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STEBA XXXVIII cycle teaching activities

The teaching activities are in English language and are offered in each of the three years of the course. Each PhD student can attend the teaching activities most relevant to the topics of his/her interest, dividing them over the three years of the doctorate based on his/her specific training needs. In any case, it is required that the PhD students guarantee an average annual number of at least 20 hours of teaching activities.
 

  1. Microbial Biotechnologies for Biorefineries - 4 hours

The seminar on “Microbial Biotechnologies for Biorefineries” will describe fermentation-based processes aiming to exploit biomasses and agro-industrial wastes for the production of value-added metabolites, ranging from biofuels to fine chemicals. The newest trends on the topic will be reported, with particular focus on the exploration of microbial biodiversity, on the genetic improvement and selection of microbial strains, and on the development/optimization of industrial fermentation processes.
 

  1. Colour and chemical imaging: RGB and hyperspectral image analysis for food monitoring - 4 hours

This seminar aims at introducing the fundamentals of colour and spectral imaging techniques and their application for the analysis of food and agricultural products. In the food industry, image-based systems represent a suitable tool for real-time monitoring, allowing to identify the occurrence of problems directly on the process line. In the last decades, monitoring systems based on RGB colour cameras have found a widespread use for an objective measurement of properties related to colour and appearance of food products. More recently, monitoring systems based on multispectral and hyperspectral imaging have been developed to combine the advantages of imaging methods with those of spectroscopic techniques. In this manner, it is possible to investigate surface features of the imaged sample using spectral regions alternative to the visible range (like e.g. the near infrared), thus enabling to visualize the chemical composition of the sample surface in a fast and non-destructive way. In order to highlight the potential of image-based analytical systems, the basic principles of RGB and spectral imaging and the fundamentals of the most common strategies for image analysis will be presented together with some applications in the frame of agri-food sciences.
 

  1. Regulation and use of biostimulants in agriculture - 2 hours

Plant biostimulants are sustainable products used in agriculture to improve nutrient use efficiency, tolerance of crops to abiotic stress, availability of nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere and quality traits of agricultural products. These innovative products are ruled by Regulation (EU) 2019/1009. Plant biostimulants may be divided into non-microbial and microbial products. Non-microbial plant biostimulants include humic substances, hydrolysed proteins and amino acids and microalgae and seaweed extracts, whereas microbial plant biostimulants consist of fungi and bacteria.
 

  1. Role of Culture Collections and exploitation of microbial resources: from strain preservation to industrial starters design - 2 hours

Microorganisms represent most of the biodiversity of living organisms in every ecological habitat. They have profound effects on the functioning of any ecosystem, and therefore on the health of our planet and of human beings. Moreover, microorganisms are the main protagonists in food, medical and biotech industries, so they can be exploited for several applications.

The seminar deals with the roles of the "Culture Collections” and describes the operating methods relating to:

- Staff skills;

- Techniques for short- and long-term storage;

- Quality control and data management.

The seminary describes also the recent Networks of Biological Resource Centers, specifically, the European Infrastructure MIRRI-ERIC (www.mirri.org) and the Italian Network JRU-MIRRI-IT, (www.mirri-it.it) with a focus on their efforts in enhancing availability of bioresources, quality management system and services offered to industries. Finally, it will be discussed the management of the UNIMORE Microbial Culture Collection (UMCC) with some practical demonstrations.
 

  1. Infrared spectroscopy in food analysis - 4 hours

The seminar is focused on infrared spectroscopy, in particular when applied to agricultural and food matrices. Initially the theoretical principles of infrared spectroscopy will be treated, starting from the radiation-matter interaction until the anharmonic potential model. Next, the spectrophotometer will be described, together with the procedures for sample preparation for qualitative and quantitative analysis. In the end, a number of applications in the food and agricultural ambits will be explained by means of practical examples.
 

  1. Functional Genomics Approaches in Crop Plants - 4 hours

The ever expanding availability of genomic sequences from plant and animal species allows to study the structural organization and molecular evolution of entire genomes. The vast wealth of data produced by genomic and transcriptomic projects must however be described through functional genomics approaches to interpret gene (and protein) functions and interactions. During the two presented modules students will approach this cutting edge field of knowledge by means of a series of selected examples.
 

