The course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the chemical reactions that occur during the processing, storage, and cooking of food. Furthermore, it seeks to impart knowledge regarding the selection of methods and conditions to either prevent undesirable changes or promote desired transformations in food products. Lastly, the course endeavors to equip students with the ability to apply appropriate methods for food analysis, with the goal of verifying their identity (authenticity) or assessing their quality.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the structure, chemical, and physicochemical properties of carbohydrates, their detection and differentiation, caramelization, reactions causing food browning, and the significance of important carbohydrate-rich foods.
• Comprehend the structure and chemical properties of lipids, the extraction and analysis of lipids from plant and animal tissues, and their role in human nutrition.
• Grasp the structure of amino acids, peptides, and proteins, their functional and chemical properties, the Maillard reaction (including individual reactions, control, and inhibition), and the role of proteins in human nutrition.
• Familiarize themselves with vitamins, their chemical structure, nomenclature, sources, and the effects of food processing on their stability.
• Gain knowledge about food additives, food microconstituents, novel foods, and food substitutes.
• Understand the chemical changes that occur during the processing, storage, and cooking of foods.
• Identify undesirable substances in food, such as dioxins, enzymatic browning, and methods for controlling enzymatic browning.
• Explore the sensory aspects of food, including taste, flavor compounds, aftertaste, flavor modification, aroma, and chemical structure, as well as the determination of taste and aroma.
• Learn how to correlate analytical data with the properties of foods, as well as with their quality and safety.
• Furthermore, upon completing the course, students will be capable of effectively communicating information, problems, and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized personnel.