NFOK16002U Aroma - the Chemistry behind Odour
The course describes the role of aroma components in foods, and gives a thorough review of techniques for sampling and analysis of aroma. The relationship between the aroma profile and the sensory quality of a product is an important issue of the course, and includes working with the complexity of the chemical background for odour impressions. The use of multivariate techniques - chemometrics - to relate aroma analysis to sensory evaluation data is an integrated part of the course.
Through practical work with aroma analyses, the course will aim to enable the students to answer questions like: Why do low alcoholic beers taste different? Why does addition of milk change the aroma of coffee dramatically? How does processing affect the aroma of a product? Chemometrics and univariate data analysis will be important tools.
Knowledge:
- Understand the complexity of the chemical backgroud for odour
- Understand the principles and methods being used to measure and interpret aroma
- Know the commonly used techniques for aroma analysis
- Know how results obtained through aroma analysis relate to measured sensory quality.
Skills:
- Explain the aroma chemistry in food products
- Evaluate possibilities and limitations of aroma analysis for food quality analysis
- Ability to choose the proper method to evaluate aroma of food products
- Ability to identify important aroma compounds through organoleptic perception and dynamic release in the nasal cavity, using e.g. GC-olfactometry or nose space PTR-MS
- Ability to treat and handle instrumental aroma data using the most advanced techniques
- Hands-on experience with aroma analysis
- Ability to assess reliability of data
- Ability to perform suitable data analysis on instrumental data and to relate it to sensory data.
Competences:
- Apply aroma analysis to solve current challenges relating to food quality
- Handling complex data sets and reporting results
- Relate different aroma sampling techniques and
- Reflect on the role of aroma properties in quality of food
- Cooperate with fellow students in a project group, including planning, executing and reporting experiments.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is highly recommended, including experience with larger projects, presentation of data and skills in academic writing.
If the qualifications are not met, students should expect a high workload to acquire the needed level of knowledge through the E-learning.
Through practical projects, where the students work in groups, measurement of aroma will be carried out. Sensory data will also be used and correlated to instrumental data. Based on the practical work, a written report is prepared. The students are encouraged to make a critical use of AI in the preparation of the report. The students should also reflect on the processes in problem-oriented group research.
A mandatory seminar will be held, where the students present their results to each other. Theoretical exercises based on authentical datasets a.o. will be arranged. Before the course start, the participants must read selected scientific literature and complete the E-learning materials.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 16
- Preparation
- 58
- Theory exercises
- 5
- E-Learning
- 50
- Project work
- 76
- Exam
- 1
- Total
- 206
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 20 minutes
- Type of assessment details
- The exam is conducted in both report (submisssion in groups)
and the curriculum.
In order to access the oral exam the submission (group report) must be submitted during the course. - Exam registration requirements
Hand in of E-learning cases.
Laboratory work carried out in groups (physical participation needed), and presentation given at the seminar.
- Aid
- Without aids
No aids allowed for the oral exam, but the student can bring a paper version of the project report.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Re-exam
Same as the ordinary exam.
If the exam requirements have not been met prior to the re-examination, students must retake the course.
If the student has submitted the report but did not participate in the oral exam, the re-examination should be based on the original report. If the student fails the regular exam, a re-examination can be based on either the original report or a new report prepared individually by the student. In that case, the report must be submitted no later than one week before the re-examination.
Criteria for exam assesment
See Learning Outcomes
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NFOK16002U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Placement
- Summer
- Schedule
- 4-29 August 2025
4-week summer course in August
Week 1 (4-10 August): E-learning and reading
Week 2-3 (11-24 August): Teaching on campus
Week 4 (25-29 August): Report writing and oral exam - Course capacity
- 30
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
Study board
- Study Board of Food, Human Nutrition and Sports
Contracting department
- Department of Food Science
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Mikael Agerlin Petersen (map@food.ku.dk)
- Sylvester Holt (sylvester.holt@food.ku.dk)
- Bodil Helene Allesen-Holm (bhah@food.ku.dk)
(Course coordinator)