Program Overview

Program Overview

The Food and Industrial Biotechnology program aims to form a biotechnologist figure that can cover intermediate roles of responsibility in the execution and drafting of basic and applied research projects, production processes, and management of complex instrumentation.

Objectives

The program's objectives include:

• Providing adequate preparation in basic disciplines with in-depth knowledge of biological systems, statistical data processing, and technical-analytical procedures in chemical-physical, biochemical, microbiological, toxicological, and genetic fields.
• Offering appropriate knowledge of regulations and bioethical issues related to biotechnology applications.
• Focusing on genetic improvement of cultivated plant species for food purposes, genetic improvement of microorganisms for food and drug production, innovative analytical methodologies for product quality assurance, molecular identification of plant and microbial organisms, diagnostic techniques for plant pathogens and food contaminants, and the basics of biotechnological invention patenting.

Course Structure

The program is divided into several areas, including:

• Propedeutic Area: Courses in mathematical/statistical areas aim to provide students with basic logical-mathematical and statistical tools to address formal aspects of scientific disciplines and the scientific method. A laboratory accompanies these courses, where acquired tools are applied to problem-solving, including the use of computer tools. Physics courses introduce the scientific method and formal approach to quantitative problem-solving in technical-scientific fields.
• Chemical Area: Basic chemistry teachings provide an overview of the properties and reactivity of main elements and their most important compounds. A specific course is dedicated to carbon compound and food chemistry, offering students the necessary bases to address life chemistry and biotechnological applications. An introduction to thermodynamics, chemical process kinetics, and spectroscopic techniques useful for studying biological system structures and properties is also provided.
• Biological Area: The objective is to provide a basic formation aimed at acquiring tools necessary for understanding the complexity of biological systems and their interactions with the environment. A more in-depth preparation in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics, closely related to biotechnologies and productive improvement of microorganisms, seeds, and plants, is planned from the second year.
• Agro-Food Biotechnology Area: The goal is to provide specific training aimed at acquiring tools necessary for understanding processes and organisms that contribute to and/or improve the healthiness, quality, and productivity of agro-food systems, reducing the environmental impact of agro-industrial activities, increasing productivity, and improving environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
• Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology Area: Courses aim to consolidate concepts of productive, quantitative, and qualitative improvement of microbial and plant biomasses in relation to environmental and cultural conditions, as well as purification and characterization of molecules produced by microorganisms and plant cells. Specific teachings provide preparation for applications of plants, microorganisms, and enzymes in the environmental and food sectors and the study of industrial production processes.

Practical Experience

The program includes stages and formative internships in public and private research laboratories in the biotechnological sector, also aimed at preparing the student for the final thesis.

Program Regulation

The program's didactic regulation will define, within normative limits, the quota of the student's overall time commitment available for personal study or other individual training activities.