  1. Innovative applications of acetic acid bacteria: the organism inside the process - 4 hours

The seminar is organized in two parts:

  1. Biotechnology of fermented non-alcoholic beverages: scientific context of fermented non-alcoholic beverages; oxidative fermentation by acetic acid bacteria; significance of selected starter culture in static and submerged fermentations for vinegar production
  2. Acetic acid bacteria from food to non-food applications, bacterial cellulose as a case study: biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose by acetic acid bacteria; selection of acetic acid bacteria for bacterial cellulose production; the industrial era of bacterial cellulose: limits and perspectives
     
  1. Packaging properties related to food quality preservation - 2 hours

Suitable choices of packaging materials and techniques may contribute to the shelf life extension and to the overall sustainability of food chains. The seminar aims at supplying fundamentals on packaging materials and production techniques, and at presenting the packaging properties (diffusional, optical, mechanical) which are crucial for the quality maintenance of food products. Basic knowledge on packaging properties will help increase awareness on the key role of packaging in the modern food industry.
 

  1. Sustainability-driven innovation in the food industry - 2 hours

The modern food industry is called upon to reduce its impacts on the environment and to supply nutritious and healthy food at a reasonable cost. Some non-conventional processing techniques have recently been adopted, with advantages both in terms of product quality and of environmental sustainability. The seminar will review non-thermal and non-conventional thermal processes with current or potential industrial application. The seminar will also cover innovative packaging materials (biobased and/or biodegradable) which also represent a current sustainability-related issue for the food industry.
 

  1. Insect farming: sustainable approaches for biowaste valorization and the production of feed and food - 4 hours

In nature there is no waste: the processing waste from the agri-food supply chains can have new life and be enhanced thanks to insects, such as the black soldier flies and some species of mealworms and crickets. These insects are excellent bioconverters that transform organic substrates into substances with high added value (proteins, fats and chitin) that can be used for the production of ingredients to be used for the feed and food industries, as well as for biomedical and agricultural purposes. Even the organic residue that remains after the growth of the insects can be used profitably as a soil conditioner for plants. Thus, insect farming represents an excellent model of circular economy and sustainability in the use and production of resources. The second part of the seminar will focus specifically on the use of insects as food and feed, providing an historical and cultural background of entomophagy, information on the nutritional values and benefits for humans and animals, as well as on safety and regulatory issues (EU regulations on the use of insects as novel foods and for feed production).
 

  1. Pest risk analysis and management of alien pests - 4 hours

This is a two-parts seminar:

  1. Introduction to Pest Risk Analysis (PRA): globalisation of markets and climate changes may favor the worldwide movement of alien species (microorganisms, plants, animals) and their establishment into new areas. But not any living organism, accidentally imported into an area where it was absent, may pose a phytosanitary risk. The process of evaluation of such aliens as possible threat for agriculture is called Pest Risk Analysis (PRA). Therefore, a PRA is necessary in order to qualify an alien species as deserving specific phytosanitary measures or regulation.
  2.  Management of alien pests: when the introduction and/or spread of alien species threatens or adversely impact upon biodiversity and related ecosystem services, this ultimately may result in interference with human health and economy. In order to minimize these effects, it is therefore necessary to undertake a proper and prompt management of the introduced population, with actions and strategies aimed at its eradication, control and containment. Early detection and prevention are therefore of crucial importance. Appropriate methods to track the spread in the territory and for field monitoring must be chosen according to the species biological features. The seminar focuses on the management of some invasive agricultural pests that recently became of worldwide importance.
     
  1. Model Plants - 2 hours

The seminar on “Model Plants” is organized in the following three parts:

  1. Introduction to the concept of Model Plants;
  2. Arabidopsis: description of genome sequence, transformation, mutagenesis, TILLING, natural variation, Arabidopsis community, and bioinformatic resources;
  3. Brachypodium: description of genome sequence, germplasm and mutant collections, natural diversity, bioinformatic resources, and a case study dealing with the transcriptional profiling of Brachypodium – pathogen interaction.
     
