7 separate practicals during which there is support from demonstrators and teaching staff. There are revision sessions towards the end of each Semester where students consolidate their learning. Opportunities for electronic voting are also part of this module.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: BMS1064

Other information

The school/department of Biosciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: Digital capabilities: Your digital skills will be developed as the module involves the use of various programmes such as Surreylearn, Team, Zoom and Panopto for online interaction and review of content. A high content of digital external resources will also be used to support lectures such as You tube channels. The module uses an On-line formative test to develop digital skills as well. While a selection of relevant literature (e.g., books and journal articles) will be provided on the reading list, you will be encouraged to familiarise themselves with searching online databases to obtain materials for further reading. Employability: You will develop theoretical, and a working knowledge of several food analyses methods currently being used in the industry to measure the characteristics of various food products. These include analysis of water content, fat content, protein content as well as Glycaemic index (GI) and Glycaemic load (GL). You will also be exposed to opportunities in the Food and Nutrition industry and the various areas of specialization available. The module also includes many practicals (n=7) which provide students an excellent opportunity to develop a range of hands on skills related to food analysis and also food microbiology. Students work in pairs and there are a number of tasks in each practical that require teamwork in order to get the work done in an efficient and accurate manner. Techniques used are similar to those in the food industry, providing enhanced employability skills. There is also the need to appreciate and understand appropriate Health and Safety when working in the laboratory alongside apparatus such as heating blocks, blenders, spectrophotometers, Bunsen burners etc. All pieces of equipment that may potentially be used in their future work. Global and cultural capabilities: Lectures will cover a wide range of foods and food systems across different cultures and topics related to global issues. The module covers the main macronutrients including alcohol, their role in foods (functionality) and how they are analyzed. As food is a global commodity and our students come from various international backgrounds, opportunities are used to discuss various global and cultural aspects related to this. E.g. the history of alcohol production around the globe; the use of different fats and oils in different countries/continents - Animal vs. plant fats - cultural differences in the use of different fats. Proteins from different global sources and their functionality. Resourcefulness and Resilience: The formative test given halfway through the first Semester allows you to work individually in an environment similar to that of a real exam. This exposure allows you to gain the necessary skills and test your resilience for sitting the summative exams later on. The formative feedback helps you appreciate areas you need improvement in and allows you to appreciate if you need to seek LSA/ND needs. Receiving feedback can be difficult for some, so students will be offered support in interpreting feedback and turning it into action. The 7 practicals also help develop resilience. Students must come prepared for the labs to perform the practical in a finite amount of time (2-3 hours). Some experiments "designed to fail first time" to help develop resilience further. Sustainability: You will develop an awareness of how Food Science is trying to achieve sustainability through its raw material sourcing, processing, and preservative methods. An example of this is the creation of egg alternatives but also alternatives to palm oil. You will be able to appreciate what goes into making foods more sustainable and the effect of these modifications on the final product. You will also be exposed to features that are related to Global development goals (SDG goals: 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15).

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.