Master in Food Science and Technology

faculty of Agriculture - Department of Food Science and Technology

Description

The Department of Food Sciences was established in the academic year 1964/1963 as one of the departments of the College of Higher Technical Studies (currently the College of Engineering) under the name of Food Technology. College of Engineering. After transferring the affiliation of the administrative and academic department to the College of Agriculture in the academic year 1971/1972, it changed its name and became known as the Department of Food Sciences after that changed to the Department of Food Sciences & Technology.  Permission for graduate studies was granted for the program in 1976, and the actual study began in 1978. Master of Agricultural Sciences is given, majoring in Food Science and Technology fields. The number of graduates of the postgraduate program reached more than 105 until 2022

Objectives

By passing all courses, the graduate will be able to:

    1. Clarify nutritional significance, nutrition, microbial and chemical quality.

    2. Applying food management, quality and safety systems in manufacturing processes to protect the health of consumers and to ensure that fair practices are followed in food trade.

    3. Determine the devices and methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis suitable for each food item.

    4. Employing practical research skills and acquired studies in setting standards and providing technical solutions and consultations related to the food industry and technology to research centers and food factories.

    5. Participate in developing the necessary skills to develop food products in line with consumer desires and food health and safety.

Outcomes

By completing all requirements for success in the program, the graduate will be able to:

a.     Knowledge & understanding

Defines the importance of food science and technology and its relationship to other sciences.

a.1

Demonstrates the quality of manufacturing processes and the safety of food products to protect society and meet its needs.

a.2

It reviews new methods to extend the shelf life and improve the sensory properties of food.

a.3

Determines the methodology and methods of scientific research and specialized scientific writing

a.4

Enumerate the types of raw materials available in the local market for use in the food industry.

a.5

b.    Mental skills

Apply knowledge gained in the field of food and nutrition science and technology.

b 1

It discusses inspections of food establishments and monitoring food quality and safety for the purpose of consumer protection

b.2

Creates new food products.

b.3

Analyzes scientific production and technical and research innovation in the field of food science and technology

b.4

Applying various manufacturing processes to serve the community and meet its needs.

b.5

c.     practical & professional skills

Combines the acquired knowledge skills in the field of food and nutrition science and technology with applied knowledge.

c.1

Evaluation of the quality of food products and their compliance with standard specifications.

c.2

It proposes solutions to industrial problems that arise during food manufacturing processes

c.3

A food fraud detection scheme lays out the use of devices and equipment for analysis and testing

c.4

Treats industrial waste and introduces it into the industry.

c.5

d.    Generic and transferable skills

Adheres to the ethics of scientific research.

d.1

Works in research and scientific teams with high capacity and efficiency.

d.2

Communicates and communicates with others in the field of specialization to solve some problems related to food processing and preservation.

d.3

Deals with digital technologies and modern devices.

d.4

Time Management

d.5

Certificate Rewarded

Master's degree in agricultural sciences - majoring in Food Science and Technology

Entry Reuirements

For admission to the Master`s degree at the faculty of Agriculture, the following is required:

A- The applicant must have a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences or equivalent certificates recognized by the competent authority for certificate equivalency.

b- The applicant should not have been previously dismissed from a postgraduate program in any other educational institution.

C- The applicant must pass the admission  exam prepared by the scientific department .

d- The applicant must be a habitual resident of Libya when accepted to study at the college.

e- Priority for admission is given to teaching assistants who are candidates for postgraduate studies from universities and higher education institutions in Libya without burdening them with an entrance exam and comparison.

f- Candidates from public entities are subject to admission and preference exams, with the exception of candidates under provisions including scientific cooperation agreements approved and in force at the university and in a manner that does not contradict the provisions of the articles of this regulation.

G - Foreign students who receive scholarships are accepted in accordance with the terms of the agreements concluded between the State of Libya and other countries and regional and international organizations affiliated to it.

H- Submitting evidence of the employer's approval - with regard to workers - to devote themselves to study, partially or completely.

i- Students holding higher diplomas may be admitted to the corresponding departments, provided that they take complementary courses as a condition determined by the scientific department according to the controls set forth in this bylaw.

J- The required documents, original and approved by the competent authorities, shall be submitted to the Office of Postgraduate Studies and Training at the College to conduct the admission  exam in accordance with the dates set by the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Training at the University.

Study Plan

The Master in Food Science and Technology prepares students to qualify for Master in Food Science and Technology . The student studies several subjects which have been carefully chosen in this major to cover its different aspects.

It comprises 6 Semesters of study, in which the student will study a total of 136 units, which include 6 units of general subjects, and 12 major units, 18 of elective units. In addition to a final project in the student's major.

