Food Technology

Introduces basic inorganic chemistry. Topics include chemical bonding, stoichiometry, formula writing, solution preparation, oxidation and reduction, acid-base theory, titration calculations and buffer solutions. Laboratory exercises consist of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Good laboratory techniques including WHMIS are emphasised.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This introductory communication course is designed to give you basic listening, writing, and speaking skills, which are required for effective professional communication in the food industry and related fields. You will learn how to communicate well with industry personnel, your peers, and your instructors. The course will cover planning, organizing, and presenting information orally and in writing. Specific assignments will include memos, emails, a team report and an informative presentation for a food technology audience.​
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​This course introduces students to the microorganisms, including pathogens that are important to food and to the basic procedures that are performed in a microbiological laboratory. The factors that affect microbial growth are identified and the relationship between microbial growth and the microbial spoilage of food, food borne illness and food fermentations is examined. Sources of microbial contamination in the food processing environment will be studied and methods for controlling these microorganisms explored.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course introduces preventive control programs including preventive control plans (also known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP plans)) and preventive controls as described in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). Students will be guided to use their own experience with food preparation to develop a preventive control plan and to identify the necessary preventive controls for controlling the hazards identified in the plan. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and related Work Instructions will be introduced as the method by which preventive control programs are implemented. Students will demonstrate good personal hygiene practices and basic four-step sanitation procedures. Introductory food product commercialization techniques will also be introduced.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course introduces the field of food science and technology. The BC food industry is described; nutritive and regulatory aspects of food are discussed; and students will be introduced to basic laboratory techniques and laboratory report writing. Time management and critical thinking practices that can be used throughout the rest of the Food Technology program are also introduced.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This introductory course covers exponential/logarithmic theory, transformations and variation, common and natural logarithms, logarithmic/ semi logarithmic graphs, straight line equation curve fitting, and solving systems of linear equations. Introduction to microcomputers using MS Excel. The relevance of these operations will be related to Food Technology.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course introduces students to basic organic chemistry. Major topics include hydrocarbons, alcohols, phenols, organohalogen compounds, amines, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, stereochemistry, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, and proteins. Laboratory exercises consist of quantitative and qualitative analyses, separation of organic compounds, and isolation and identification of natural products.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in CHEM 1103

Students are introduced to Standard Operating Procedure format and to the process of reviewing literature on a Food topic. This course expands the scope, complexity, and format of communication skills learned in first term. The course will cover compiling a professional career package (resume, application letter, and answers to typical job interview questions), writing reports in the workplace, and giving oral presentations. You will continue to develop your ability to work effectively as a member of a team: solving workplace problems, resolving conflicts, and running and taking part in meetings.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in COMM 1144

This course introduces the fundamentals of food processing including thermal processing, freezing, dehydration, fermentation, preservation and packaging. The concept of quality will be introduced and these food processing fundamentals will be taught through a food safety and quality lens. The regulations and best practices associated with these fundamental food processes will be identified. Students will develop a preventive control plan for a thermal process, write associated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and perform the plan's identified monitoring and verification procedures.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 1195 and FOOD 1120 and FOOD 1155

This course will prepare students to develop and implement an environmental monitoring program for a food processing plant. Students will also design and perform a microbiological shelf life validation study, including data analysis, for an appropriate food product. Molecular microbiological methods will also be introduced and compared to traditional methods.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 1120 and FOOD 1155 and FOOD 1195

The course covers the organization and graphical representation of data, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, variation, and other measures; probability theory and laws, random variables, discrete and continuous probability distributions; sampling, estimation and hypothesis testing with both large and small samples; application to population means, proportions, difference of population means, paired differences; method of least squares, linear regression and correlation, goodness- of-fit tests and a brief introduction to analysis of variance.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in MATH 1441

This course introduces students to a wide variety of physical principles emphasizing the applications of Physics that are relevant to Food Technology. The course also concentrates on skills development for handling equipment, and recording and analyzing data and summarizing results in written reports. In particular, the labs show students how to accurately make measurements, properly analyze data and follow good experimental technique. The general topics covered in lectures include measurement theory, units and significant figures, kinematics and dynamics, work and energy, fluids, temperature, heat and heat transfer, waves and light.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course examines food manufacturing processes in the areas of raw food of animal origin (RFAO), fruits and vegetables, cereals, grains, nuts and pulses, and fats and oils with an emphasis on their food safety and quality aspects. Students will also compare the food safety risks associated with these food manufacturing processes. Ingredients and formulations specific to food processing will be introduced and examined. Mass balance calculations will be performed on a given set of formulations as part of learning about the traceability and recall procedures outlined in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 2110

