LLEK10260U Bioactive Components and Health

Volume 2013/2014
Education
MSc Programme in Gastronomy and Health.
MSc Programme in Biology/Biotechnology
Content
This course contains a series of lectures starting with an introduction to the area, its basic vocabulary and scientific methodologies. Then a series of lectures will exemplify food plant bioactive components, shortly touching upon their functionality in the plant but with a main focus on their bioavailability and biochemical transformations, their bioactivities at the physiological, nutritional and biochemical level after consumption, and the scientific methodologies used to investigate such actions. Organoleptic qualities will also be covered. The following lectures and themes for theoretical exercises will be typically covered:

1. Overview of basic concepts in evaluation of bioactivity and functionality, including demands on scientific documentation for health claims and basics of chemical safety evaluation.
2. Overview of plant foods and health. How strong is the evidence for disease prevention and what is known or speculated about mechanisms.
3. Relationship between special plant components and taste, interactions in taste.
4. Vegetables 1: Crucifers including cabbage, mustards and watercress (glucosinolates; indoles; isothiocyanates; nuclear receptors; cell cycle control).
5. Vegetables 2: Onion, garlic, carrots, asparagus, parsnip tomato, non-crucifer green vegetables (polysulphides, alkyns, carotenoids etc.; phase 1 and 2 enzyme induction, effects on vision, pro-vitamin A).
6. Fruit: Stone fruit, grapes and citrus (flavonols, ascorbate, triterpenes, carotenoids; antioxidation, effects on cholesterol).
7. Berries, grapes (strawberry, blueberry, craneberry, grapes; polyphenols (catechins and anthocyanins), stilbenes; anti-inflammation, effects on vessel walls).
8. Cereals, fruit and vegetables (soluble and insoluble fibre, glucans, fructans, pectins, arabinoxylans, cell wall structures; gut health and immunity, cholesterol and fat biokinetics).
9. Legumes and grain (isoflavonoids, lignans; hormone mimetic effects).
10. Spices and bioactive compounds in relation to energy balance/expenditure (ginger, parsley, dill, chives, thyme, rosemary; terpenes, gingerol, furocoumarins).
11. Beverages (coffee, tea, cocoa, cola; caffeine, theobromine, cocaine, kahweol, cafestrol).
12. Dairy products (SCFA, peptides, gangliosides, Ca-species).
13. Organic and conventional products (differences and similarities in contents; background for evaluation of differences in health effects).
14. Plant bioactives in innovation.
Learning Outcome
This course is mandatory as part of the MSc programme in Gastronomy and Health. The course is optional for the master programmes in Human Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Food Science, Biology Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine. The course will give examples of specific non-nutritive components in foods and their possible mechanisms of action. The course is the only one in these programmes giving a systematic overview of non-nutritive bioactive components. The course will give a critical insight into the meaning of bioactivity and functional components, an important aspect of formulating claims. It also aims to give a more in-depth insight into the health effects of common plant-based foods, beverages and spices.


After completing the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge:
- Describing the most common types of bioactive compounds and components in food plants and spices, and their modes of action in the human body.
- Knowing the most important laboratory and clinical methods to evaluate typical health effects of plant foods in human studies in comparison to cell culture and animal studies.
- Knowing the use of the most common experimental designs in the study of plant effects on health or health-related biomarkers.
- Referring to the formal scientific demands for placing a health claim on a food product, - an important criterium for applying innovative activities in the biotechnology field.


Skills:
- Critically assessing methods, results, and conclusions in scientific papers within bioactive compounds, human health and innovation.
- Evaluating the contribution of several studies on a plant food product to conclusions on their effects on human health, enabling claims to be formulated for bioactive compounds.


Compentences:
- Working independently and analytically with scientific literature.
- Critical oral and written presentation at the highest scientifical level.
- Insights into what it takes to bring a health-promoting product to the market.

Course literature will be announced at study start on the course’s Absalon page.

In each session there will first be lectures in a general subject or on a specific group of plants with examples of potentially active ingredient groups related to one or more commonly reported actions in humans. The selected group(s) of ingredients would represent a typical agonist for a biochemical or physiological effect. Lectures will be followed by theoretical exercises, typically including critical reading of original articles on the days theme followed by plenary discussions or short individual and ad hoc group presentations.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 2
  • Lectures
  • 24
  • Preparation
  • 132
  • Theory exercises
  • 48
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 2 hours under invigilation
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Exam registration requirements
The group report must be submitted and approved in order to sign up for the examination.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Internal grading. One assessor.
Re-exam
If 10 or fewer register for the reexamination the examination form will be oral.
Criteria for exam assesment
Please see "Learning Outcome"