Structure and Function of Organic Molecules in Food

The course aims at providing the necessary knowledge in order to understand, at the molecular level, the characteristics and reactivity of the main organic compounds in food, including the different classes of additives. Particular attention will be paid to the study of the correlation between chemical structure (lipophilicity, steric and electronic effects), macroscopic properties, biological activity and stability (temperature, pH, light and oxygen) of these molecules.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand the relationship between chemical structure, macroscopic properties and biological activity of the main classes of natural or synthetic organic compounds contained in food. Moreover, student will be able to foresee the modifications due to technological processes based on the chemical reactivity of food components and will have knowledge of the main methods for the structural determination and analysis of organic food components.