This course introduces the responsibilities and organizational structure of a quality control (QC) department that meets the requirements of a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standard. Students will learn about the regulatory environment for producing packaged foods as well as monitoring and verifying methods to demonstrate that the regulatory requirements have been met. In addition, students will learn quality control methods including statistical process control, sampling, objective measurements of colour, viscosity and texture. Students will learn how to distinguish between a quality problem and food safety problem, and how to identify the severity of the problem. Students will also learn how to apply a continuous improvement approach to solving problems and techniques for presenting information to the management team.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 1195 and FOOD 1155 and MATH 2441

​This Food Analysis course will introduce students to good laboratory practices, representative samples, and to a set of methods used to monitor and/or verify in a food manufacturer is producing to meets their food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. Basic data analysis techniques will also be performed.
Prerequisite(s):

• CHEM 2203 and MATH 2441

This course examines the components of a research process in food industry. During this course, each student will select an industry-sponsored project, meet with the industry sponsor to discuss project details and set up the non-disclosure agreement (NDA), develop a clear statement of the research problem, produce a project outline and perform a literature review. The project will be executed in Food 4395 Directed Studies for Food Technology (Practicum).
Prerequisite(s):

• All courses in Level 1 and Level 2

This course builds on the basic microcomputer skills developed in MATH 1441 and the comprehensive coverage of basic statistical inference methods presented in MATH 2441 to familiarize the student with more sophisticated applications of spreadsheet programs to more sophisticated methods of statistical analysis. The course includes an introduction to experimental design issues, one-way analysis of variance, multiple regression, factorial analysis, by implementing the computations in a spreadsheet from scratch, and using various built-in tools. Emphasis is given to interpretation of results.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in MATH 2441

This course will give students a basic understanding of how operations management is applied in modern food manufacturing and service industries to improve operational performance. The student will do field studies in the food industry to evaluate how an existing company defines, plans, measure and manages productivity and other key performance indicators.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Introduces the basic concepts of the management process required to bring a food product from recipe to market. Topics covered include: organizational structure, financing, marketing (including promotion and sales), manufacturing, staffing, and planning. It creates opportunities for the student to develop analytical, problem solving, teamwork, and communications skills necessary for an entrepreneur in food processing.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course expands the scope, complexity, and format of communication skills learned in previous courses. Students will practice oral presentation skills, and work on a variety of home and in-class assignments (including literature review) that will lead to the production of a substantial formal report. COMM 3444 is closely integrated with FOOD 4395--Directed Studies in Food Technology. Students should be enrolled in both courses at the same time to help them achieve success in their industry project.​
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in COMM 2244

In this course, a dairy pasteurizing process is used to demonstrate how various types of equipment work together to achieve a finished product that meets food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. Students will develop a preventive control plan (PCP), including a risk assessment, for the pasteurizing process. The various Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards will be compared and a workplan for meeting the criteria of a given standard will be developed. The documentation system needed for implementing a food safety program will be introduced and students will write SOPs and Work Instructions for a subset of the various processes being covered in this course. Students will also learn about the role of auditing for verifying a food safety and quality program, and a GMP audit will be developed and performed.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 3110

This course prepares students to perform basic sensory evaluation tests associated with product development and quality control. Students will also learn how these sensory methods can be used to monitor and/or verify that food being produced meets food safety, quality and regulatory requirements. Design of experiment (DOE) techniques will be introduced.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 3130 and MATH 3441

This course examines the use of rapid methods for measuring the presence of chemical constituents in various food products. Students will learn how to incorporate these methods into a food manufacturer's food safety and quality program. Lipid rancidity mechanisms and measurements will be discussed. A non-microbial shelf life validation study, building on the techniques learned in the microbiologically based shelf life study performed in FOOD 2020, will be performed. . Students will write a report that presents scientific results to the management team of a food plant.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 3140

This capstone course introduces the basic product development process, and students will work in teams to develop a new food product. Techniques used in other food technology courses will be utilized to identify appropriate ingredients and processing equipment, set up experiments, measure product attributes, perform preliminary shelf life testing, develop packaging, and write a Preventive Control Plan (PCP). FOOD 4030 is a required co-requisite that provides with tools to assess a new food product.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 4110^‡ and FOOD 4130^‡ (^‡ must be taken concurrently)
• All courses in Level 1 and Level 2 and Level 3

The purpose of this capstone course is to provide students with an opportunity to work on an appropriate industry- related project. With direction from the industry sponsor and supervision from a faculty advisor, the student will execute the project workplan that was developed in FOOD 3390 Research Methods. The students will identify and write detailed methodologies for the workplan and communicate research results through progress reports, a final oral presentation, and a written technical report. The course will allow students to apply knowledge gained from other courses, and establish links with members of the food industry.
Prerequisite(s):

• FOOD 3444^‡ (^‡ must be taken concurrently)
• All courses in Levels 1, 2 and 3.