Course Title: Food Quality Assurance

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Food Quality Assurance

Credit Points: 24.00

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
ONPS2324	City Campus	Postgraduate	135H Applied Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2007

Course Coordinator: Elisabeth Gorczyca

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2624

Course Coordinator Email: l.gorczyca@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Currently B13 Room D6a

Course Coordinator Availability: By Appointment Monday or Friday afternoons

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Pre-requisite capabilities
A pass in (a) Basic Food Processing (b) Basic Food Microbiology with an emphasis on spoilage microbiology (c) Basic Statistics (d) Basic Food Commodity knowledge
Desirable but not essential is an understanding and knowledge of Basic Chemical and Physiochemical analysis of foods

Recommended Co-requisite: For competencies in both quality and safety management systems in the food industry It is recommended that students studying ONPS2324 Food Quality Assurance also study ENVI1003 Food Safety Plans.

Although, it is better if the 2 course are studied in the same semester, this is not essential. The production system designed in Food Quality Assurance (ONPS 2324) could form the base for creating a Food Safety plans in ENV11003 Food Safety Plans either in the same semester or in the following year.

Course Description

Food Quality Assurance combines (a) the application of statistical data to monitor the quality performance of a production line with (b) documentation and (c) the participatory style required nowadays in the workforce where the workers are encouraged to think and participate.
Course Objectives /Learning Outcomes / Capability Development

This course will provide an opportunity to identify, analyse and set up controls for possible defects and process efficiencies in a food production run. This includes writing quality specifications (organoleptic, physical, chemical and microbiological), identifying functionality of key ingredients, identifying appropriate process sites for controls and appropriate control parameters as a result of identifying key characteristics for the product being produced.

To prepare for the implementation of a trial production run, documentation of standard operating procedures for manufacturing of the product, setting appropriate quality control monitoring procedures and recording documentation as well as creating documentation for evaluating (with justification) the acceptance/rejection of the product produced will be undertaken.

As a critical component of the course, students, having designed a process and identified appropriate defect quality control procedures, will implement the process to ‘test’ the effectiveness of the procedures proposed. This will develop problem based learning, effective verbal and written communications as well as planning skills.
As the course Food safety Plans deals with process safety, primarily with the HACCP approach to Food safety control, this course deals with process quality assurance and in conjunction the two courses provides a thorough understanding of process quality (Food Quality Assurance) and process safety (Food Safety Plans) assurance.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

THE ABOVE OBJECTIVES WILL REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOLLOWING CAPABILITIES:
(i) An ability to understand Good Manufacturing practice (to an advanced level) and

(ii) An ability to source and adopt appropriate technology for the manufacture of food

(iii) An ability to appreciate that production and distribution of processed food is conducted within an ethical and legal framework as legal requirements must be included in any acceptable Quality Assurance plan.

(iv) Critical Analysis and Problem Solving in particular an ability to recognize, diagnose and solve problems and improve performance as students will carry out the plan they have designed, during which ( and after) they will identify problems, identify the significance of the problem and propose immediate and long term solutions to those problems.

(v) Self Management as the design of production and the appropriate Quality Assurance plan is an evolving process which can not be left to the last minute (for a successful outcome).

Overall the key learning outcome from this course would be an ability to
(a) Document a process from a Quality point of view
(b) Appreciate the detail needed to carry out production of a product and
(c) Identify and solve problems.

 Thus, after successful completion of this course each student should be able to carry out the following functions and demonstrate the following capabilities to the level indicated:
 Set up and Assess Food Quality Assurance Plans.
 Create and Critically Evaluate quality specifications for raw materials, and associated final product and appropriate packaging.
 Design and critically evaluate appropriate testing and recording procedures for raw materials and associated Final product.
 Create and Critically evaluate Acceptance Sampling Procedures for both attribute and variable data.
 Design appropriate vendor appraisal procedure and documentation as well as appreciate the significance of a vendor appraisal system in relations to acceptance sampling.  Create and evaluate appropriate control charts (for both variable and attribute data). Understand, be able to interpret and assess the limitations, sensitivity and capability of control charts for a process.
 Design, and evaluate processing documentation including Standard Operating procedures.
 Know the basic elements in a recall plan relating to food quality (& the significance of a meaningful customer complaint system). Be familiar will a number of Standards in particular International Standards

Overview of Learning Activities

The students will be guided through this course by
(a) Weekly lectures (dealing with, for example, issues such as: Quality systems, Control chart design and Acceptance sampling)

(b) Weekly alternating tutorial and practical classes dealing with documentation and production issues in particular the practical classes wil be used to get to know your product to help in teh setting up of your production run.

(c) Production run - this is where your team (x2) will organise the production of your product on a larger scale.

(d) Industry visits (where possible) and/or Industry guest lectures.

Overview of Learning Resources

The resources that will be used for this course include:

(a) Lecture notes on line

(b) Tutorial questions on a topic basis. The structure of teh tutorial sheets will be similar to that used in the test and the final examination.

(c) A text book to help with the analysis which is part of  the lecture material.

(d) A pilot plant to carry out your product trials and your production.

Overview of Assessment

Assessment will consist of:
(a) Manuals (Product, Process, and Testing) submitted (50%)
(b) Production trial organisation (25%)  including a Critical evaluation of documentation used, production problems and product produced
(c) Semester test (similar structure to the final examination) 10% (10%).
(d) Open book examination on Statistical issues, ISO, QA Management, documentation, and production organisation issues (15%)