Design, Development and Application of Food Supplements, Functional Foods and Foods for Specific Groups

The teaching aims at promoting a scientific and methodological study in the field of food supplementation and healthy functional foods and for specific groups of consumers. More precisely, the course plans to train the student through the transfer of innovative contents on the identification of different classes of ingredients, (such as bio-peptides, bio-lipids, bio-oligosaccharides, phytocomplexes, minerals, and vitamins) starting from raw materials and food by-products, their analytical and biological characterization using in vitro and in vivo model systems and clinical studies, as well as their safety profile. Particular attention will be devoted to the development and production of functional foods for specific consumer groups (starting from those for children up to those for specific types of adult consumers). Finally, the main categories of food supplements available on the market will be presented during the course.

At the end of the training process, the student must have acquired knowledge about the development and design of a food supplement/functional food starting from the identification of the most interesting ingredients from food raw material or by-products. More precisely, students will know and be able to discuss the extraction and analytical methods for the identification of bioactive ingredients and the evaluation of the quality and safety of the raw materials/by-products used for the design of the supplements/functional foods and the finished product. They will know the composition of different supplements/ingredients, especially as regards the most significant components from the point of view of biological and health-promoting activities, also considering the possible transformations induced by technological treatments and conservation. They will also know some problems related to quality and safety, in particular with regard to the possible presence of contaminants, possible alterations, the main adulterations.