Specialisation Product Design and Ingredient Functionality
This specialisation focuses on both Product Design as well as Process Design/Process Technology. Both aspects include the optimalisation and modelling of new product concepts and processes, but also predictive quality control (product), and systems and control technologies (process).
Academic year, study load and course names and codes
The Academic Year of Wageningen University consists of 6 periods from 4-8 weeks (6 or 12 credits per period). In one study year you are assumed to take 60 credits (European Credits or ECTS). In period 1, 2 and 5 two subjects are taught, generally one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These periods consist of 6 weeks of teaching, followed by one week of self study and one week of exams. Period 3 and 4 are shorter, 4 weeks long, and in these weeks one course is taught blockwise (courses are scheduled whole day, in the morning and in the afternoon) and fulltime. In week 4 the course exam is scheduled. Period 6 consists of 9 weeks, due to many national holidays in the spring. In this period all MFT students follow the full-time course Product and Process Design of 12 credits (except for the European Master in Food Studies).
Every course has besides its name a code. The code: AAA-xyyzz, with AAA the teaching group ('department') responsible for the course (for example FCH=Food Chemistry, FHM=Food Microbiology), x indicates the level of the course (1=basic, 2=intermediate, 3=advanced), yy is an arbitrary number, zz indicates the number of credits in ECTS.
The tables below show the specialization programme and courses. The course content can be found in the on-line study handbook.
First year
| Course | Type | Period and Time* |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory courses (CS): | ||
| FCH-30306 Food Ingredient Functionality | CS | 1M |
| FQD-60312 Product and Process Design | CS | 6WD |
| Choose one restricted optional 1 course (RO1): | ||
| FPE-30306 Food Structuring | RO1 | 1A |
| FPH-20806 Molecular Gastronomy | RO1 | 1A |
| Choose one of the following restricted optional 2 (RO2) combinations: | ||
| 1) FCH-30806 Advanced Food Chemistry and FPH-30306 Advanced Food Physics | RO2 | 4WD+2A |
| 2) FQD-31306 Predicting Food Quality and FQD-31806 Product Properties and Consumer Wishes | RO2 | 5M+2A |
| Choose at least 1 restricted optional 3 course (RO3): | ||
| FCH-3AA06 Biofunctional Food Ingredients | RO3 | 2M |
| LAW-22806 Food Law | RO3 | 2M |
| FQD-37806 Food Flavour Design | RO3 | 2M |
| FPH-30306 Advanced Food Physics | RO3 | 2A |
| FPE-31306 Transfer Processes | RO3 | 2A |
| FQD-31806 Product Properties and Consumer Wishes | RO3 | 2A |
| FPH-31306 Advanced Molecular Gastronomy | RO3 | 3WD |
| FCH-30806 Advanced Food Chemistry | RO3 | 4WD |
| FQD-64306 Food Quality Management Research Principles I | RO3 | 4WD |
| FPE-30806 Sustainable Food and Bioprocessing | RO3 | 4WD |
| FCH-31306 Enzymology for Food and Biorefinery | RO3 | 5M |
| FQD-31306 Predicting Food Quality | RO3 | 5M |
| FHM-30806 Advanced Fermentation Science | RO3 | 5A |
| FCH-31806 Advanced Biochemical Analysis of Foods | RO3 | 5A |
| MCB-30806 Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference | RO3 | 5A |
| FPH-21806 Unifying concepts for life sciences | RO3 | 5A |
| *M=Morning course, A=Afternoon course, WD=Whole day course, scheduled in the morning and in the afternoon. |
Second year
The second year consists of an individual thesis project (6 months; 36 ECTS) and an internship/traineeship (at least for 4 months; 24 ECTS). The topics of the thesis and internship will be related to the specialisation.
The thesis is carried out at Wageningen University. Thesis topics in this specialisation are offered by the following groups:
Food Chemistry, Food Microbiology, Food Process Engineering, Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods or Food Quality and Design.
The internship is always done outside Wageningen University and can be performed in food industry, research institute or university. The internship can be done in the Netherlands or any other country. The internship is not related to the thesis, but it should be a food related topic, preferably in the field of specialisation.