  1. Speed and Precision for present and future Plant Breeding - 2 hours

The seminar will give a general overview of the innovations in plant breeding, that in the last few years revolutionized the entire process of plant improvement.

  1. Speed breeding. Technological innovations leading to shorten the plant growth cycles, and the time of release of new plant varieties.
  2. Precision Breeding. Technological innovations that by the use of image analysis and processing, together with machine learning algorithms, increase the precision and depth of phenotyping, as the number of traits under selection.
     
  1. Metagenomic analysis - 2 hours

Next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized the study of microbial biodiversity, that now can be investigated at a much greater scale and detail than in the past. The seminar is aimed at introducing the metagenomic approach to the study of genetic material recovered directly from complex ecosystems (environmental, food, human samples), describing its principle, the NGS technology, the bioinformatic pipeline, and proposing examples of taxonomic profiling as well as functional analysis.
 

  1. The model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae through the lens of the biotechnologist - 4 hours

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the best-understood and most powerful genetic model systems to study fundamental aspects of eukaryotic cell biology, such as aging, cell development and human disease. The seminary will move from a brief historical perspective on the model system concept in the era of high-throughput sequencing, highlighting strength and weakness points in using model organisms to study complex biological problems. History on the emergence of S. cerevisiae as a premier experimental system over the course of the past century will be delineated. Then, central features of the S. cerevisiae genome will be introduced, including the nature of its genetic elements and general organization. The most common experimental tools, mutant strains collections and resources available to yeast geneticists will be presented to challenge PhD students to learn more about the experimental amenability of this budding yeast.
 

  1. Innovation in food yeasts: current state, perspectives, and limits - 2 hours

Yeast is the workhouse for the production of many food products and biotechnological commodities. Selection and genetic manipulation of this powerful cell factory increase yield and predictability of fermentative transformations and enhance the overall food quality and safety. The seminary will describe the main strategies and genetic tools to manipulate yeast cell, with a special attention to non-OGM techniques used to develop novel food bio-catalysers. A flow-chart for decision making will be provided to Ph.D. students in order to choose the most reasonable manipulation strategy based on the genetics of the desired phenotype.
 

  1. Lactic acid bacteria for healthy and sustainable food systems: starter cultures, probiotics, and food waste valorization - 2 hours

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been widely exploited in food fermentation worldwide. LAB convert sugars into lactic acid and many flavourful secondary metabolites, impacting the final food safety and quality. LAB also include the many probiotic strains and can be used in sustainable production of functional food. New developments in systems biology and biotechnology to harness LAB for food waste valorisation and environmental regeneration. The present lecture will introduce the PhD students to the following topics: i) the role of LAB as starter in food fermentation; ii) the potential of food LABs as health-promoting agents iii) LAB as cell factories for food waste valorisation.
 

  1. How microbes could help save the planet - 2 hours

The seminary “How microbes could help save the planet” will describe the role of microbiology in sustainable development, taking into account three main case studies: 1) microbes harvest energy in the form of electricity: the case of microbial fuel cell; 2) microbes fix carbon and turn it into fuels: integrated bioprocess for conversion of gaseous substrates to liquids; 3) plastic eating bacteria for pollution reduction; 4) hydrogenotrophs bacteria can transform CO2 into proteins suitable for human consumption.
 

  1. Contamination and health risks posed by pesticide residues in vegetable products: assessment and management - 3 hours

The seminar “Contamination and health risks posed by pesticide residues in vegetable products: assessment and management” will describe the risks posed by pesticide residues contaminating food, feed and the environment. Moreover, the seminar is also aimed at introducing the students into understanding pesticide exposure through food, and it will describe the basics of cumulative risk assessment. Finally, the seminar will give a few indications on how to perform risk mitigation and risk management.
 

  1. Food bioactive compounds - 4 hours

The seminar “Food bioactive compounds” is aimed at showing to the doctoral students how certain bioactive compounds that are commonly found in food or generated during food processing can contribute to maintain a healthy life-style. The seminar is primarily focused on the bio-availability and bioactivity of phenolic compounds, reporting the newest findings on this topic. Moreover, food-derived peptides and products of the Maillard reaction are also discussed, with a specific focus on their biological activity.
 

