FUNDAMENTALS OF UNIT OPERATIONS

The course provides knowledge on the principles and application of the main unit operations used in the food industry. In particular, the student should have knowledge of the basic principles of the unit operations, of their control and management, through assessment of the mass and energy balances, capacity and efficency, as well the effects on food quality and shelf-life.

Lectures, Practical exercises, corporate visits and seminars

The Course is aimed give to the student the basic knowledge for the understanding of the technological operations on the processes of foods production. Particularly: the principal Food Unit Operations, their definition and classification, tied up to the transformation and maintenance of the foods deepening both the theoretical aspects and application:
1. definition and classification of the unit operations
2. Measures and dimensional analysis
3. Definition and classification of the systems; processes representation
4. Balance of mass: Total and partial. Implied theoretical, purpose and utility in the food industry. Exercises and examples.
5. Balance of Energy: general Principles, definitions, thermal properties of the foods, specific heat and hentalpy, saturated (tables of saturated vapor) Vapor. Exercises and examples of application in food industry

6. Transport of the fluids. Properties of the liquids (viscosity, density), laminar and turbulent motion, Newtonian fluids, number of Reynolds. Examples and exercises.
7. Transport of heat: conduction (principles and equation of Fourier), plain and cylindrical walls; convention (principles and general heat equation transport wall / fluid); radiation.
8. heat exchanger (pipe and plates). exercises and examples

9. Freezing of the foods (principles and structural changes of the frozen foods), freezing systems (plates, forced air, direct contact)

10. Properties of frozen foods (density, thermal properties, etc) , freezing time (Plank’s equation), models for prediction of freezing times.

Teaching activities will consist of frontal lectures, where theoretical aspects are presented and discussed, and exercise either in the lab or in computer rooms, where technical and practical problems will be solved.

1. Singh R.P., Heldman D.H. - Principi di tecnologia alimentare - Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

2. Spagna G. -Tecnologie Alimentari: Operazioni Unitarie, esercizi - CULC

3. Fellows P. J. “Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice” Third edition (2009) - Woodhead Publishing Ltd, Cambridge England.

4. Earle R. L. “Unit Operations in Food Processing” – Free Web edition by Dick and Mary Earle, with the support of the NZIFST: http://www.nzifst.org.nz/unitoperations/index.htm.