NFOK14031U Thematic Course in Food Innovation and Health

Volume 2019/2020
Education

MSc Programme in Food Innovation and Health

Content

The course contains two parts. Initially an intensive two week teaching program that gives overview of concepts and methods used in a scientific approach to small-scale food production and topics related to open innovation, business models and value capturing. In part two, students work project-based in teams with development, pitching and consumer tests of actual food products. This latter part is based on challenges from enterprises or organisations. 

Teaching program 
Reading and practical experience with classic and new tools and techniques in the production of food and meals in a gastronomic context.  
The scientific focus is application of gastronomic preparation methods, and the effect of these methods on the physical, chemical and sensory conditions of food with regard to creating aesthetic, palatable and healthy foods. A focus on understanding successful food companies’ business models and open innovation strategies is applied.

  • Real business cases with development of new food products.  
  • Practical exercises in kitchen utilizing a selection of culinary techniques. 
  • Exercises in ideation and open innovation.
  • Exercise with reflection over business models and open innovation processes.
  • Gastronomic creativity training: development and production of foods under various constraints (time, materials, economy, techniques) to develop an innovative mind-set, increase students’ creativity and promote action-oriented work based on own academic and professional competences. 


In the project phase students work independently in teams with a challenge from enterprises or organisations. The problem is analysed in a scientific way and the subject is discussed using competences acquired through the teaching period and preceding course work in the education. The approach trains students to apply their theoretical background to create new food products using their scientific approach to gastronomy, food chemistry, consumer experience and behaviour.

Learning Outcome

It is the aim to establish an open innovation with a rational gastronomic foundation and to provide the students with an insight to put their knowledge of culinary techniques to practical use and develop techniques and ingredients, in order to renew cooking, food production and create new products.

Knowledge

  • Adapt methods of preparation for different raw materials based on a rational scientific foundation. 
  • Give an overview over preference formation in relation to food, meals and eating.


Skills 

  • Use techniques for innovation and creativity related to development of new foods and New Product Development (NPD).
  • Analyze and integrate open innovation and value proposition, theories and practices, to understand how food companies operate and compete in the market.
  • Work systematically in a kitchen development laboratory with chosen experimental techniques and culinary methods. 
  • Production of prototypes of complex foods, production in pilot scale of complex foods.
  • Consumer tests of complex foods.
  • Reflection upon own development, and ability to see opportunities in innovation, intra- and entrepreneurship.
  • Communicate in writing the topics in the gastronomic area with regard to innovation in foods.
  • Integrate preference formation in relation to food, meals, eating into the development of healthy and palatable foods.
  • Ability to pitch project outcomes to different target groups.


Competences:

  • A scientific approach to food innovation and small scale food production. 
  • Implement ideation, open innovation, and value proposition design to develop new food products. 
  • Integrate academic disciplines (food chemistry/physics, sensory science, innovation and nutritional aspects) to innovation and business development in the food sector. 
  • Apply design thinking to foods.
  • Adapt techniques for characterization of sensory properties and consumer experiences to test foods in various stages of the innovation cycle.  
  • Interdisciplinary cooperation with other students on planning, carrying out and evaluating experiments in relation to new product development of healthy and palatable foods.  
  • Work independently and efficiently together in a team on joint projects.
  • Pitch food concepts to professionals and relevant employers/​purchasers. 
Literature

See Absalon for a list of course literature.

 

 

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Lectures, exercises and project work. The project work will be carried out in student teams and results in two outcomes: a new food product and a project portfolio. The portfolio will contain different elements developed over the project period (e.g. interview guide, feedback reflections, pitches and short project report).
For the data analysis in this course you need a laptop with Windows based operating system.

It is recommended to follow the course on the second year of the MSc programme in Food Innovation and Health.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Guidance
  • 15
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Practical exercises
  • 15
  • Preparation
  • 40
  • Project work
  • 292
  • Theory exercises
  • 19
  • Total
  • 412
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio, Cumulative
Oral examination, 25 min
The exam consists of two equal parts:
1. Portfolio exam in teams consisting of multiple oral and written parts handed in during the course. Weight 50 % of the final exam grade.
2. Individual oral examination without preparation time in the portfolio and the course curriculum, weight 50 % of the final exam grade.
Both parts must be passed in order for the course to be passed.
Exam registration requirements

Approval of all portfolio parts.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Re-exam

Same as ordinary exam.

If the portfolio has not been passed, there is a possibility to re-submit an edited portfolio individually two weeks before the oral re-examination.

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome.