Syllabus

Module 1: Foundations of Food Analysis
-Introduction to food analysis and its significance
- Government regulations and global standards (FSSAI, Codex, etc.)
-Importance of nutritional labeling and claims
-Proximate composition analysis (moisture, protein, fat, ash)
-Methods for carbohydrate estimation and fiber analysis
-Overview of sample preparation and standardization techniques

Module 2: Spectroscopic Techniques in Food Analysis
-Principles of spectroscopy and classification
-UV-Visible spectroscopy – theory and applications in food
-Fluorescence spectroscopy – principles and food applications
-Infrared (IR) spectroscopy – principles and sample handling
-FTIR instrumentation and common functional group analysis
-IR spectral interpretation for food components (proteins, fats, sugars)
-Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) – principle and mineral analysis
-Raman spectroscopy – working, instrumentation, and applications
-Comparison of IR and Raman spectroscopy

Module 3: Chromatographic Techniques
-Overview of chromatography and classification
-Principles of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
-Components and working of HPLC
-Applications of HPLC in vitamin analysis
-Gas Chromatography (GC): Principle and instrumentation
-GC applications in volatile compound analysis
-Numerical problems and interpretation from HPLC data
-Comparison between HPLC and GC techniques

Module 4: Food Component Analysis
-Analysis of vitamins (fat- and water-soluble)
-Analysis of minerals (Ca, Fe, Zn, Na, etc.) using AAS
-Milk analysis – fat, SNF, and protein content
-Sugar and honey analysis – reducing sugars, sucrose, and adulterants
-Total solids and acidity in liquid foods

Module 5: Particle Size and Physicochemical Analysis
-Principles of particle size analysis
-Techniques – laser diffraction, sieving, image analysis
-Zeta potential: Principle, measurement, and relevance to stability
-Examples from beverages and colloidal systems
-pH, titratable acidity – determination and interpretation

Module 6: Food Forensics and Adulterant Detection
-Introduction to food forensics and adulteration
-Biological adulterants: Detection techniques (microscopy, DNA-based tools)
-Physical contaminants: Detection, sieving, X-ray/metal detection
-Techniques for monitoring foreign matter and safety risks
-Examples of analytical protocols used for contaminant detection

To provide foundational understanding of food analysis and its significance in nutrition, labeling, and quality control.

To introduce advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques used in food analysis

To develop skills for analyzing key food components including proximate contents, vitamins, and minerals.

To equip students with tools for identifying adulterants and foreign matter in food through physical, chemical, and instrumental methods.

1. Describe the principles and relevance of food analysis and government regulations.
2. Apply spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of food constituents.
3. Conduct detailed analysis of food matrices like milk, sugar, and honey for compositional and quality attributes.
4. Evaluate particle size distribution and zeta potential for various food and beverage systems.
5. Identify and assess the presence of adulterants and contaminants in food using forensic techniques.

S. Suzanne Nielsen, Food analysis, Springer

Mark Clute, Food industry quality control systems, Taylor and Francis

Inteaz Alli, Food Quality Assurance: Principles and Practices, CRC Press

J.R.J. Paré, J.M.R. Bélanger,, Instrumental methods in food analysis, Elsevier