FDSC 411Managing Food Quality

3 credits · Food Science · Penn State

Principles and applications of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. Statistical tools for the control and improvement of food quality. FD SC 411 is an introduction to organizational and HACCP concepts related to quality food production. FD SC 200 , FD SC 201 , STAT 250 and FD SC 408 are the prerequisite courses for FD SC 411. It is expected that students will have a understanding of the following statistical concepts: measures of central tendency and variability, use of histograms, discrete probability distributions (binomial, Poisson), random variables, continuous probability distributions (the normal distribution), the Central Limit Theorem, confidence interval estimation, means comparison, correlation, simple linear regression, use of scatter diagrams, intrinsic and extrinsic factors governing microbiological growth, the basis of food preservation techniques, knowledge of specific food-borne pathogens and the products they are commonly associated with, and basic microbial testing procedures. The course will include practice in the form of problem sets and "mini-labs" and provide time for recitation. In addition, it will allow the students to pursue the following topics: root cause analysis (1 period), design of experiments (5 periods), and shelf life determination (4 periods).