Food Structure Engineering

Abstract

This interactive course explores fundamental food structuring technologies and complementary patent literature, enabling students to apply food structuring principles in industrial applications.

Objective

1. Principles of Food Structuring: Explain food structuring techniques and their scientific principles, linking process parameters to product properties. 2. Process Design: Apply food structuring principles from raw food materials to the final product, highlighting product transformations along the processing chain. Apply knowledge on industrial scale. 3. Intellectual Property in Food Structuring: Outline the role of patent law in promoting innovation in food structuring technologies. Apply knowledge of learning objective 1 and 2 on recent technological developments and patents.

Content

The course is structured into three parts: 1. Introduction and Structuring Fundamentals (10h): The first part covers the basics of food structuring methods like extrusion, foaming, solid-state fermentation, purification techniques, and mix and form. It includes an overview of the course objectives, the role of intellectual property in food structuring, and a primer on patent law. (1) Mechanical processing and purification (2) Fermentation for structure (3) Separation, isolation, and drying (4) Extrusion (5) Freeze structuring (6) Gelation, emulsification, and aeration (7) Multiphase structuring and encapsulation (8) Fiber spinning and 3D printing (9) Structural analysis and process monitoring (10) Process design 2. Patent Analysis & Group Work (12h): This section provides a detailed guide to patent analysis, including understanding patent law, and analyzing patent claims with practical examples. Students will work in groups to present their analyses of patents related to the different food structuring methods. Each group presentation will focus on a specific patent, including its impact, potential improvements, and a detailed process diagram. 3. Assessment (2h): The course concludes with a final assessment to evaluate students' understanding and application of the course content, incorporating insights from their group presentations and individual learning.

Resources