28957 - Post-harvest technology
437 - Degree in Rural and Agri-Food Engineering
Optional
5.1. Methodological overview
The learning process that is designed for this subject is based on the following:
- Theoretical sessions: participatory lectures which will deepen physiology, biochemistry and microbiology of fresh plant products as well as the methods available for conservation (modified atmosphere, decontamination treatments, ...).
- Practical sessions in laboratory where students become familiar with the parameters that determine the quality of fresh vegetable products (nutritional, physiological, maturity, physiological and microbiological changes ..)
- Seminars which will deepen the most relevant aspects of post-harvest technology by viewing video documentaries or analysis of research publications that provide a current view of the sector's problems, possible solutions and technological advances.
- Visit to a fruit and vegetable industry: the student will study the way a fruit travels from harvest to packaging and preservation. This visit will be accompanied by a talk where the company manager explained to the students all the functions that an Agri-Food and Rural engineer can perform on it. Before the visit the processes that they develop and the salient features of the establishment will be explaines. This will allow students to more easily follow the explanations of technicians and allow an exchange of views with students who are in contact with industrial problems.
- Academically mentored group work: the knowledge and skills acquired in the course will be integrated with the completion of a group work in which students must design a storage system for a particular horticultural produce. The teacher will propose to each group of students a fruit or a vegetable. The student must establish maturity at harvest, the selection criteria and classification, storage temperature, the conditions of modified atmosphere packaging and the duration of conservation. Once these parameters are established they will proceed to the practical application of the chosen system. Students must then measure the quality of fruit and vegetable products during storage and determine the shelf-life based on their analysis.
All materials and resources used in teaching will be available in the Digital Teaching Ring the University of Zaragoza offers students and teachers (http://add.unizar.es).
5.2. Learning tasks
The program that the student is offered to achieve the expected results includes the following activities ..
- 30 hours of lectures (paticipative master clases)
- 10 hours of laboratory practices organized in 5 sessions of 2 hours.
- 10 hours of seminars organized in 5 sessions of 2 hours.
- 5 hours spent on the visit to a fruit and vegetable industrie
- 5 hours for preparation, implementation and presentation of a mentored group work (5 sessions of 1 hour)
Academic tutoring: students will have the support and advice of the teacher in schedule that will present well in advance
5.3. Syllabus
Theory Programme
TEACHING UNIT 1. INTRODUCTION
Topic 1. Introduction to post-harvest phisiology and preservation (0.1 ECTS).
Topic 2. Economic and nutritional importance of fresh food of a plant origin on a global scale, European scale and Spanish scale (0.1 ECTS).
Teaching-learning activities:
Interactive master’s class: 0.2 ECTS
TEACHING UNIT 2. STRUCTURE, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND POST-HARVEST ALTERATIONS TO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS
Topic 3. Structure, chemical composition and nutritional value of fruit and vegetables (0.3 ECTS).
Topic 4. Physiological and physical-chemical changes during the ripening and senescence of fruit and vegetables (0.4 ECTS).
Topic 5. Fruit and vegetable quality (0.3 ECTS).
Topic 6. Post-harvest alterations to fruit and vegetables (0.2 ECTS)
Teaching-learning activities:
Interactive master’s class: 1.2 ECTS
TEACHING UNIT 3. POST-HARVEST PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES
Topic 7. Operations prior to the post-harvest preservation of fruit and vegetables (0.2 ECTS)
Topic 8. Pre-refrigeration and refrigerated conservation (0.3 ECTS)
Topic 9. Modified and controlled atmospheres and the preservation of fresh fruit and vegetables (0.4 ECTS)
Topic 10. Handling ethylene in post-harvest preservation (0.2 ECTS)
Topic 11. Emergent post-harvest technologies for fruit and vegetables (0.4 ECTS)
Topic 12. Waste management in the fruit and vegetable industry (0.1 ECTS)
Teaching-learning activities:
Interactive master’s class: 1.4 ECTS
Practical Programme
TEACHING UNIT 2. STRUCTURE, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND POST-HARVEST ALTERATIONS TO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS
Practical 1. Measuring vitamin C in fruit and vegetables: The influence of the degree of ripeness (0.2 ECTS)
Practical 2. Measuring carotenoids in fruit and vegetables: The influence of the degree of ripeness (0.2 ECTS)
Practical 3. Measuring the respiration rate of certain fruit and vegetables: The influence of species and temperature (0.2 ECTS)
Practical 4. Measuring the degree of ripeness in fruit and vegetables (0.2 ECTS)
Practical 5. Identifying tropical fruit species. Cold damage and storage conditions (0.2 ECTS)
Seminar 1. Identifying physiological changes (0.2 ECTS)
Seminar 2. Identifying pathological changes (0.2 ECTS)
Teaching-learning activities:
Laboratory practicals: 1 ECTS
Seminars: 0.4 ECTS
TEACHING UNIT 3. POST-HARVEST PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES
Seminar 3. Preliminary operations in a fruit and vegetable centre (0.2 ECTS)
Seminar 4. Preservation methods for fruit and vegetables (0.2 ECTS)
Seminar 5. New methods of control for microbial changes (0.2 ECTS)
Visit to a fruit and vegetable centre (0.5 ECTS)
Teaching-learning activities:
Seminars: 0.6 ECTS
Visits: 0.5 ECTS
For the whole course:
Supervised project: 0.5 ECTS