MICROSTRUCTURE OF PLANT RAW MATERIALS
cod. 1010454

Academic year 2024/25
3° year of course - First semester
Professor responsible for the course unit
Tommaso GANINO
integrated course unit
5 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

To provide the student with elementary knowledge regarding the nature of plant organisms, their anatomy and morphology, with reference to organisms that constitute food for man. The student should also be able to assess the reliability of information on this subject provided by various sources independently, and to communicate his/her judgement on the products effectively and scientifically. The expected learning outcomes are: 1) Knowledge and ability to understand: Knowledge of cells, tissues and organs, Knowledge of structure and function of biological macromolecules, Understanding of structural modifications of plant organs and tissues after industrial processing; 2) Application skills: identifying and predicting the effect of different technological processes on the quality and safety of food; applying methodologies, techniques and instruments for the biological analysis of food; 3) Autonomy of judgement: collecting and critically interpreting scientific data from raw materials of plant origin to processed foods, critical use of data from the scientific literature, evaluation of teaching; 4) Communication skills Written and oral communication using scientifically correct vocabulary; ability to present, transmit and disseminate information on topics related to biology; Transmission and dissemination of information on technological topics, ability to communicate with people who are experts or non-experts in the field of food production, and when initiated to work to superiors and/or clients; 5) Learning ability: Ability to consult bibliographical material, databases related to biology; ability to independently expand one's own scientific-cultural background and continue to keep up to date with the latest scientific and technological developments related to the world of food.

Prerequisites

No

Course unit content

The teaching is divided into three parts: (i) some aspects of plant cytology, (ii) plant histology and plant anatomy, (iii) tissue response to industrial treatments.
Tissues and organs of higher plants. Anatomy of the root, stem and leaf.

Full programme

The cytoskeleton. The cell membrane. The vacuole. The cell wall. Tissues and organs of higher plants: parenchyma, meristems, mechanical tissues, conducting tissues and covering tissues. Reconstruction of pl

Bibliography

Any book on plant biology and histology. Course notes

Teaching methods

Lectures and laboratory activities will be organised in presence. The teaching will be carried out by means of face-to-face lectures in the classroom with the aid of slides that will represent teaching material to supplement the recommended text. The slides will be available online on the Elly platform in pdf format for students only after each lesson. During the lectures, the appropriate use of technical language will be emphasised, and links between the various parts of the course will be stressed. For this reason, the presence and active participation of students is strongly encouraged.

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral examination, in which the student's ability to apply the notions learnt during the course will be assessed. The oral examination includes 3 questions on the following topics: cytology, histology, anatomy.

Other information

Frequency of laboratory activities is mandatory

2030 agenda goals for sustainable development

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