Food Science and Nutrition (FDSN)

Introduction to the basic principles of nutrition and the relationship of the human diet to health. Overview of the nutrition profession, the biological uses of nutrients, and tools for dietary planning and assessment in various settings. Examination of specific issues such as weight management, sports nutrition, food safety, the diet-disease relationship, and global nutrition. Analysis of special nutritional requirements and needs during the life cycle.

This course analyzes the changing nutritional requirements and relative dietary and psycho-social issues which are specific to the different stages of the life cycle. Expected student outcomes include the following: (1) the student will be able to identify specific nutrient requirements for each stage of the life cycle; (2) the student will be able to relate nutrient needs to developmental levels, including biochemical and physiological structure/function of the body, and have a general understanding of dietary planning that will adequately meet nutritional needs of given levels; (3) the student will be able to describe the importance of environment, feeding skills, psychosocial situations, and other factors to total nutrition and eating habits through the life cycle (development through aging); (4) the student will be able to identify risk factors associated with major health problems over the life span and acquire appropriate knowledge for addressing through dietary and lifestyle choices; (5) the student will be able to select, utilize, and evaluate appropriate materials and methods for communication of nutrition information to a given audience; (6) the student will be able to evaluate dietary intakes and feeding programs for individuals throughout the life cycle; and (7) the student will effectively communicate knowledge through exams, writing, and/or oral projects.

In this course students will explore the wide array of disciplines in which engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study and produce food products. An overview of the relationship between food nutrition, chemistry, microbiology, safety, processing, engineering, sensory, and product development will be discussed. The food science and technology industry will be studied to understand food processing, food safety, quality and packaging of specific categories of foods. The course also provides a brief introduction to different career opportunities within the food and technology industry.

Study of chemical structures, types, and metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Discussion of the biological and chemical roles of vitamins and minerals. Application and integration of metabolic knowledge with health promotion and chronic disease.

This course is an introduction to writing and presenting on scientific research with a focus on skills necessary for research at IIT's Institute for Food Safety and Health. Topics will include defining a problem, structuring a literature review, creating a research proposal, and written and oral presentation of research results.

The course aims to develop an understanding of food and food intake behavior by examining the intersection of nutritional science with other disciplines and expertise. The course will be an analysis of the factors that impact food choice/intake. Examination of physiological regulation, physiological and psychological moderators, food marketing, technology, economics, food policy and regulations, media, food safety, and agricultural practices as well as how food intake behavior feeds back and influences these factors. Influence of sex, BMI, and age will also be considered.

Students in this class will learn how to do the following: identify the key steps in the food product development process and stage gate concepts; develop a formulation approach with ability to effectively understand how to work well with vendors, handle labeling regulations, food safety, and consumer acceptability requirements; create a product unit costing with trade-offs and contingencies for market launch; identify key performance requirements for product shelf life testing and packaging specifications; evaluate product quality and safety with traditional and state of the art assessment tools; how to conduct consumer tests, plant trials, and introduce new products and processes into the manufacturing operation and contingency planning; and develop a strategy to monitor and improve product performance.

Study of chemical structures, types, and metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Discussion of the biological and chemical roles of vitamins and minerals. Application and integration of metabolic knowledge with health promotion and chronic disease.

This course is an introduction to writing and presenting on scientific research with a focus on skills necessary for research at IIT's Institute for Food Safety and Health. Topics will include defining a problem, structuring a literature review, creating a research proposal, and written and oral presentation of research results.

Introduction of biotechnology in the food industry including genetic engineering of microorganisms. Fundamentals of microbial genomics and proteomics. Practice of a variety of software and bioinformatics tools including database search, sequence alignment, phylogenetic and cluster analyses, gene production, genomic map construction, and structural and functional prediction of proteins. Applications of DNA fingerprinting techniques in food safety and public health.

Principles of occurrence and control. Importance of sanitation and prevention of public health problems. Microbiological contaminants and methods for their detection. Mechanisms of microbial inactivation.

Introductory Microbiology. Basic microbiological techniques and safe laboratory practices. Introductory Food Microbiology. Isolation pathogenic bacteria. Spoilage microorganisms. Fermentation. Environmental Monitoring. Rapid Identification tests. Sporeformers.

Techniques for analyzing food toxins, food constituents of public health concern, intentional and unintentional food additives, modern separation and analytic techniques.

Students in this class will learn how to do the following: identify the key steps in the food product development process and stage gate concepts; develop a formulation approach with ability to effectively understand how to work well with vendors, handle labeling regulations, food safety, and consumer acceptability requirements; create a product unit costing with trade-offs and contingencies for market launch; identify key performance requirements for product shelf life testing and packaging specifications; evaluate product quality and safety with traditional and state of the art assessment tools; how to conduct consumer tests, plant trials, and introduce new products and processes into the manufacturing operation and contingency planning; and develop a strategy to monitor and improve product performance.

