Quality Assurance and Control

General

• Code: 276-190303
• Semester: 3rd
• Study Level: Undergraduate
• Course type: Special Background
• Teaching and exams language: Greek (French for Erasmus students)
• The course is offered to Erasmus students
• Teaching Methods (Hours/Week): Lectures (1) / Practice Exercises (1) / Laboratory Exercises (3)
• ECTS Units: 6
• Instructors: Thomareis Apostolos, Efraimidis Nikolaos

Course Contents

• The terminology of quality
  Quality, quality control, quality assurance, quality management, quality system.
• Quality control
  Objectives, stages, methods and organization of quality control, quality characteristics of food, organoleptic characteristics, control of food texture by instrumental methods, control of food color by instrumental methods, correlation of results between organoleptic and instrumental methods.
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
  Methodology, case studies.
• Good Manufacturing Practice – Good Hygienic Practice (GMP – GHP)
  Introduction to the GMP – GHP system, recommended international code of practice–general principles of food hygiene of the Codex Alimentarius, food hygiene according to EU directives, case studies.
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
  Introduction, principles, methodology, case studies.

Titles of Laboratory Exercises (Organoleptic Tests)

• Organoleptic control organization.
• Pairwise comparison test.
• Triangular and duo-trio testing.
• Tetrahedral test.
• Ranking test.
• Multiple comparison testing.
• Dilution tests and difference threshold.
• Grading tests.
• Quantitative descriptive analysis tests.
• Taste profile analysis and evaluation with multi-axis plots.
• Likeability tests.

Educational Goals

The course aims to achieve the following learning outcomes for students:

• Understanding the importance of food quality and safety.
• Familiarity with the various quality control methods and quality and safety assurance systems applied in the food industry.
• Knowledge and application of organoleptic control methods.

General Skills

• Search, analysis and synthesis of data and information, using the necessary technologies.
• Decision making.
• Autonomous work.
• Teamwork.
• Work in an international environment.
• Work in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Promotion of free, creative and inductive thinking.

Teaching Methods

Face to face:

• Lectures (theory and exercises) in the classroom.
• Laboratory exercises in groups in the Organoleptic Control Laboratory.

Use of ICT means

• Lectures with PowerPoint slides using PC and projector.
• Notes in electronic format.
• Post course material and communicate with students on the Moodle online platform.

Teaching Organization

Students Evaluation

Evaluation methods:

• Compulsory attendance at (at least) 80% of the laboratory exercises.
• Written final exams in the theoretical part of the course with essay development and problem solving questions.
• Final written exams in the laboratory part of the course with short development and problem solving questions.
• Optional written assignments in the laboratory exercises (20% of the grade of the laboratory part of the course if submitted).

The evaluation criteria are presented and analyzed to the students at the beginning of the semester.

Recommended Bibliography

1. Αρβανιτογιάννης I.Σ., Τζούρος N.H., Το Nέο Πρότυπο Ποιότητας και Ασφάλειας Τροφίμων ISO 22000, Εκδόσεις Σταμούλη, Αθήνα, 2006.
2. Καρυπίδης Φ., Ειδικά Θέματα Ποιότητας: Εφαρμογή στη Γεωργία και στα Τρόφιμα, Εκδόσεις Ζήτη, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2008.
3. Lawless H.T., Heynmann Η., Sensory Evaluation of Food: Principles and Practices, Chapman & Hall, New York, 1998.
4. Meilgaard M.C., Civille G.V., Carr B.T., Sensory Evaluation Techniques, Fourth Edition, CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, 2006.
5. Stauffer J.E., Quality Assurance of Food: Ingredients, Processing and Distribution, Food & Nutrition Press Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1988.

Related Research Journals

1. Food Control.