Study plan for this program is shown below:

1st Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
FT4213 03 General +

ST4003 03 General +

2nd Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
FT4313 03 Compulsory +

This course describes with several important topics in the field of food microbiology, including: mycotoxins and their producing microbial species, environmental conditions suitable for their growth and production of their toxins, methods of detection and estimation of their content in some foods, as well as their relationship to the consumer health and safety. Also, this curriculum deals with the evaluation of microbiological hazards in foods and risk assessment which is a scientifically based process that includes the following steps: hazard identification and characterization, risk exposure assessment and microbiological risk characterization

FT4941 01 Compulsory +

FT4971 01 Compulsory +

3rd Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
FT4981 01 Compulsory +

6th Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
FT4996 06 University requirement +

Elective Subjects

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
FT4100 Food chemistry 1 03 Elective +

The physical, chemical and technical characteristics and functions of the nitrogen, fat and carbohydrate substances in foods. chemical and enzymatic modifications have their effects on their behavior, reactions, technical functions in foods, their relationship to food quality, their sensory and nutritional properties, single-cell protein properties, and their defects, genetically modified foods.

FT4773 Food Additives 03 Elective +

The course is considered one of the elective courses in the department with 3 credits. The course explains the basic and applied principles of food additives, explains the characteristics of food additives, their divisions, types, and importance. It lists food corruption factors and how to overcome them by using preservatives. It also identifies the regulating food legislation and the committees responsible for allowing food additives, the percentages of their addition, and the circumstances in which they are added at the international and regional levels. and sweetener, and finally determines the appropriate additive according to the type of lunch and its properties.

FT4712 Food packaging 02 Elective +

Learn about the different packaging materials and their properties and the importance of appropriate packaging in completing the food preservation process, and learn about the role of packaging in ease of handling and reducing losses from agricultural production, and confirm the suitability of the packaging material for the processed food, each according to its properties. Learn about modern methods of recycling packaging materials to preserve the environment. It deduces the most important steps for the development and modernization of packaging materials and methods of recycling them

FT4702 Heavy Metals in Food 02 Elective +

The course describes the concept of heavy metals in nature; the physical and chemical properties of heavy metals; the classification of metals present in food; heavy metals and toxic metals, the concept of pollution and contamination, and the factors affecting the toxicity of heavy metals; methods for estimating the daily intake rate of heavy metals and evaluating their risks in food; the principals of developing legislation for heavy metals in food, methods of analysis of heavy metals in food, sources of contamination with heavy metals; methods of absorption, accumulation, and disposal of heavy metals in the body; biological effects of heavy metals on the body; ways to avoid the health hazards of heavy metals.

FT4613 Fats and Oils Technology 03 Elective +

Oils and fats: definition, composition, glycerides. Changes resulting from manufacturing, heating, and oxidation. Important chemical reactions and methods of analysis. Oils and fats in nutrition and cells. Learn about vegetable oil refining technology, manufacture vegetable and animal oils and fats and their various products, learn about oxidation and antioxidants.

FT4593 Fish Technology 03 Elective +

The course describes the classifications of seafood and their characteristics; the concept of seafood quality and the factors affecting it; the concept of spoilage in seafood; the microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics of spoilage; indicators of spoilage in seafood and methods for detecting them; calculating the shelf life of fish preserved in ice; assessing and managing risks in seafood; fish storage in modified atmosphere packaging; boneless fish meat; surmai; fish protein concentrate; and fish silage.

FT4573 Chemical and Cereal Technology 03 Elective +

The course Explains the economic importance of grains and their natural and chemical composition, identifies the types of crops with nutritional value, the student acquires, through studying the course, the skills of making bread and pasta on scientific basis. The course employs scientific evidence for practical tests related to theoretical lessons. Finally, the course delves deeper into explaining the manufacturing operations that take place on grains, such as milling (all milling steps).

FT4132 Instrumental Analysis in food research 03 Elective +

Definition and description of the devices used in food analysis: different separation methods, chromatography, electrophoresis, and spectrometers. Use them singly or in combination in food research. Learn about the working theories of modern and advanced devices that are used in quantitative and qualitative analysis, separating components, and studying the exact structure and functional groups of compounds.

FT4123 Food Chemistry 2 03 Elective +

Enzymes and some of their applications in the field of food processing and analysis. Functional foods and Nutraceuticals, their sources and importance in food and nutrition, and their role in promoting individual health and preventing or treating some incurable diseases. Classification and general functions of phenolic compounds in foods. Introduction to food toxicology, biological and toxic effects of intended and unintentional food additives, natural toxins and various pollutants in food, mechanisms of entry, distribution and exit from the body, chemistry of their metabolism and treatment.

FT4113 vegetable proteins 03 Elective +

FT3752 Food Thermal Treatments 02 Elective +

The course deals with the development of the student's ability to differentiate between heat-treated foods, explain the most important types of heat treatments, simplify and explain the related mathematical operations, heat coefficients, fluid transfer and concentration, and identifies the methods and tools necessary in manufacturing processes to produce a high-quality product. He gains practical experience by getting acquainted with and operating the manufacturing equipment in the pilot laboratory. Students use advanced computer programs in calculations and graphs (Excel program). Solving issues in a team spirit and exchanging ideas among students.