The specialist in Food Science must have gained theoretical, scientific and professional knowledge in the field of food and nutrition, composition and structural and "functional" properties of food, methods of analysis of the main food components, evaluation of the hygienic and nutritional quality of food, identification of foodborne diseases and knowledge of related legislation. He must also know the definition of the energy and nutrient needs for the individual and for the population, the role of food in meeting the energy and nutrient needs of man, the assessment of the nutritional status and the energy and nutrient needs for the healthy individual and for the population in the various age groups, the study of eating disorders, hereditary nutritional diseases, food allergies, surveys on the food consumption of the individual and the population; surveys on the food consumption of individuals and the population, and the organization of nutritional surveillance and collective catering services, the procedures for the evaluation and testing of food production processes with regard to biological aspects (quality certification) and control of critical points (HACCP system), as well as the organization of services concerning food and human nutrition. He must also have notions on the evaluation of the nutritional status and energy and nutrient needs for the sick individual, the diagnosis and dietary and clinical nutritional treatment of pathologies with a high nutritional component and the organization of hospital dietary services. The areas of competence for the specialist in Food Science are: the food safety of communities and the population; the identification and control of goods of biological origin; the evaluation of the composition and methods of analysis of the main components of food and water, the sensory analysis of food, the evaluation of the nutritional characteristics of food and their modifications induced by technological and biotechnological processes; the analysis of the bioavailability of nutrients in food and the interactions between nutrients and drugs; the assessment of the adequacy of nutrition at the recommended levels of energy and nutrients, the diagnosis and nutritional treatment (dietotherapy, artificial nutrition) in all age groups of diet-related pathologies or that can benefit from nutritional intervention and the organization of hospital dietary services.

For the FOOD SCIENCE type (divided into four years of the course), the training objectives are as follows:

Basic educational objectives: the acquisition of advanced knowledge in statistical methodology, epidemiology, psychology, sociology, economics, biochemistry and physiology in function of a specific application to the problems of human food and nutrition; knowledge of the basic technological processes in the main agri-food sectors and their influence on the nutritional quality of products, the biological principles applicable to biotechnology. Knowledge of food composition and the function of nutrients, non-nutrients and antinutrients and their reciprocal interactions; the safety levels of the food undergoing processing, as well as the toxicological levels, the acceptable daily intakes and the assessable risk in the intake of substances contained or conveyed by the diet; the study of the interaction of nutrients with drugs and the effects of the latter on the fa-me-satiety balance; the study of the organism as a homeostatic complex also influenced by the state of nutrition; the inter-action between nutrients and impairment;

educational objectives of the type of School: the acquisition of knowledge on:

• structural properties of nutrients, on the composition of food, on any changes that may occur during technological processes and on the evaluation of the hygienic quality of food;
• methodologies for the identification of foodborne diseases and the study of legislation for their prevention and control;
• human and population needs in energy and nutrients;
• the ability to assess the status of nutrition;
• problems relating to national and international food policies;
• techniques for detecting food consumption and nutritional surveillance strategies on populations in particular physiological conditions, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, growth, senescence and sports activity;
• techniques of mass communication in the field of food and nutrition and the definition of objectives and programs of food education;
• nutrient-gene interactions;
• biochemical and physiological mechanisms of digestion and absorption, the bioavailability of micro and macronutrients, the metabolic processes of nutrients, the identification of the effects due to under- or over-malnutrition;
• impact of food production on the environment;
• organisation of collective catering services and preventive medicine services including hygiene, food and nutrition services.

For the graduate in Medicine and Surgery, the educational objectives of the Specialization in Food Science are all the diagnostic and therapeutic activities listed below:

• the physiological and pathological mechanisms of the regulation of eating behavior;
• the evaluation of the nutritional status;
• the acquisition of diagnostic and nutritional treatment methodologies:
  • in all age groups;
  • diet-related diseases;
• the assessment of the impact of the disease on the status of nutrition;
• the organization of hospital dietary services, of the services responsible for the provision of artificial nutrition;
• the acquisition of methodologies for the study of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia);
• knowledge, in relation to the possibility of nutritional intervention of food allergies and intolerances, of the pathophysiology and clinic of the gastrointestinal system, the endocrine system, the urinary system and the respiratory system; the evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors and deficiency diseases.

The following are compulsory professionalizing activities for the achievement of the educational purposes of the type:

• have directly performed at least 100 nutritional status assessments per year through:
  • Clinical evaluation (medical history)
  • evaluation of energy intake and nutrients (dietary history, diaries, consumption frequency questionnaires, etc.)
  • detection of eating habits (questionnaires, etc.);
  • evaluation of the energy needs of the individual (measurement of basal metabolic rate and application of all validated techniques for calculating energy expenditure);
  • Identification of recommended levels of energy and nutrients for the population and for the individual;
  • Identification of Dietary reference intanke, based on metabolic, genetic and phenotype profile;
  • evaluation of body composition (anthropopoplichometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, X-ray densitometry), in order to report, as part of the specialist activity (DL 187/2000) the state of body composition, adipose tissue and muscle tissue, etc.), with the ability to interpret all methods of body composition including the use of radiodiagnostic activities complementary to the clinical exercise of the discipline (pursuant to c. 4, art. 7 of Legislative Decree 187/2000);
  • metabolic evaluation (lipid-lipoprotein, glycemic and protein profile, etc.);
  • evaluation of energy intake and nutrients (dietary history, diaries, consumption frequency questionnaires, etc.)
  • Detection of eating habits (questionnaires, etc.)
  • evaluation of the energy needs of the individual (measurement of basal metabolic rate and application of all validated techniques for measuring energy expenditure)
• have drawn up and countersigned at least 100 / year medical records of inpatient or outpatient patients personally followed; The charts must show a complete physical examination, the laboratory tests of the case, the anthropometric evaluation, the impedance evaluation, the strength tests, the pressure evaluation.
• have directly prepared at least 100/year of personalized dietary-nutritional interventions for the main diet-related diseases (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obesity, liver and kidney failure, malnutrition by default, eating disorders, ...)
• have directly prepared at least 25/year setting up artificial, hospital and home diet regimens (NAD):
  • Assessment of energy and nutrient requirements
  • prescription and preparation of infusion lines for artificial nutrition (placement of naso-gastro/duodenal tubes, cannulation of peripheral vein,...) and preparation of bags containing nutritive fluids to be administered to the patient
  • monitoring of nutritional intervention (metabolic and nutritional status monitoring, water, electrolyte and nitrogen balance, management of the infusion system);
• have prescribed at least 5 galenic preparations for Artificial Nutrition per year;
• have participated in at least 5/year nutritional counselling and eating disorders, in outpatient activities;
• have directly prepared at least 30/year personalized diet plans based on the interpretation of the expression levels of genes involved in nutritional status (nutrigenomics);
• have directly prepared at least 30/year personalized diet plans based on the interpretation of the genetic polymorphisms involved in nutritional status (nutrigenetics);
• have directly prepared at least 2 personalized diet plans based on the interpretation of toxic-genomic analyses;
• have directly prepared n. 5 / year of personalized diet plans that provide for the use of plant-based medical devices (EU Reg. 47/2007, D.L. 37/2010);
• have directly prepared 5/year of diet plans that provide for the use of products intended for a particular diet, according to the new regulations governing nutritional claims (EU Reg. 39/2009 and subsequent amendments);
• have directly prepared 5/year of diet plans that provide for the use of Novel Foods, i.e. foods and ingredients not yet used "to a significant extent for human consumption", falling within the categories provided for by EU Reg. 258/97;
• have directly prepared n. 5 / year of personalized diet plans that provide for the use of Botanicals, according to the EU legislation in force (Reg.

• have carried out at least 100/year analysis of the Nutritional Quality Indices of foods, dietary plans and food composition and labelling requirements;
• preparation of n.2 protocol/year of study of epidemiology of nutrition;
• have interpreted at least 10/year determinations of the total antioxidant capacity (various methods) on plasma and 10/year food;
• have interpreted at least 10/year enzyme immunoassay tests;
• have prepared at least one food safety alert plan (according to the RASFF network) in accordance with the "hygiene package" (Regulations (EC) 852/2004, 853/2004, 854/2004, 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs) and with European Regulation no. 16/2011 of 10 January 2011;
• have prepared at least 2 self-control plans according to the HACCP system - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Poitnt- (HACCP Reg CE 852/2004) to ensure the consumer a standardized level of food safety, guaranteeing health and hygiene healthiness such as not to cause damage to the health of the consumer;
• have set up at least 1 clinical protocol according to an NHACCP system - Nutrient Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Poitnt - as defined by the Strategic Plan for Innovation of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (July 2914);
• have directly followed the conduct, according to the rules of good clinical practice, of at least 4 clinical trials;
• have prepared at least 1 protocol for the traceability of seeds and feed intended for animals for human consumption;
• have managed a nutritional database on a computer system.

The student will be able to compete for the diploma after completing the professionalizing activities.
As part of the training course, the student will have to learn the scientific bases of the type of School in order to achieve full maturity and professional competence that includes an adequate ability to interpret scientific innovations and a critical knowledge that allows him to consciously manage both assistance and his own updating; In this context, participation in meetings, congresses and the production of scientific publications and periods of attendance in qualified Italian and foreign institutions useful for his/her training may be envisaged.