Course Specification

The current and official versions of the course specifications are available on the web.

BIO3821 Food Quality Assurance

Overview

An understanding of contemporary food safety regulations is essential for food growers, manufacturers, and suppliers to ensure high-quality, hygienic, and nutritious food reaches the marketplace. This course examines the approaches required for ensuring food quality and food safety, including an overview of the history, principles, and tools of total quality management, an outline of the fundamentals of ISO9000 standards, and a background to quality assurance.

Staffing

• Course Coordinator: Pratheep Annamalai

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Apply expertise in the history, principles, and tools of total quality management.
2. Critically assess the fundamentals of ISO9000 standards.
3. Integrate knowledge of quality assurance in terms of the food industry.
4. Evaluate current statistical methods for food quality control.
5. Apply expertise in the main principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Points.
6. Evaluate current government regulations on food safety.

Topics

Description	Weighting(%)

1. | Introduction to food quality assurance: definitions of quality, liability, accountability. | 10.00
2. | Total quality management: history, principles, and tools | 10.00
3. | ISO9000 family: background, obligations, management, and auditing guidelines | 10.00
4. | Quality assurance: functions, audits, documentation systems | 10.00
5. | Statistical methods of food quality control | 20.00
6. | HACCP: the main principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Points | 30.00
7. | Government regulations on food quality assurance | 10.00

Text and Materials Required

• Ali, I 2003, Food Quality Assurance: Principles and Practices, CRC Press.

Student Workload Expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week, including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks.

Assessment Details

Approach | Type | Description | Group | Assessment Weighting (%) | Course Learning Outcomes
---|---|---|---|---|---
Assignments | Practical | Laboratory skills | No | 20 | 3,4
Assignments | Written | Problem Solving | No | 20 | 1,4,5
Assignments | Written | Research (project) | No | 20 | 5,6
Examinations | Non-invigilated | Time-limited online examination | No | 40 | 1,2,3,4,5,6

Course Details

• Units: 1
• School or Department: School of Agriculture and Environmental Science
• Grading basis: Graded
• Course fee schedule: Not specified
• Semester and Mode: Semester 2, 2023, Toowoomba On-campus

Residential School

This course contains a highly recommended Residential School where students will work with students from other courses and participate in factory tours.