Course code:
432B2		 Course name:
Biochemistry of Food and Nutrition

Academic year:

2023/2024.

Attendance requirements:

401B2 + 411B2 + 063B2

ECTS:

6

Study level:

basic academic studies

Study program:

Biochemistry: 4. year, winter semester, elective (E15B2) course

Teacher:

Milan R. Nikoliæ, Ph.D.
associate professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistant:

Simeon L. Miniæ, Ph.D.
assistant with PhD, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: two hours of lectures + three hours of labwork (2+0+3)

Goals:

This course is intended for students who want to engage in food research or work in the food industry. The course introduces students to the physiological, biochemical, and molecular basis of food components and the effects of food/nutrition on the human body and health.

Outcome:

Students will acquire the knowledge of food components from both (bio)chemical and physiological perspective. They will also develop the skills necessary to analyze foodstuff and testing the digestibility and bioavailability of individual food components.

Teaching methods:

Lectures; Experimental exercises; Term papers.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

1. Tammy Stephenson, Megan Sanctuary, Caroline Passerrello and Wendy Schiff. Human Nutrition: Science for Healthy Living, 3rd Edition. 2022. McGraw Hill eBook. ISBN10: 1260702375 | ISBN13: 9781260702378

2. Karen Frazier. Nutrition Facts: The Truth about Food. 2015. Rockridge Press. ISBN-13: 978-1623156114.

Supplementary coursebooks:

Selected review papers and books.

Additional material:

—

  Course activities and grading method

Lectures:

5 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

Thematic units:

1. The basic principles of healthy eating (nutrients and protective foods); basal metabolism.

2. Food digestion, absorption and interconversion of nutrient molecules.

3. Proteins and lipids as food components: sources, digestibility, biochemical roles.

4. Carbohydrates and dietary fibers as food components: types, sources, biochemical roles.

5. Vitamins: types, sources, biochemical roles.

6. Macroelements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, P) and microelements (Fe, Cr, Zn, Se, I, F, Cu, Mn, Mo): sources, usability, biochemical roles.

7. The nutritional value of milk, meat, animal fats, cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, beverages (coffee, cocoa, tea).

8. Nutrition in pregnancy, child nutrition, nutrition for athletes, nutrition for seniors; vegetarianism.

9. Biological and chemical methods of food preservation; additives as food components.

10. Natural sweet substances and synthetic/artificial sweeteners as food components.

11. Biochemical roles of microorganisms in food; probiotics and prebiotics.

12. Organically grown food, genetically modified food, food allergens.

Labwork:

10 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

  1. General principles of foodstuff analysis.
  2. Moisture content determination, ash content determination, elemental composition determination.
  3. Fat content determination (the Weibull-Stoldt method).
  4. The determination of digestibility.
  5. Wet digestion, the analysis of the mineral content.
  6. The determination of the total sterol and ergosterol content.
  7. The determination of the phosphorus content.
  8. The determination of vitamin C and vitamin E.
  9. The determination of beta-glucan in yeast.
  10. The chemical analysis of water.
  11. The determination of the content of caffeine and sweeteners in non-alcoholic beverages.
  12. Protein digestibility assays and the assessment of the allergenic potential of food proteins.
  13. The determination of the bioavailability of macro- and microelements.
  14. Biochemical activity of yeast and lactic acid bacteria in food preparation.

Semester papers:

25 points

Oral exam:

60 points