Academic Year:
2025/26
631 - Master's Degree in Food Quality, Safety and Technology
68762 - Rheology and texture of foods analysis
Teaching Plan Information
Academic year:
2025/26
Subject:
68762 - Rheology and texture of foods analysis
Faculty / School:
105 - Facultad de Veterinaria
Degree:
631 - Master's Degree in Food Quality, Safety and Technology
Ambit:
Agricultural sciences and food technology
ECTS:
3.0
Year:
1
Semester:
First semester
Subject type:
Optional
Module:
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1. General information
Rheology and food texture play a crucial role in sensory acceptance by consumers, and consequently in the food industry. Rheology focuses on understanding how materials flow and deform under stress. Texture is a multi-sensory property that is closely related to the structure and mechanical properties of foods. The integration of rheology and texture in food research and development is essential to meet consumer expectations and to innovate in the field of food. The aim of this subject is to provide students with knowledge of the relationship between structure and sensory perception, as well as to enable them to design and carry out analyses of the rheological and textural properties of foods. It is a mainly practical subject.
2. Learning results
- Ability to correlate food rheological and textural parameters to their practical applications.
- Ability to choose, for a given food matrix, the most appropriate tests, parameters and measurement systems for the study of rheological and textural properties and carry them out.
- Know how to interpret data from rheological and textural studies (both experimental data and research articles).
- Know how to express in written and oral reports the results of a rheological and textural study.
3. Syllabus
1. Food rheology. Introduction.
2. Rheological properties and models.
3. Viscometers, rheometers and measuring systems.
4. Practical applications in rheology.
5. Introduction to food texture and structure.
6. Mechanical properties of foods.
7. Equipment and methods for instrumental analysis of texture and structure.
8. Practical application of food texture analysis.
4. Academic activities
-Theoretical lessons. 10 hours. The fundamentals of the rheological and textural properties of foods and the main techniques and equipment for their measurement will be presented.
-Laboratory practices. 15 hours. Students will be taught how to use a controlled stress oscillatory rheometer and a texturometer using different model foods. Subsequently, under the supervision of the lecturers, they will carry out the tests of their practical work.
-Seminars: Video and data analysis sessions on rheological and textural properties. 5 hours.
-Preparation and presentation of the practical work. 10 no presential hours. 4 presential hours (included in the practical sessions).
-Written test on the theoretical part of the subject. 32 no presential hours of study and preparation, and 1 presential hour (included in the theory sessions).
5. Assessment system
The students must demonstrate that they have achieved the expected learning outcomes through the following assessment activities.
Continuous assessment:
-Written exam of 8 questions, in which the knowledge of the fundamentals of rheological and textural techniques and their applications will be assessed. The grade will be from zero to ten and will represent 40 % of the final grade of the subject. The clarity and conciseness of the answers in the written exam will be assessed.
-Practical work on the study of rheological and textural properties in a food chosen by the students. In order to carry out the work, students will apply the theoretical knowledge and the knowledge acquired in the compulsory practicals. The work will be presented as a short research study in both written and oral form. The grade for the written work will be from zero to ten and will represent 60% of the final grade for the course. The written report, the oral presentation and the answer to the questions posed after the presentation will be assessed. The interpretation of the results and their discussion will be especially valued.
Global test:
Students who have not attended at least 70% of each of the proposed training activities will be assessed by means of a global test consisting of a theoretical exam and a practical exam in which the handling of the equipment, choice of methodology, interpretation of the results and drafting of the corresponding report will be assessed. The percentages of marks for each activity and the assessment criteria will be 40% for the theoretical exam and 60% for the practical test. Clarity and conciseness in the answers will be valued.
Assessment criteria:
A minimum mark of 5 out of 10 must be obtained in all tests, and the weighted average of the two tests must be equal to or higher than 5.
6. Sustainable Development Goals
2 - Zero Hunger
3 - Good Health and Well-being
9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure