Practicals in food analysis - Prof. Annalisa Scroccarello - a.a. 2025/2026
Topic outline
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The main goal of the course is the knowledge implementation concerning the analytical techniques with particular regard to practical analysis applied to real food samples.
The aim of the course is to know, understand, and handle the methods for quantification of an analyte in samples, and to achieve the ability to choose the correct one concerning possible analytical problems.
Bring a laptop with Excel installed and a scientific calculator to each lesson.
The strategy:
to achieve these strategies, knowledge of rapid methods (e.g., spectroscopic), chromatographic strategies (e.g., HPLC, GC), etc. will be employed in food analysis to assess food safety and quality control.
Case studies relative to research projects and recent publications for each analytical methodology will be also presented and discussed.
The course's main goals will be:
-Acquisition of theoretical and practical skills to perform quantitative analysis of foods. From the sample handling/preparation to the data interpretation, enclosing the whole analytical process.
- Acquire skills to choose the best analytical strategy to apply, depending on both the food matrix and analyte to study.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Such course will be useful for people involved in Research and Development and Innovation areas, as well as in more technical and analytical positions. In particular, the course will provide the ability to handle a whole food analytical process, from the sample up to the expression and explanation of the obtained results.
In general, the student should achieve the ability to solve analytical problems in food analysis.
Making judgments:
The ability of judgment will be developed during the theoretical lessons, where the student will be involved in the case studies resolution, and during practical laboratory activity where, the acquired knowledge, will be challenged towards real food analysis. Moreover, the student's judgment ability will be further stimulated during the review of the analytical reports, which will be drawn up for each practical lesson (laboratory experience) and discussed during the exam.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to evaluate the analytical quality of the obtained experimental data and focus if the chosen protocol is the most appropriate to solve a given analytical problem.
Communication skills:
The communication skills will be trained and used during the case studies resolution, along which the student will be involved in problem-solving challenges. The vocabulary of the specific and exact terminology, contextualized to the purpose of the course, will be expanded. Finally, different communication skills will be implemented during the final examination, and during the discussion of the analytical reports.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to present data in an essay format containing the rationale of the experiment, materials, and methods, results, and critical discussions.
Also, the student will be able to present a seminar on a working paper about one of the topics of the course.
Learning skills:
At the end of the course, the student will be able to evaluate the better analytical approach, in terms of methodology and strategy to be employed in real cases of food sample analysis. Moreover, students will be able to design experiments, carry them out, and analyze in critical ways the data they yield.
Course program:
The course consists of 4 main units.
Workload 40h: 8h frontal lessons + 32h practical lessons (laboratory).
Each unit consists of a theoretical part (frontal lesson) and a laboratory part (practical lesson).
The 4 units deal with the understanding and practical application of different analytical methods for the quantification of analytes of agri-food interest. In the different Units, different calibration methods will be treated: external calibration curve (Unit 1), internal calibration curve (Unit 2), single and multiple standard additions (Unit 3), and internal standard (unit 4).
The laboratory practical will be devoted to applying these methodologies in real case studies (using food samples).
In each Unit, a different analytical instrument/strategy will be employed as spectrophotometry, chromatography (HPLC and GC), and other instruments/methods conventionally employed in food analysis. For each Unit, the student will draw up an analytical report, focusing on the analytical extrapolation of the data obtained.
Bring a laptop with Excel installed and a scientific calculator to each lesson. It's mandatory to bring a lab coat.
- Basic statistic
- Basic use of excel
- Basic spectroscopy: electromagnetic radiation, absorbance, wavelength, peaks interpretation, Lambert-Beer law.
- Basic Principles of Liquid and Gas chromatography
- Basic principles of solid-liquid, liquid-liquid, SPE extraction methodologies
A brief 'overview' of the required skills will be addressed in the course.
The main goal of the course is the implementation of knowledge of the analytical techniques with particular regard to practical analysis applied to real food samples. The aim of the course is to know, understand and handle the methods for quantification of an analyte in food samples, and to achieve the ability to choose the correct methods concerning possible analytical problems.
The main topics of the course are:
- Sample Composition: Analyte, interferences, matrix.
- External calibration Curve.
- Internal Calibration Curve.
- Standard Addition method (single and multiple).
- Internal Standard.
- How to choose among the 4 methods of quantification.
- Data treatment in the 4 methods of quantification.
To achieve this knowledge rapid methods (e.g., spectroscopic) and chromatographic strategies (e.g., HPLC, GC) will be employed in food analysis to assess food safety and quality control.
Case studies relative to research projects and recent publications for each of the analytical methodologies will be also presented and discussed.
The teaching materials will be provided on the e-learning platform and via a Drive folder created and shared with students at the beginning of the course.