  1. Applications of multivariate analysis in the agri-food context - 8 hours

This seminar is aimed at introducing the basic techniques of multivariate statistics, with examples of applications to the analysis of experimental data in the frame of agricultural and food science. In recent decades, the number of analytical techniques available for the study of agricultural and food matrices underwent an exponential growth, as well as the amount of experimental data that can be acquired in short times. As a result, it is often difficult - if not impossible - to effectively manage large datasets by means of the "traditional" univariate methods, in order to extract and interpret the useful information therein contained. On the other hand, thanks to the spread of increasingly powerful and versatile computers and software, huge amounts of data can be easily processed. In this context, the chemometric techniques of multivariate analysis are reaching an increasing spread in the agri-food sector not only in research labs, but also in the industry. In order to present the benefits of multivariate statistical approaches, a brief description of the theoretical principles will be followed by the presentation of some applications for the solution of different problems related to various types of agricultural food matrices.
 

  1. Introduction to the use of MATLAB environment for the analysis of agri-food data - 8 hours

MATLAB is one of the most widespread programming languages specifically designed for technical and scientific computing, including the analysis of agri-food experimental data. This seminar aims at introducing the basic principles of data handling and programming in MATLAB environment, with a focus on agri-food data management and plotting facilities. The seminar is not only designed for students at the very first approach to a programming language, but also to students with expertise on other programming environments and interested in transferring their skills in MATLAB.
 

  1. Nutraceuticals, wellness and human health: the new dietary habits - 4 hours

Ketogenic diet, Dukan diet, Atkins diet, Paleo diet, Ayurvedic diet, Sirt diet, HCG diet: a never-ending list of dietary regimens. But what is the meaning of diet? What is its role in our health? Are supplements so necessary and worthy of attention in our well-being? State-of-the-art research confirms how nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and adult health, stronger immune systems, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), and longevity. Nevertheless, malnutrition, in every form (both undernutrition and overweight), presents significant threats to human health too. As the rate of malnutrition (due to poor/excess nutritional intake and physical inactivity) continues to climb, it is fundamental that the role of nutrition in all its aspects should be fully understood.
 

  1. Scientific Communication in English - 20 hours

The teaching activity "Scientific Communication in English" is divided into two parts.

In the seminars dedicated to writing, students will learn how to:

  • increase readability, reduce the number of mistakes made in English, and avoid redundancy
  • formulate a sentence respecting the rules of English syntax
  • write a title and an abstract that will attract attention and thus be read
  • decide what to include in the various parts of the article (abstract, introduction, discussion, etc.)
  • choose the correct tenses and the correct style (active or passive, personal or impersonal)
  • highlight gap filled, key findings, and overall contribution
  • avoid ambiguities due to errors in the use of pronouns, tenses, and keywords
  • learn 'hedging' techniques, avoid plagiarism
  • deal with editors and referees
  • write a CV

In the seminars dedicated to presentations, students will learn how to:

  • design, practise and deliver a well-structured and interesting presentation
  • avoid mistakes in English by using simple and short sentences
  • decide what to say in each step of the presentation
  • improve pronunciation and intonation in English
  • gain confidence and overcome nervousness and embarrassment
  • attract and retain the attention of listeners
  • ensure a memorable take-home message
  • deal with the Q&A session

 

Further teaching activities

  • Chemical ecology in insect pest management – 3 hours

Organisms of different kingdoms like plants and animals use volatile organic compounds to interact with each other, plants communicate with other plants and animals belonging to different trophic levels and animals can communicate with plant and animals too. Studying these communications pathways in the context of tritrophic interactions and defining the role of volatile compounds is essential to exploit them with the purpose of developing efficient, sustainable pest management solutions.
 

  • Gamification and virtuality: how to improve food buying intentions through the digital tools – 2 hours

Gamified mechanics in serious games, as well as virtuality, may have a positive influence on the food-consumer interaction. Emerging interactive technologies can allow an engaging experience leading the consumer to establish a direct relationship with food products - and potentially with their production places and actors - with no time and space constraints. The seminar aims at describing how the consumer's technology may support companies and institutions to promote the Italian food abroad. 
 

