Department of Food Science and Technology

This Course deals with Post-harvest physiology of horticultural commodities, e.g. tuber, fruits and vegetables. Control of post-harvest losses (Prevention of moisture losses, mechanical damage and injuries, microbial infection etc). Post-harvest quality changes and their evaluation in fruits and vegetables. Refrigeration and cooling systems. Tropical environment including climacteric, physical and chemical indices of quality in fruits and vegetables. Controlled environment for long-term storage and transportation i.e. Modified atmosphere storage, control atmosphere storage, hypobaric storage and combined treatments.

Packaging is basic and fundamental to food processing and preservation. In this course, the students will learn about the different characteristics of packaging materials, testing for structural quality and performance, theory and practice of food packaging. Detailed study of the traditional packaging materials of glass, metal and paper will also be done including synthetic packaging materials and composite packaging. Other aspects that will be looked into include: moisture and gas movement across packages, migration of compounds from packages into food and their health implications and the implications of local packaging materials on product quality and safety. The packaging requirements for fresh and processed foods for local and foreign markets will also be discussed.

Preservation of fruits and vegetables by canning, freezing, concentration, dehydration, fermentation and irradiation. Harvesting and pre-processing operations and equipment including mechanical harvesting, soaking and washing, sorting and grading, peeling and cooling. Cutting, trimming and blanching. Use of chemicals to control enzymatic and non- enzymatic changes in processed fruits. Adaptable techniques to local handling and storage of perishables.

This course is designed to teach Food Science students technology of milk and milk products. However, it also meets the need of students in other fields, who are interested in dairy science. Topics to be covered include milk production practices including site building and equipment selection. Organization and operation of the milk processing unit including milk collection, reception, standardization and heat-treatment of milk. Whey as a by-product in milk processing. Cleaning and disinfecting operations in dairy industry. Dairy waste management and application of HACCP in dairy industry. Quality control in milk and dairy products.

This course deals with the chemistry and processing of miscellaneous food commodities. Special attention is being paid to subjects/technologies that have not been treated in other courses. Topics to be covered include processing of cocoa, coffee and tea, confectioneries and chocolate manufacture, and carbonated non-alcoholic beverages; sugar manufacture; honey processing; functional foods, nutraceuticals and probiotics; extrusion cooking technology, uses of extruders for breakfast cereals, pasta products, oilseed extrusion and texturised vegetable (soy) proteins. Others include food irradiation principles – radurization, radicidation and radappertization; effects of irradiation on foods; dielectric heating, ohmic heating, pulse electric field and nanotechnology.

Research methodology is the use of scientific theories, principles and concepts in the selection and defining of a problem; reviewing of related and relevant literatures; drawing up of experimental design; conduct of experimental studies; analysing interpreting of results thereof, drawing up conclusions, reporting and presenting the results in appropriate format. It also involves the use of e-resources and computer software(s) for analysis and interpretation of data. This will form part of the final exam.

Processing of fruits and vegetables into various products — production of jam from fruits (orange, pawpaw, mango etc): canning of fruits and vegetables like pineapple, sweet corn, tomato etc; production of spices as dry products blanching and freezing of vegetables; comparison of water and steam blanching and their effectiveness using peroxidase and catalase test. Peeling methods in vegetable processing — lye, brine, steam and hand peeling.

Chemical analysis of milk (fat, alcohol, reassuring and acidity).Physical analysis (Cryoscopy point, density, dry residue, pH). Bacteriology test (coliform, total count, mould and yeast). Production of milk-based product such as yoghurt, ice-cream, warankasi, etc.

This course is an introductory course on food microbiology practical which will take care of the practical aspect of FST 301. The course will introduce students to methods used in microbiological examination of foods. Students will be exposed to practical training on isolating, purifying and identification of microorganisms in different foods. Topics to be covered include introduction to the food microbiology laboratory, identification of various equipment and their functions; microbiological media: preparation and utilisation of different media (basic, enrichment, selective etc.); aseptic techniques: sterilisation methods (dry heat, steam etc); inoculation principles (flaming, UV etc); food sampling for microbiological analysis: isolation techniques (stab inoculation, pour plating, streaking etc); microbiological examination of foods: standard plate counts, identification of spoilage organisms using different foods as example, pathogen detection, testing for microbial products; identification of food organisms:staining techniques, morphological examination and biochemical tests

This course is designed to equip students of Food Science and Technology department on oral presentation of prepared reviewed papers on specific topics in Food Science and Technology. It entails: Assessment of write up by departmental academic staff and assessment of oral presentation by panel of academic staff.

This course is entails the understanding of the objectives of product development. Reasons why products fail in the market. Food product planning and marketing mix strategies. Product pricing, promotion and distribution. Consumer goods, Industrial goods, Stages of food product development. Ingredient selection and formulation. Product life cycle. Return On Investment (ROI) and business analysis. Forecasting of product opportunities, Development and assessment of food products. Research and Development (R&D), Pilot production. Packaging and labeling designs. Pilot and industrial plant establishment, assessment and feasibility study. Processing equipment selection. Plant layout and equipment installation. Optimization of production operations.