This course covers fundamental concepts in biostatistics and epidemiology with an emphasis on applications to food science, food safety, and nutrition. The course will emphasize study designs and epidemiologic and statistical methods used to investigate the relationships between health-related variables with particular attention to food-related exposures in health and disease.

Legal and scientific issues in regulating the nation's food supply and nutritional status. Roles of regulatory agencies; Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; definitions and standards for food and adulterated foods. Manufacturing processed foods in compliance with regulations.

Regulatory requirements for the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and the broad microbial issues associated with low-acid canned foods (LACF) products. Topics will include the U. S. Food Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, Emergency Permit Control, 21 Code of Federal Register (CFR) parts 108, 113, and 114, record requirements, sources of microbial contamination, characteristics of clostridium botulinum, mesosphelic sporeformers, indicator organisms, and introduction to microbial heat resistance.

Food engineering fundamentals, heat transfer in food processing, food rheology, freezing of foods, food dehydration, kinetics of chemical reactions in foods, refrigeration and thermal process calculations, and alternative methods of food processing.

Process calculations for food processing methods such as canning, aseptic processing, ohmic heating, microwave processing and pulsed energy processing. Extrusion techniques in food processing. Discussion of new food processing techniques and safety implications.

Requirements for the U. S. Food and Drug Administration food canning regulations, including system design, process establishment, operational, and inspection records. Operations and calibration requirements of thermal processing equipment. Process design, documentation of process deviation, and calculation of process delivery.

This course will cover the central food science issues encountered with storage and processing of all major American food commodities including meats, grains, confections, vegetables, eggs, and dairy. It will also review the relevant chemistry, physics, and engineering required to understand common food-related unit operations such as drying, freezing, sterilization, and radiation treatment of foods. An introduction to microbial and chemical issues of food quality and safety will also be covered.

Methods for conducting seal integrity examinations, spoilage diagnosis, and traceability, defining and classifying package defects. Types of packaging materials, including metal, glass, plastics, flexible and composite containers, and their closure and sealing systems. Aseptic and alternative process delivery systems.

Examination of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles; microbiological and process overviews; generic HACCP models, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP); monitoring of critical control points (CCPs), process control and implementation.

Type and application of packaging materials. Migration theories and food package interaction, package testing to ensure safety, and recycling of package materials.

Research and Thesis for Master of Science Degree students.

Students attend seminars offered during the semester. Each student is also required to give a 30 minute presentation on a topic of his/her interest or a research project on which she/he has worked.

Advanced projects in food processing and packaging, food microbiology and safety, food chemistry, and nutrition.

Independent study of advanced topics in food science and nutrition including food processing and packaging, food microbiology and safety, food chemistry, and nutrition.

Continuing of residence.

This course is an advanced course in food safety microbiology covering the latest development and trends in food safety related microbiology, including emerging foodborne pathogens of public health significance, as well as the use of the latest technologies for the detection and control of these microbial food safety hazards. This course can be used as credits towards candidature for a Ph.D. degree in Food Safety and Technology/Food Science and Nutrition.

This course can be used as credits towards candidature for a Ph.D. degree in Food Science and Nutrition. This course is expected to cover advanced knowledge in the chemistry of the components of foods, their physiochemical properties and chemical interactions, and the chemical changes that occur during processing, storage, and packaging. Students are expected to work on evidence derived from original research literature, interpretation of research findings, and problem solving based on the scientific principles of food chemistry. This advanced program is open to individuals who hold undergraduate degrees in chemistry, food science, or related disciplines. Students who have completed the FDSN 524 Fundamentals of Food Science and Technology and FDSN 507 Food Analysis courses with a B or higher may also apply. Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to translate theory and research into practice.

This course can be used as credits towards candidature for a Ph.D. degree in Food Science and Nutrition. This course is expected to cover advanced knowledge in nutrition, metabolism, disease prevention and health promotion. This advanced program is open to individuals who hold undergraduate degrees in nutritional science, food science, health science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry or related disciplines. Students who have completed the FDSN 501 course with a B or higher may also apply. Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to translate theory and research into practice.

This course covers recent advancements and developments in food engineering and food processing including novel and emerging processing technologies, advanced thermal process calculations, modeling, simulation, sustainable food processing, process controls & automation and kinetics of food transformations, energy reduction, and food rheology. This course can be used towards candidature for a Ph.D. degree in Food Safety and Technology/Food Science and Nutrition.