CHEM112 - Organic and Food Chemistry

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

CHEM105 Foundations of Chemistry

Incompatible

CHED112 Organic and Food Chemistry

Unit rationale, description and aim

An understanding of the organic chemistry of food macromolecules, within the context of food science, is key for working within the food and nutrition industry. In this unit students will develop an understanding of the roles that major macromolecules play within foods at the chemical level. The unit is divided into two modules; organic chemistry and food chemistry, and students will learn about the physical, biological, and chemical composition of food, as well as the functions of chemicals in food. The aim of this unit is to help students develop an essential understanding of the theory and techniques employed to analyse the nutrient composition of food as it relates to food content and health claims.   

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe the structure of organic compounds and associated organic chemistry reaction mechanisms according to the functional groups they possess (GA4, GA5, GA8)  

LO2 - Relate the isomerism of organic compounds to their importance in biological and medicinal contexts (GA4, GA5, GA8) 

LO3 - Describe key concepts related to free energy and biologically relevant electrochemistry reaction spontaneity (GA4, GA5, GA8)   

LO4 - Explain the functions of key chemical components of foods (GA5) 

LO5 - Demonstrate competence in the practical skills and techniques used in organic and food chemistry and analysis of experimental results (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8)

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

Content

Topics will include:  

Module A: Organic Chemistry   

• Fuels and hydrocarbons 
• Conjugation, aromaticity and reactions of aromatic compounds  
• Chemical structure and reactions between organic compounds with different functional groups  
• Stereoisomerism  

Module B: Food Chemistry 

• Free energy and reaction spontaneity  
• Physical, biological, and chemical composition of biomolecules (e.g., macromolecules) in food (carbohydrates, protein, lipids, water)  
• Food composition analysis 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Content is delivered through lectures, tutorials, laboratory practicals and workshops.  

Lectures focus on the weekly objectives and offer explanation of the theoretical background of each topic. Communication with lecturing staff is encouraged to help clarify content, provide regular feedback and assist reflection on the learning material. 

Tutorials supplement the lectures with weekly question sets related to the relevant learning objectives. Tutorials allow staff to provide regular guidance and feedback to students on the application of content knowledge. 

In the laboratory, students undertake group and individual work in practical experiments aligned with the theoretical content. These sessions encourage students to engage with their peers, develop laboratory and analytical skills, and make connections between the practical sessions and theoretical content. 

Workshops provide an additional level of support for students, providing more in-depth engagement, with all resources (lectures, tutorials, readings and practicals) for a particular topic. Students are guided in the workshop sessions by reviewing the theory, followed by a series of questions and case-based scenarios. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment strategies is used in this unit to determine achievement of the intended learning outcomes. 

Online quizzes  

These quizzes are held mid-way through each module and assess knowledge of key introductory organic and food chemistry concepts; integral to provide students with feedback as they progress through the unit. 

Practical assessment 

The practical assessment provides students the opportunity to demonstrate development of their practical and analytical skills relevant to food and organic chemistry, through collection and interpretation of laboratory data. Students will need to demonstrate competence in critical thinking and problem-solving, common laboratory techniques and laboratory etiquette, recording of measurements, and evaluation of experimental results.  

Examinations 

Final examinations assess the organic chemistry and food chemistry contents separately. These exams are conducted at the end of each module and provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the relevant theoretical content taught throughout the unit. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Belitz, H, Grosch, W and Schieberle, P 2009, Food chemistry, 4th edn. Springer-Verlag, New York.  

Coultate, T 2015, Food: The chemistry of its components, 6th edn. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.    

Croxford S & Stirling E 2017, Understanding the science of food: From molecules to mouthfeel, Allen & Unwin Academic, Crows Nest.  

Vaclavik V & Christian EW 2014, Essentials of food science, 4th edn, Springer-Verlag, New York.  

Velisek, J 2014 The chemistry of food, Wiley-Blackwell, Milton.