The course “Quality Control and Food Quality and Safety Assurance Systems” introduces students to the principles of quality control and sensory evaluation and to food quality and safety assurance and management systems.

It covers food quality attributes and specifications, sampling, statistical quality control and control charts, as well as basic sensory evaluation methods. It also introduces the basic regulatory framework for food quality, hygiene and safety, HACCP principles, prerequisite programmes and the basic requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 22000. Further topics include audits, management of nonconformities, management system certification, laboratory accreditation, and the basic principles of food authenticity testing and the prevention of food adulteration and fraud.

Theoretical instruction is complemented by laboratory exercises, data processing and case studies from the food industry.

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

• Distinguish between the concepts of food quality, food safety, quality control and quality assurance.
• Identify the main quality attributes of foods and assess their compliance with defined specifications.
• Select appropriate basic sampling procedures and interpret quality control data using statistical tools and control charts.
• Select and apply basic sensory discrimination, descriptive and preference–acceptance tests and interpret their results.
• Identify biological, chemical and physical hazards, including allergens, in selected food production processes.
• Apply HACCP principles to develop a basic plan for a specific case study.
• Distinguish between prerequisite programmes (PRPs), operational prerequisite programmes (OPRPs) and critical control points (CCPs).
• Explain the basic requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 and distinguish between management system certification and laboratory accreditation.
• Evaluate findings from a simulated audit, document nonconformities and propose corrections and corrective actions.
• Recognise cases of food adulteration and fraud and explain the role of traceability and analytical methods in food authenticity testing.