94608 - Agro-Environmental and Food Biotechnology

Learning outcomes

At the end of this Course the student know the basic principles useful to investigate the problems of food and agro-enviromental biotechnology.The Module 1 and the Module 2 focuses on the study of food and agroenvironmental microbiology and its biotechnological applications. The Module 3 focus on the study of crop diseases and the most important biotechnological strategies of plant protection.

Course contents

Module 1 and Module 2.  Study of the main biotechnological approaches that can be used to manage the animal and vegetal food : bacteria and their role, probiotic bacteria. Functional food, novel food.Food and livelihood security benefits. The Claims. Degradation of natural and xenobiotic compound. The mechanisms of environmental adaptation in bacterial cell. Biotechnological strategies: OGM for agro-environmental and agro-alimentary microbiology. The Italian and European law and evaluation of hazard.

Module 3. Study of the main biotechnological approaches that can be used to manage the biotic adversity of agricultural or ornamental plants and foodstuffs. The concepts of disease biotic agents, classification and economic importance of plant diseases, host will be described: pathogen molecular interactions, diagnosis and characterization of phytopathogenic agents and immune response (hypersensitivity pathogenesis proteins, gene silencing). The course will deal with the theorical and pratical aspects of the defense of plants by means of RNA interference (RNAi), phage therapy, use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Fungi producing mycotoxins in cereals, their pathogenic role as well as their identification and phylogeny will be described.

Assessment methods

Final oral exami

Readings/Bibliography

Module 1: Biotecnologie Microbiche S. Donadio-G: Marino (Casa Editrice Ambrosiana)

Module 2:Microbiologia dei prodotti alimentari G.Farris (Casa Editrice Ambrosiana) (2020)

Module 3: Plant pathology Agrios. 2005 (Elsevier Academic Press)

Elementi di virologia vegetale Giunchedi L: 2007 (Piccin)

Plant virology 5th.Ed.Hull R.2014 (Academic Press)

Teaching methods

Lessons and conferences. At the end of the course will be organized a visit at the Laboratory of Agro-Environmental Biotecnology

Assessment methods

Final oral examination carried out together with the exam of the two modules:3 basic questions one of each thematic area of the course. The final evaluation is calculated by the average.

Teaching tools

The lessons are held in the rooms equipped with compiuter. At the end of the course will be organized a visit to the Laboratory of the Agro-Environmental Biotechnology.

 

Office hours

See the website of Paola Mattarelli

See the website of Claudio Ratti