The course exposes students to the overview of oil seeds of commercial importance in Nigeria i.e. (cocoa, oil palm, castor oil, coconut, soybean, shea butter, sunflower, linseed, conophor oil seed, groundnut, cotton seed melon). The detailed method of processing, treatment to remove antinutritional factors and the refining of the oil to edible forms. Utilisation of oil seed by-products i.e. cake and oil sediment for soap making and ingredients in food systems. Protein isolates and concentrates production from the oil seed cake, utilisation of the oil seed protein isolate in food industry. Detailed discussion on the functional properties of the oil seeds (full fat, defatted and protein isolates). i.e. emulsifications, WAC, OAC, Whipping properties etc.) and their application in food system. Novel food production from oil seeds.

FST 506 is a detailed course for final year undergraduate Food Science and Technology students on meat, poultry, fish and seafood processing. The course also entails the chemical and biochemical constitution of muscle and fish and includes the effects of processing and spoilage on these components. Topics to be covered include chemical and biochemical constitution of muscle and fish; conversion of muscle to meat; spoilage of meat; processing and preservation of meat (beef, pork, poultry, etc); eggs, fish and fishery products; ageing, tenderizing and curing of meat; and manufacture of sausage and other table meats. Other topics include smoking, freezing, canning, pasteurization, freezing, dehydration, irradiation of meat and fish; intermediate moisture meats; eggs; eating quality of meat. Quality deterioration and defects in raw fish and fish products, waste management in fish and meat processing and preservation.

This course deals with study of various industrial food waste, their treatments and disposal. The course contents include Various wastes of food industries i.e. solid waste and waste water, their treatment and disposal. Effect of solid waste on environment, utilization of waste as fuel, fertilizer, animal feed and cellulose acetate. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). Calculation in waste effluents from food processing plants. Physical treatment of waste i.e. sedimentation, centrifugation, concentration, flotation methods, absorption processes, ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and electrolysis. Chemical treatment of wastewater i.e. coagulation, emission-breaking process, trickling filter, aerated lagoons, stabilization ponds, anaerobic biological processes, aerobic, facultative anaerobic process

Food comprises of both animals and plants materials whish are biological in nature. They exhibit different engineering properties that determine their characreristics. In this course we shall look at Physical, Mechanical, Aerodynamic and Optical properties. Knowledge of these properties will assist Food Engineer and Processor during the design and fabrication of many processing equipments and when carrying out processing operations. Topics to be covered include: Basic characteristics of plant and animal materials. Basic Engineering properties of biological materials: physical, mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, magnetic and electromechanical properties. Physical Properties: moisture content, colour, size, shape, roundness, sphericity etc. Mechanical properties: strength characteristics such as impact, compression, shear strength. Special classes of mechanical properties: visco elasticity, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. Thermal, electrical and optical properties and their applications. Textural and Rhelogical measurements including instrumental and sensory methods. Applications of the engineering properties of biological materials in the design and development of food processing and storage machines and equipment.

Processing of foods by blanching and the consequent losses of vitamins and minerals. Nutrient losses during food processing by drying and dehydration leading to enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning. The application of irradiation and nutrient losses in foods, formation of free radicals and by-products. The effects of long storage of foods (e.g. meat and fish) under freezing conditions with the concepts of reversible and irreversible denaturation of proteins. Colloidal and organoleptic changes in such foods.

The courses teaches physical and rheological properties as well as their applications. The course contents include Concept and definitions. Importance of properties in formulation, processing and storage including thermal, optical, viscous and rheological properties. Textural and rheological measurements including instrumental and sensory methods. Colour measurements and evaluation. Physical properties of selected food products

This course is a follow-up of the subject on food toxicology briefly treated in FST 303 and FST 411. It is a more detailed study of natural constituents of foodstuffs that occur as toxicants, natural contaminants associated with our foodstuffs that act as toxicants and toxicants intentionally/unintentionally introduced into foods during processing. This course also focuses on the effects/significance of toxicants on consumers’ health. Topics to be covered include principles of food toxicology, acute toxicity and evaluation of LD50; common toxicants in foods and methods of detoxifications; toxicological examination indices; hepatological examination; blood, urine and feacal examination.

This course is the practical aspect of Food Product Development. Students will be divided into groups and advised on a choice of a novel food product to be taken through the process of full stages of Food product development. The chosen food product will be developed, produced, quality assessed, well packaged, appropriately priced and be marketed.

The course entails definition and scope of Biotechnology. The history, processes and products of biotechnology, principles of biotechnology and implication for food production will be taught. Genes and Genetic Engineering with reference to replication, transcription and translation in molecular biology will be emphasized. Genetic procedure for strain improvement, selection, mutation, cloning with plasmids and Recombinant DNA technology and its application. Bioreactors, Application of Biotechnology food ingredient formulation, functional foods and the utilization of Food Wastes through Biotechnology Processes

Final year research project is undertaken by individual students under the supervision of members of staff. A report of the research work will be presented in form of a dissertation to be followed by an oral examination.