Certificate of Food Processing and Technology

Unit 1 – Overview -Scope and Nature of Food Processing Industry

• Where does food come from?
• Food processing
• Shelf life
• Retaining nutrients
• Improve the taste or texture of food
• History of food preservation
• Understanding food spoilage
• Food microbiology
• How food can be preserved
• Microbes and the causes of food spoilage
• pH, water, oxygen, structure of food
• Reducing food spoilage by microorganisms
• Food spoilage by enzymes
• Measures to reduce food spoilage catalysed by enzymes
• Food-borne disease
• Food-borne infections
• Prevention of food borne infections
• Food intoxication
• How food can be preserved
• Chemical preservatives

Unit 2 – The Role of Nutrition in New Product Development

• The primary purpose of food = nutrition
• Health, food development, and processing
• Essential nutrients
• Nutrition density
• Essential nutrients
• Amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals
• Fortification and enrichment processes
• Nutrient density matters in food production
• Food products promoting human health
• Food products which appear to promote human health
• Other natural additives
• Nutrient potential assessment

Unit 3 – Chemical Processing, Preservatives, and Additives

• Defining Processed Foods
• Types of physical processing
• Types of chemical processing
• Preserving and artificial Preservatives
• Natural Preservatives Matter
• Other food additives
• Additives for appearance
• Food Colouring
• Thickeners and Stabilisers
• Trans Fats
• Additives for Taste
• Table of artificial colour additives.
• Natural and naturally-derived sweeteners
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Monosodium L-Glutamate
• Additives from storage, packaging, and plastics

Unit 4 – Thermal Food Processing, Pasteurisation and Microwave Cooking

• Understanding Microbial Destruction
• What is the d value?
• Z value
• F value
• Types of heating
• Heating and cooking equipment
• Vitamins
• Microwave cooking and heating
• Pasteurisation
• Types of pasteurisation
• Pasteurisation of different foods
• Fruit juice pasteurisation
• Milk pasteurisation
• Egg pasteurisation
• Reheating food
• Heating for serving

Unit 5 – Managing Health Claims and Other Statements

• The functions of food products
• Health claims vs. nutrition content claims
• What is a health claim?
• General level health claims
• Examples of general health claims include:
• Table of food standards Australia and New Zealand
• Specific or high-level health claims
• Examples of high-level health claims:
• Health claims and development
• Health claims in research and development
• Regulating health claims
• How are health claims assessed?
• Endorsements
• Slimming and weight loss claims
• Warning and advisory statements
• Advisory statements
• Examples of ingredients requiring advisory statements:
• Warning statements
• Genetically modified foods
• Voluntary gm-free statements
• Supplements and therapeutic goods

Unit 6 – Developing New Food Products (Including Marketing)

• Developing the marketing concept
• What is a consumer?
• Why study the consumer?
• Consumer buying behaviour
• Resolving problems
• Information searches
• Decision making
• Consumer choices
• Stages of developing a new food product
• Decide, is where you decide on a concept and assess its feasibility
• Research to focus our idea and work out why it is unique
• Refine our product
• What is a sensory experience?
• Develop final prototype
• Finalise the details of formula, packaging, and how distribution

Unit 7 – Packaging, Labelling and Storage

• Choosing packaging materials
• Packaging by volume or weight
• Food contact materials
• Inert packaging and reactive packaging
• Types of packing materials
• Dry pack, wet pack, and vacuum pack
• Design considerations in packaging
• Labelling
• Requirements and policy
• Clear list of ingredients
• Health warnings and advisory statements
• Allergens labelling
• Country of origin
• Nutrition
• Marketing design
• Storage

Unit 8 – Legal, Policy and Management

• Policy making – scientific research
• How legal requirements impact food processing
• Licences
• Health regulations
• Safe food handling
• Weights and measures
• Trade practices and fair trading (including signage)
• Consumer protection
• Product labelling (misleading and false advertising
• Misrepresentation
• Price based methods
• Food production management
• Risk management strategies
• The importance of planning in the business
• The planning process
• Implementing the plan
• Time management
• Improving business productivity
• Differences between manufacturing and production
• Entry of products into foreign markets
• Exporting
• Licensing and franchising

Unit 9 – Developing a New Product – Problem Based Learning (PBL) Project