AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
Department of Food 
Science & Human Nutrition

Introduction to Food Science and Human Nutrition

Content

• Introduction in food science and technology.
• The science of food and its relationship to the basic fundamental sciences of biology, physical sciences, and engineering
• Agriculture and food industry: The politics of food from a global perspective, global food needs, available sources of food supply.
• Definition and distinction agricultural industries. Supply and demand in agribusiness.
• General principles of food science and technology with reference to the types of foods and their nutritional value.
• Primary farming production and quality characteristics of fresh products.
• Physico-chemical, nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of food.
• Fundamentals processing and preservation of fresh produce and food production.
• Basic processes used for preservation and food processing.
• Basic processes used for preservation and food processing. principles of processing and storage of food. Flow charts of food production.
• Basic principles and concepts on research and development of new food products that meet the demands of industry and consumers.
• Food legislation. International bodies responsible for food safety and standards of quality.
• Nutrients and non-nutrients, essential nutrients. Food Composition Datasets.
• Nutritional needs. Nutrition and chronic disease.
• Dietary guidelines. Mediterranean Diet. Sustainable Diets.

Learning results

The course is an introductory class to Food Science and Human Nutrition.
The course aims to introduce:

  • Basic principles on the science of foods and on the processes of preparation and storage of foods for human consumption.
  • Principles involved in main food processing technologies (drying, freezing, canning) technologies.
  • Properties associated with different commodity areas such as dairy, meats, fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains, etc.
  • Basic knowledge on the nutritive value of foods, dietary guidelines and on the effect of dietary choices on health and sustainability.

At the end of the class, the student will have acquired the following skills:

  • Knowledge and understanding of basic concepts and recent developments in the field of Food science and Human Nutrition.
  • Ability to understand connections among the various areas of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Bibliography

BOOKS
- GIBNEY M., VORSTER H., KOK F. INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN NUTRITION, PARISIANOS PUBLICATIONS SA
- SFLOMOS K., MASSOURAS TH., VARZAKAS TH. INTRODUCTION OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, TSOTRAS PUBLICATIONS SA. ISBN 978-618-5495-59-6
- Geoffrey Campbell-Platt, Food Science and Technology, John Wiley & Sons
- Wilbur Gould, Fundamentals of food processing and technology ISBN 1 84569 594 1

JOURNALS
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Journal of Food Science and Technology, Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, International Journal of Agricultural and Food Research (IJAFR), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, European Journal of Nutrition, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Lancet, Nutrition.

NEWSLETTER

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (renamed Department of Food Science and Technology, Decree 80/27/5/13, Government Gazette A119 28/5/13) offers its students the scientific background for a rational approach to scientific and technological issues related to the food sector.
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