Food Storage and Handling

  1. Course Title: FT 212- Food Storage and Handling
  2. Course aim

The aim of the course is to enable students to understand food losses and food storage problems and apply various techniques to prevent them.

iii. Course Expected Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • develop appropriate food storage structures and solve food storage problems in communities
  • Understand the causes, sites, magnitude and control of food losses of common food staples.
  • Assess the magnitude and the main causes of food losses of common food staples.
  • Apply various techniques to control and prevent post-harvest loses of common food staples.

 

        i.            Course Status:

Core

 

      ii.            Credit Rating:

7.5 Credits

  

    iii.            Total hours Spent:

75

Lectures

30 hrs
 

Seminar/Tutorials

10 hrs
 

Practical

15 hrs
 

Assignments

10 hrs
 

Independent Study

10 hrs

Pre-requisite:

FT 100, FT 204

  
     

 

  1. Course Contents

Meaning, causes, types, sites, magnitude and control of food losses of the common food staples. Agriculture, food and nutrition situation in Tanzania. Food losses: meaning, causes, types, magnitude, assessment and control; effects of environmental conditions. The perishable staples: fish and fish products, fruits and vegetables, roots, tubers and bulbs, milk and milk products and meat and meat products with special emphasis on composition, processing methods, types, causes and control of losses. Durable staples: cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. Types of deterioration, agents of losses, prevention through control of biological agents. Preparation of grains for long-term storage: drying, cleaning, sorting and grading. Storage practices and structures (traditional, improved and modern storage structures). Pesticide formulation, abuse and safety in use. Handling of food: Selection of packaging materials, types and function. Factors affecting foodstuffs in transit and storage. Post-harvest storage problems in the tropics and possible solutions.

Practical skills

Practical shall be conducted on selected topics.

 

  1. Teaching and Learning Activities

Teaching will involve lectures, practical, group assignments and seminar presentations, individual assignments to capture self- reading.

  1. Assessment Methods

The assessments will be through continuous assessments were written timed tests (theory and practical), quizzes, seminar presentation, weekly practical reports, and submission of individual/group assignment papers will be used. The assessment will also include final University written examination.

 

  • vii. Reading List

Alverson, D.L., Freeberg, M.H., Murawaski, S.A. and Pope, J.G. (1994). A global assessment of fisheriesbycatch and discards. Fisheries Technical Paper No. 339, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations: Rome.

Stuart, T. (2009). Waste – uncovering the global food scandal. Penguin Books: London, ISBN: 978-0-141-03634-2

FAO. (1985). Prevention of post-harvest food losses: a training manual

FAO. (2010). Compendium on post-harvest operations.

FAO. (1985). Prevention of post-harvest food losses fruits, vegetables and root crops a training manual.

FAO. (2011). Global food losses and food waste – Extent, causes and prevention. Rome

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