  • Phytosanitary quality of vegetable seeds in the global market: a challenge for supporting sustainable agriculture and food security – 3 hours

Seeds are the primary basis for human sustenance. One of the major contributory factors to low productivity is crop loss due to plant health problems: each year, up to 16% of the global harvest is lost due to plant diseases. Limiting or preventing the introduction and dissemination of seed borne pathogens that harm plants is crucial to ensuring food safety.

Therefore, international science-based standards for phytosanitary measures are essential to maintain seed quality and prevent the risk posed by pest and disease dissemination. Among these standards, seed production strategies (e.g., Good Seed and Plant Practices; GSPP), diagnostic protocols and certifications, chemical or physical seed treatments are playing a key role.

Concurrently, the actors in these seed systems may involve farmers, seed companies that increasingly operate internationally, as well as governmental regulatory and international bodies like the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), International Seed Federation (ISF), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO), National Plant Protection Services and research institutions.

The biosecurity alert posed by Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum associated with apiaceous carrot seed will be illustrated as a phytosanitary challenge from the research point of view.
 

  • Bio-based products intended for food and feed – 6 hours

This workshop aims to provide adequate knowledge on the production of bio-based products in a circular economy perspective, from the evaluation of resources (types of biomass) and transformation technologies up to the in-depth analysis of practical cases (transformation of black soldier fly larvae, transformation of lignocellulosic materials, valorization of prickly pear fruit by-products, valorization of spent coffee ground).
 

  • Method set-up for the identification and quantification of food contaminants – 2 hours

 Sample preparation with different approaches

Applications of LC-MS and GC-MS separation techniques

Method validation

Case studies: hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and other furanic congeners, acrylamide, mycotoxins, cholesterol oxides products (COPs), phthalate esters.
 

  • How to plan a healthy diet from sustainable food systems – 2 hours

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 estimated that 11 millions of total deaths (22% total) in the adult population are attributable to dietary factors (Afshin et al, 2019). Dietary patterns contribute to a rising prevalence of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases, including coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In addition to the effect on human health, food choices are of great interest for the impact on planetary health. Food production systems are responsible for a large part of land and water use and of greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture and farming but also processing, packaging, refrigeration, transport, retail, catering, domestic food management, and waste disposal pose a challenge for environmental sustainability. A poor diet with an alarming rise in obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases and the emergent degradation of natural resources lead to an increased interest in evaluating the impact of today’s dietary guidelines and food production systems on planetary health.

The seminar will focus on how to define a safe operating space for food systems in order to assess which dietary plan will help to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement. A universal healthy and sustainable reference diet or “planetary diet” (EAT-Lancet Commission reference diet) will be described (Willett et al., 2019). Planetary diet has characteristics alternative to the standard current diets and could represent the reference diet for comparing the effects of food on human health and on the environment.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), defines sustainable diets as “those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources” (FAO, 2010).

The development of a novel Mediterranean-based dietary pattern in line with the principle of the sustainable diet will be examined (Tucci et al., 2021).
 

  • An introduction to the R statistical software, with applications to agronomy and other research fields – 12 hours

An introduction to R and the Rstudio environment; using R as a calculator and the use of functions; exploring and plotting a dataset; growth analysis; text analysis in short; the use of satellite imagery or other topics of interests for the participants.
 

  • Innovative and eco-friendly strategies to improve agricultural sustainability – 2 hours

Geopolitical crises, climate change and financial speculation have caused an increase in the prices of energy, fertilizers and raw materials, dramatically increasing costs for the agro-zootechnical and agri-food chains. This has destabilized the economic sustainability of the entire agri-food sector causing an increase in consumer prices. Therefore, this seminar aims to provide knowledge about the development, application and evaluation of sustainable agricultural techniques in low-input farming systems, including through digital and precision farming techniques.
 

  • Microbial Ecology – 4 hours

Aim of the course is providing basal knowledge about the relationship of microorganisms with the environment, their role in the C, N, S, Fe, H biogeochemical cycles, and the main analytical methods to describe microbial communities.