The aim of the course is to give fundamental botanical information on the main alimentary plants as well as on the their secondary metabolites and related food additives.

Cereals: barley, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheats. Cereal not Gramineae: buckwheat. Legumes: bean, broad bean, chickpea, lentil, pea, soybean. Starch bearing plants: batata, potato, topinambour. Sugar bearing plants: beet sugar, cane sugar, maple sugar. Oil bearing plants : corn, olive, palm, peanut, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower. Methylxanthine bearing plants: cocoa, coffee, guaranà, matè, tea. Aromatic pants: basil, celery, fennel, garlic, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme. Spice: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, mustard, nutmeg, pepper, red pepper, turmeric. Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, beet, cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, pepper, pumpkin, spinach, tomato.
The study of the following class of chemical compounds: Carbohydrate: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides (trisaccharides, tetrasaccharides, higher homologues), polysaccharides (cellulose, starch, fructans, mannose-based polysaccharides, pectic polisaccharides, chitin, chitosan, algal polysaccharides, cyclitols, substituted-cyclitols, branched-chain sugar, sugar alcohols, exudate gums). Terpenoids: monoterpenoids, iridoids, sesquiterpenoids, sesquiterpenoid lactones, abscisic acid, acyclic, bicyclic, tricyclic, tetracyclic, and macrocyclic diterpenoids, gibberellins, triterpenoids, phytosterols, cardenolides, saponins, carotenoids, rubber and related polyprenols, degraded terpenoids, sesterterpenoids. Essential oil compounds. Phenolic compounds: biogenesis of the phenolic compounds; phenols and phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, coumarins, chromones); lignins, stilbenes, flavonoids, chalcones and retrochalcones, aurones, flavanoids, anthocyanins, isoflavonoids, biflavonoids, tannins, quinones, xanthones. Nitrogen containing compounds: amines, cyanogenetic compounds, alkaloids (tropane, pyrrolizidine, pyrrole, pyrrolidine, pyridine, piperidine, quinoline, isoquinoline, quinolizidine, indole, polyhydroxy, diterpenoid, steroidal), betalains. Sulphur containing compounds: glucosinolate, dithiacyclohexadienes, thiophenes.
Food additives from plants: E100 (curcumin), E140 (chlorophylls and chlorophyllins); E153 (vegetable carbon); E160a (carotenes), E160b (annatto, bixin, norbixin); E160c (capsanthin capsorubin); E160d (lycopene); E162 (beetroot red), E163 (anthocyanins).

Applying knowledge and understanding

Graduates will be able to recognize the most common alimentary plants and the related phytochemical compounds as well as the specifications of food additive.

Knowledge and understanding

This course gives a useful bit of botanical information on alimentary plants and is a preparatory course to other course concerning the nutrition.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Classroom lessons with audiovisual aids

Course books

E. Maugini, L. Maleci Bini, M. Mariotti Lippi - Botanica Farmaceutica -Piccin

C. Rinallo - Botanica delle piante alimentari - Piccin

B. Tirillini - Fondamenti di Fitochimica - Akros

Assessment

Written test

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

E. Maugini, L. Maleci Bini, M. Mariotti Lippi - Botanica Farmaceutica -Piccin

C. Rinallo - Botanica delle piante alimentari - Piccin

B. Tirillini - Fondamenti di Fitochimica - Akros

Assessment

Oral examination

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.