The link below refers to the course’s syllabus, containing further details of the course: https://unite.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/insegnamenti/2025/6660/2020/9999/10106?coorte=2024&schemaid=1028
The course consists of 4 main units.
Workload 40h: 8h frontal lessons + 32h practical lessons (laboratory).
Each unit consists of a theoretical part (frontal lesson) and a laboratory part (practical lesson).
The 4 units deal with the understanding and practical application of different analytical methods for the quantification of analytes of agri-food interest. In the different Units, different calibration methods will be treated: external calibration curve (Unit 1), internal calibration curve (Unit 2), single and multiple standard additions (Unit 3), and internal standard (unit 4).
The laboratory practical will be devoted to applying these methodologies in real case studies (using food samples).
In each Unit, a different analytical instruments/strategies will be employed as spectrophotometry, chromatography (HPLC and GC), and other instruments/methods conventionally employed in food analysis. For each Unit, the student will draw up an analytical report, focusing on the analytical extrapolation of the data obtained.
The teaching materials will be provided on the e-learing (see in this page, below); addictional materials (i.e., excel files, research papers, videos, etc.) will be provided in a drive folder. The drive folder will be shared with students at the beginning of the course.
Bring a laptop with Excel installed and a scientific calculator to each lesson. It's mandatory to bring a lab coat.
The classes calendar, and each modification, will be published on the UNITE website at link below:
https://unite.prod.up.cineca.it/calendarioPubblico/linkCalendarioId=68c3f84e7f9c2a004b69daf3
The Lab activities will be performed in the Motti laboratory (Spaventa building) and are and they are programmed as follows:
- 20/10/2025_Practicals Unit 1
- 10/11/2025_Practicals Unit 2
- 24/11/2025_Practicals Unit 3
- 15/12/2025_Practicals Unit 4
For prompt changes, the teacher will communicate any changes during the classes and in this e-learning section, and report below:
The lab activities concern the application of different analytical instrument/strategy with different analytical methods for the quantification of analytes of agri-food interest.
In detail, the External Calibration Curve, Internal Calibration Curve, Standard Addition method, and Internal Standard will be applied towards different analytical instruments/strategies, including spectrophotometry, electrochemistry, chromatography (HPLC and GC), and other instruments/methods conventionally employed in food analysis.
The analytical results obtained from the experimental activities will be elaborated during the frontal classes using Excel software.
It is strongly recommended to bring a personal laptop and calculator to the lessons. It's mandatory to bring a lab coat and a lab notebook.
The Lab activities will be performed in the Motti laboratory (Spaventa building) and are and they are programmed as follows:
- 20/10/2025_Practicals Unit 1
- 10/11/2025_Practicals Unit 2
- 24/11/2025_Practicals Unit 3
- 15/12/2025_Practicals Unit 4
Because of the practical application nature of this course, there is no mandatory textbook. Regular attendance of classes is strongly encouraged.
The material will be provided after each lesson and will be previously discussed with the teacher.
The teaching materials will be provided on the e-learing (see in this page, below); addictional materials (i.e., excel files, research papers, videos, etc.) will be provided in a drive folder. The drive folder will be shared with students at the beginning of the course.
Useful reference books:
- Skoog D.A., West D.M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. R. Fondamenti di chimica analitica. EdiSES.
- Sabbatini, L. Chimica Analitica. EdiSES, 2025.
- Skoog, D.A., West, D. M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. R. (2013). Fundamentals of analytical chemistry. Nelson Education.
- Christian G.D., Dasgupta P.K., Schug K.A. (any version). ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, Wiley.
- Grotti M., Il Laboratorio di Chimica Analitica, EdiSES, 2022.
The teaching materials will be provided on the e-learning platform and via a Drive folder created and shared with students at the beginning of the course.
ORAL EXAM (final oral interview with evaluations of the laboratory practicals reports and case studies discussion).
Knowledge and understanding of the topics treated in the course will be evaluated with an oral examination. The ability to apply knowledge, make judgments and communication skills will be evaluated during the exam.
The evaluation will be done on the manual lab skills shown during the practical and through the evaluation/discussion of the qualitative and quantitative results obtained during the lab-practicals also to ripe and apply the acquired knowledge, the judgments and communication skills.
In detail, the exam will rely on the development of case studies based on the analysis of food samples, in addition, an evaluation of the acquisition of the basic notions of Excel use will be performed.
The exam datas will be published on the UNITE website at the following link:
https://www.unite.it/UniTE/Home/Bioscienze_e_tecnologie_agro-alimentari_e_ambientali/Esami_Bioscienze_e_tecnologie_agro_alimentari_e_ambientali
Students' reception time: every Tuesday 10.00-13.00 previous appointment by email.
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