Objectives and competences

The objective of the course is to raise students' awareness of the problem of food loss/waste and to provide them with knowledge on suitable at- and postharvest techniques for vegetables and arable crops. They will learn about the importance of self-sufficiency and short supply chains and acquire knowledge of various certification schemes and standards. On successful completion of this course, students should know and understand the concept of quality and safety of food and be able to choose appropriate post-harvest practices.

Content (Syllabus outline)

• Basic concepts of food safety (hazards, labelling, traceability) and quality of produce (external, internal, quality traits relevant to the processing industry) and the legal framework, • Harvesting and maturity indices of arable crops and vegetables, differences in the ripening of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, biochemical processes in harvested vegetables, • the concept of sustainability, food loss and waste along the food chain, standards, harvesting practises and technologies to reduce food loss and waste: • the influence of pre-harvest factors (weather, technology and production method (conventional, organic)) on post-harvest produce quality, • marketing standards for vegetables (EU, UNECE) and possible ways to reduce food losses due to sub-optimal quality, • physiological principles and microclimatic requirements for the storage of arable and vegetable crops: storage conditions for arable crops, post-harvest handling of vegetables and methods of vegetable storage to reduce the incidence of storage pests and diseases, to extend shelf life and to maintain the safety and quality of produce, • production and food standards and conditions in the chain up to the processor or consumer (GlobalGAP, Codex Alimentarius, BRC, IFS, organic standards, prerequisite programmes and HACCP), • the basics of vegetable processing techniques (canning, pickling, drying, freezing), • labelling of prepacked and non-prepacked foods, • properties of packaging materials in the context of the circular economy (reuse, biodegradability, recycling) and innovative packaging (smart – active and intelligent packaging). • Definition and importance of self-sufficiency, local food and short supply chains, national and EU quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs (selected quality, protected agricultural products and foodstuffs: higher quality, protected geographical indication and origin, traditional speciality guaranteed). • Project: harvesting, post-harvest handling, storage, defining the safety and quality of agricultural produce, processing and creating information on pre-packaged food, self-sufficiency, protection of a specific crop or foodstuff in the EU, estimating the amount of food loss/waste along the food chain for a selected vegetable or arable crop – group work of students using the design thinking method). •

Learning and teaching methods

Teaching methods: • systematic lectures, • blended and flipped learning, • problem-based learning using the design thinking method (project with interview, teamwork), • gamification of the course and assessment of knowledge on regular basis (quizzes on Moodle,plugin Level up!), • tutorials (practical work and visits of food-processing industry, farms with appropriate supplementary activities). Learning methods: • individual learning and teamwork, • practical experience, • problem-oriented learning, • self-assessments of knowledge and progress through course, • peer assessment of projects (product and public presentation).

Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding

Knowledge and understanding: On successful completion of this course students should be able: • Identify food loss and waste that occurs along the food chain from producer to consumer, explain the importance of self-sufficiency and short supply chains, and the environmental, social and economic impacts, • to enumerate and describe the appropriate harvesting techniques for certain field crops and vegetables; the physiological, microbiological agro-technical and environmental factors affecting the safety and quality of crops and vegetables at and after harvest, • decide on post-harvest management practices appropriate to the individual vegetables, • justify the use of processing technologies appropriate for the crops in question, • define and explain the external and internal quality of crops and food safety, • create a label on prepacked foodstuff with mandatory and voluntary information, • compare different national, and certification schemes at the EU level, • and describe and explain the elements of production and processing standards, • develop ability to effectively search and select scientific information in a digital environment (databases) and to work independently and in a team (project work). Regarding the types and characteristics of the commodity, students should be able to choose and use suitable postharvest and processing technologies which reduce losses and maintain the best possible quality of produce (project work in groups).

Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes

Readings

• Aktualna nacionalna in EU zakonodaja s področja varne hrane in kakovosti posameznih skupin pridelkov in živil: ? UVHVVR (https://www.gov.si/drzavni-organi/organi-v-sestavi/uprava-za-varno-hrano-veterinarstvo-in-varstvo-rastlin/) ? EFSA (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/) in • GlobalGAP standardi (https://www.globalgap.org/uk_en/) • Evropska Komisija. (2016). Obvestilo Komisije o smernicah za izvajanje sistemov vodenja varnosti živil, ki zajemajo prerekvizitne programe (PRP) in postopke, ki temeljijo na načelih HACCP, vključno z olajševanjem/prilagodljivostjo izvajanja v nekaterih živilskih dejavnostih. Uradni list EU C278. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/SL/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0730(01) • European Commission, Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy (2020). Brief on food waste in the European Union. https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/KCB-Food%20waste%20brief_print_HQ.pdf • Cigić, B., Grobelnik Mlakar S., Kocjan Ačko D. (Ur.) (2022). Zrnate stročnice v prehrani. Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fkbv.3.2022 • Borec, A. in Robačer, M. (2021). Certificirani kmetijski izdelki in živila ter kolektivne blagovne znamke. V Podeželje in razvoj gastronomije v Sloveniji: teritorialne kolektivne blagovne znamke po modelu „Izvorno slovensko“ v letu 2020 (str. 59–77). Univerza v Mariboru, Univerzitetna založba. • Chakraverty, A., Mujumdar, A.S. in Ramaswamy, H.S. (Ur.). (2003). Handbook of Postharvest Technology: Cereals, Fruits, Vegetables, Tea, and Spices (1st ed.). Marcel Dekker.. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429294211 • Ilić, Z. S., Fallik, E. in Dardić, M. (2009). Berba, sortiranje, pakovanje i čuvanje povrća. Poljoprivredni fakultet. • Rahman Shafiur M. (Ur). (2007). Handbook of food preservation (2nd ed.). CRC Press.•

Prerequisits

None.