Group of Food Bioprocesses and Biorefineries  

1st Semester                                                                                   

1) Design and Analysis of Experiments                    

2) Treatment of Food Industry Wastes                    

3) Industrial Biotechnology                                      

4) Enzyme and Microbial Processes in Foods           

 

** The module "Design and Analysis of Experiments" is mandatory for all MSc students. The selection of the modules "Food Chemistry and Biochemistry", "Food Microbiology" and "Food Engineering" will be dependent on the scientific background of each candidate (graduates from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition will not have to attend these three modules). Each MSc student will attend 4 to 6 modules in the first semester depending on their scientific background.

 

MODULE DESCRIPTION

  • Treatment of Food Industry Wastes

Agro-industrial by-products and waste-streams. Traditional methods of liquid wastewaters treatment, Primary (physico-chemical) treatment: Centrifugation, sedimentation, filtration, etc. Secondary (biological) treatment: Trickling filters and activated sludge (microbiology and technology). Models and calculations in the sewage treatment plants. Anaerobic treatment of wastes and residues: Production of bio-gas: Biochemistry and technology of methanogenesis. Implication of microorganisms and enzymes in the conversion of wastes into added-value products and foods (e.g. production of single-cell protein, biofuels, organic acids etc.). Models of microbial growth into natural ecosystems. Treatment of solid and semi-solid wastes through compost process. Production of edible fungi through waste valorization. 

 

  • Industrial Biotechnology

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial systems used in the Industrial (white) Biotechnology. Biochemistry and physiology of microbial growth: Basic metabolic networks. Typical microbial bioconversions used in Industrial Biotechnology: Production of organic acids, biofuels, solvents, biodegradable polymers and platform chemicals for the future sustainable chemical industry (e.g. ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, 2,3-butanediol, 1,3-propanediol, microbial oil using oleaginous microorganisms, poly-hydroxyalkanoates). Genetic code and transfer of genetic information. Genetic engineering.

Laboratory experiments: microbiological techniques used in Industrial Biotechnology, production of fermentation feedstocks from renewable resources, shake-flask cultures, assays for the determination of activities of proteolytic and amylolytic enzymes.

 

  • Enzyme and Microbial Processes in Foods

General considerations, concepts and definitions. Definition, action and biology of enzymes. Enzyme catalysis and kinetics, models of enzyme catalysis, enzyme inhibition, allosteric enzymes, enzymatic bioreactors. Classification and mode of action of enzymes. Typical fermentations in food technology (alcoholic fermentation, lactic acid fermentation, propionic acid fermentation, butyric acid fermentation, malolactic acid bioconversion). Fermented foods and implications of microorganisms and enzymes in the bakery industry, the dairy industry, the waste treatment and in the production of alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, etc), bioethanol, vinegar, fermented olives and fermented plant-based products.


2nd semester

1) Valorisation of Renewable Resources                  

2) Design of Bioprocesses and Biorefineries            

3) Bioprocess and Biorefinery Engineering               

4) Computational bioprocess optimization                

 

MODULE DESCRIPTION

  • Valorisation of renewable resources

Composition of renewable resources, including waste and by-product streams from the food industry. Chemistry and analysis of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, lignin and other value-added components (e.g. phenolic compounds). Biorefineries based on the utilization of lignocellulosics, oilseeds and cereals. Valorisation of industrial waste and by-product streams (e.g. pulp and paper industry, food industry) for the production of value-added products. Restructuring of traditional Greek food industries (e.g. wineries, dairy industry, breweries, tomato paste industry, confectionery industry and bakeries, orange juice industry) into advanced biorefineries. Evaluation of renewable resources as potential raw material for chemical and biopolymer production via microbial bioconversions.

Laboratory experiments: Quantitative determination of: monosaccharides (HPLC), starch (enzymatic method), protein (Kjeldahl), free amino nitrogen (FAN), phosphorus, fats and oils (Soxhlet). Determination of crude fibre in renewable raw materials. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Compositional analysis of lignocellulosic raw materials.


  • Design of Bioprocesses and Biorefineries

Design and preliminary techno-economic evaluation using the software SuperPro Designer. Process flowsheets of bioprocesses and biorefineries. Production of fermentation media from renewable resources. Description and sizing of equipment employed in bioprocesses and biorefineries (including upstream processing, fermentation and downstream separation). Total capital investment and total production cost. Feasibility analysis of preliminary techno-economic evaluation of bioprocesses and biorefineries (net present value, internal rate of return etc.).

Mandatory coursework: Preliminary techno-economic evaluation for a bioprocess or a biorefinery.


  • Bioprocess and Biorefinery Engineering

Fermentation technology. Basic principles, material balances and kinetics of microbial fermentations. Bioreactor operation: Batch, fed-batch and continuous systems. Bioreactor design (stoichiometry, sterilization, heat generation, aeration, oxygen transfer, estimation of kLa, agitation, power input). Modeling and scale-up of bioreactors. Solid state fermentation. Biocatalysis and enzyme engineering. Basic material balances in biorefineries. Introduction in Life Cycle Analysis.

Mandatory coursework: Design of a case-specific microbial bioconversion including bioreactor design and sterilisation.

Laboratory experiments: Bioreactor fermentation and determination of important parameters (e.g. substrate, biomass and product concentrations, and kLa).


  • Computational Bioprocess Optimization

Basic principles of process optimization. Types of optimization problems and necessary conditions for achieving optimal solutions. Linear programming and the SIMPLEX algorithm. Unconstrained optimization and algorithms. Nonlinear programming and successive quadratic programming. Realistic problems and examples in bio-process and food engineering. Introduction to MATLAB for process modeling and optimization. Parameter estimation and least squares. Introduction to experimental design and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Mandatory coursework: Optimization of a small bio-technological process.


3rd Semester

In the third semester each MSc student will carry out an experimental study leading to the preparation of an MSc dissertation.