Course Topics
- Introduction to microbiology - The bacterial and archaeal cell - The bacterial behaviour - The bacterial spore and the cell differentiation - Evolution and bacterial genetics - Bacterial metabolism - Techniques used in microbiology - Cycles of the elements - Bacterial ecology - Bacterial populations in extreme environments, rumen and gastrointestinal tract, soil and rhizosphere (mycorrhiza, etc); - Plant Growth Promoting Rhyzobacteria - Biocontrol agents against phytopathogenic insects; Bacillus thuringiensis - Metanogenesis and hydrogen production; Biofuels - Wastewater treatment; bioremediation; material biodeterioration and biorestoration through bacteria For each agro-industrial supply chain considered, the production process of the main products is illustrated using a common teaching scheme that includes: Definition of the product Characteristics of the raw materials Description of the processing technology Food product quality. In detail, the course covers the following topics: Technology of milk and dairy products Chemical and physical properties of milk Classification of dairy products Dairy processing technologies Quality evaluation Technology of oils, fats and derived products Chemical and physical properties of edible oils and fats Classification of oils and fats Processing technologies Quality evaluation Production of speck. Wine production technology Characteristics of musts and wines Winemaking technologies Additives, processing aids, and wine stabilization processes Quality evaluation. Brewing technology Characteristics of raw materials for beer production Types of beers and brewing processes Storage and quality evaluation. Elements of bakery technology.

Propaedeutic courses
no

Teaching format
Frontal lectures, practical exercises, laboratory activities, innovative projects and/or educational visits.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and comprehension capacity of the role of microorganisms in the chemical transformations in the environmental and food field and of the effects of the main unit operations on the quality of foods. Capacity to transfer the knowledge and the comprehension through the development of the horizontal integration capacity of the acquired information (technological, chemical, microbiological) and the ability to draw information from practical laboratory activities to support / integrate theoretical information of the lectures; ability to identify and implement process optimization strategies also through the development of practical skills such as flow charts, risk analysis and evaluation of production yields in the food sector. Autonomous judgement ability to identify the information necessary to understand the agroenvironmental processes supported by microbial communities, and to implement interventions aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of food production. Communication ability to present knowledge to a specialized and non-specialized audience with a proper vocabulary and pertinent to the discipline. Capacity of permanently knowledge through the use of technical tools enabling the independent acquisition of information and updated knowledge in the microbiological and food technologies.

Assessment
Written exam

Evaluation criteria
The course examination consists of a written test, divided into two parts corresponding to the two modules, which includes questions to assess knowledge and understanding of the topics covered in each module, as well as questions aimed at evaluating the ability to transfer these competences to applied cases in agro-environmental microbiology and food technologies.