English

The following topics are propaedeutic to the teaching: the basic knowledge of plant biology, chemistry and food chemistry.

The course is taught through frontal lectures (4 ECTS, 36 hours) with the help of power point presentations, while the second part of the course (2 ECTS, 18 hours) consists of practical exercises in the classroom and in the laboratory, regarding the main techniques of analysis of fruit quality. The course is also developed in e-learning platform, by providing free access to the presentations exposed in the classroom; in addition, insights on the informations provided in the classroom and on topics of interest for the course (ex. varietal lists, regulations, etc.) are given in the platform.

To achieve adequate basic knowledge on the botanical origin, agricultural and productive characteristics, and on the main cultivation techniques of the most marketed fruits;

(a) ability to understand the nutritional characteristics of the main fruit products; (b) ability to assess the characteristics of the fruit products in a perspective of optimizing the quality of food products derived; (c) organize the laboratory analyses necessary to ascertain the quality and safety of the fruit products.

(a) making judgements: ability to identify the data analyses needed for the qualitative characterization of agro-food products of fruit origin, and for the evaluation of the safety requirements; (b) capability of clearly and exhaustively communicate notions, ideas, problems and technical solutions to interlocutors, either professional or not, representative of the various and specific competencies in the agro-food supply chain in the fruit sector.

• Introduction to the fruitculture, definition of the concept of quality and its determinant factors (0.5 ECTS).
• Native area and spread of major fruit species and their pedo-climatic adaptability. Genetic classification, outlines of cultivation techniques and commercial properties of stone fruits, pome fruits, minor fruits, berries, nuts, dual-purpose cultivations, local fruits and citrus. Mentions of floral biology: flowering time, incompatibility, pollination, fertilization, parthenocarpy (1 ECTS).
• Evaluation of fruit quality: factors that affect the fruit quality, the objectives of fruit quality, the difference between qualitative and nutritional aspects, quality and ripeness of the fruit (some mentions on the maturation physiology) (0.5 ECTS).
• Tools for the evaluation of fruit quality: control methods, post-harvest technical standards, ICE standards and common quality standards (0.5 ECTS).
• The importance of sensory analysis in the evaluation of fruit quality: examples of practical application of sensory analysis (1 ECTS).
• The importance of the nutritional analysis in the evaluation of fruit quality: deepening their meaning and the most used laboratory instruments for their implementation (1.5 ECTS).
• Techniques for processing, packaging and storage of fruits and their derivatives (0.5 ECTS).
• The biotechnology applied to fruitculture for the improvement of fruit quality: future scenarios and relationship with the consumers’ health (0.5 CFU).

For the first session, written exams consisting of a maximum of 25 open-ended questions, on the main topics covered during the course. Subsequent exams will be written or oral depending on the student's request. Always at the request of the student, the written test can be followed by an additional oral interview (about 3 questions). The mark of the oral exam will be proposed as final mark depending to the quality of the responses. The final mark of this module will be used for the calculation of the final mark of the full exam.

During the written and oral tests, the student will have to show: (a) the basic knowledge of botanical and morphological characteristics of the main fruit species treated; (b) the knowledge and understanding of the main factors that affect the fruit quality at different stages of the production cycle; (c) the knowledge of analytical methods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of specific vitamins and nutrients; (d) an adequate knowledge of the definitions of quality and the use of technical terminology.

The final mark is attributed in thirtieths.

The written test will consist of a maximum of 25 questions, each of which will allow you to obtain a maximum of 5 points. The final evaluation will be reported out of thirty. The oral exam will be divided into three questions, each of which can give a variable score between 0 and 10 points. Honors will be given to students who, having achieved the highest rating, have demonstrated complete mastery of the subject.

-ARBORICOLTURA GENERALE, PATRON EDITORE, 2012
-Gestione della qualità e conservazione dei Prodotti ortofrutticoli. A cura di Giancarlo Colelli e Paolo Inglese
- BIOTECNOLOGIE SOSTENIBILI, EDAGRICOLE 2017
-Magazines related to fruitculture, such as "L’informatore agrario", The educational material used during the lessons and the additional educational material, including pomological cards and lists of varieties, are available on the e-learning web platform.

Moodle eLearning Platform