Academic Year:
2025/26
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
28939 - Quality management for the agri-food industry
Teaching Plan Information
Academic year:
2025/26
Subject:
28939 - Quality management for the agri-food industry
Faculty / School:
201 - Escuela Politécnica Superior
Degree:
583 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
ECTS:
6.0
Year:
3 and 4
Semester:
Second semester
Subject type:
Optional
Module:
---
1. General information
One of the professional profiles that a graduate in Agri-Food and Rural Engineering can occupy is the Management of Food Quality and Safety. This subject provides the skills to develop this work in the industry.
The approach of the subject is aligned with some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to some extent to to some extent to their achievement:
Goal 2: Zero hunger
Target 2.1. ensure access to healthy, nutritious and sufficient food
Goal 3: Health and wellness
Target 3.9. reduce number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution.
Goal 12: Responsible production and consumption
Target 12.3. reduce food losses in the production and supply chains.
2. Learning results
Upon completion of this subject, the student will be able to:
- To be able to know, understand and use the principles of quality management and food safety in an agri-food industry.
- To be able to document a quality management system applicable to a company in the food industry standardized according to ISO 9001 or other international systems.
- Be able to document and apply accreditation according to ISO 17025 to a company in the food industry.
- To be able to solve questions in which aspects related to quality assurance systems and quality management in an agri-food industrial process are studied in depth . Use of the ISO 22000 standard.
- To be able to explain and apply the different certification and accreditation systems, as well as the validation methodology in food control laboratories.
- Be able to identify hazards that may be present in the food chain and develop protocols to control their presence and survival.
- To be able to establish prerequisite plans with general hygiene measures to ensure compliance with the hygiene requirements to be implemented in the agri-food industries.
- To be able to apply quality control, assurance and management techniques in industrial processes through a HACCP quality assurance system, in order to minimize non-quality costs and failures in the production process.
3. Syllabus
FIRST BLOCK
Topic 1: Introduction to the concept of quality
Topic 2: Principles of quality management systems
Topic 3: ISO 9001-2015 Standard
Topic 4: ISO 22000-2018
Topic 5: Analytical quality assurance
Topic 6: Accreditation of laboratories. ISO 17025-2017
SECOND BLOCK
Topic 1. Quality concept
Topic 2. European Food Safety Policy
Topic 3. Health hazards in food consumption
Topic 4. Prerequisite plans
Topic 5. HACCP System
LABORATORY PRACTICES
- Food analysis. Application of nutritional and analytical quality criteria.
- Hygienic quality control in foodstuffs and processes
4. Academic activities
Theoretical classes: 30 hours of participative lectures developed with ADD material.
Practical classes: 20 hours. Analysis protocols will be developed and results will be analyzed
Case resolution: 10 hours. The case will be explained and, through supervision, it will be solved by consulting different bibliographic sources.
Theoretical classes provide an introduction to the concept of food quality and safety. The legislative framework that regulates food safety in Europeis interpreted and the role of the food industry is analyzed.
From a practical point of view, chemical analyses are carried out and applied in food chains to achieve safe food.
Study: 87 hours
Assessment: (3 hours)
5. Assessment system
The assessment of this subject will be carried out by means of an individual written exam on the theoretical and practical of the course content of the subject. The laboratory practices will be evaluated by means of the practice reports. In addition, various questions and activities on theoretical and practical content presented throughout the course will be evaluated.
Since this subject is divided into two blocks, it will be necessary to pass each part separately (minimum grade 5) and they will be evaluated at 50%.
The detailed definition of the evaluation system will be explained in the presentation of the course.
The success rates for the subject in the last three years are: 2019/20: 100%; 2020/21: 100%; 2021/22: 100%
6. Sustainable Development Goals
2 - Zero Hunger
3 - Good Health and Well-being
12 - Responsible Consumption and Production