Universidad de Jaén

List of topics:

LESSON 1. THE BASIC STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF FATS AND OILS: FATTY ACIDS AND LIPIDS.

Lipids as the basic constituents of fats and oils. Fatty acids as the basic constituents of lipids. Molecular structure of fatty acids; nomenclature. Main structural variants of natural fatty acids. Structure of some lipid classes. The fatty acid composition of olive oil. Comparing the fatty acid compositions of olive oil and other edible fats and oils.

LESSON 2. THE MINOR COMPONENTS OF OLIVE OIL.

The nature and origin of minor components occurring in fats and oils. The groups of minor components occurring in olive oil: partial glycerides, phospholipids, hydrocarbons, tocopherols, fatty alcohols, sterols, triterpene alcohols, carotenoids, chlorophylls, pheophytins, volatile components.

LESSON 3. TRANSFORMATIONS AFFECTING THE ESTER BONDS OF GLYCERIDES.

Description of the ester chemical groups. The hydrolysis and saponification reactions. Transesterification and esterification of fatty acids. Applications (analytic and industrial) of the ester forming and braking reactions.

LESSON 4. TRANSFORMATIONS INVOLVING THE UNSATURATIONS OF FATTY ACIDS.

Addition to C=C double bonds (halogenations and hydrogenations). Oxidation reactions: photoxygenation, radical oxidations and enzymatic oxidations. Mechanisms and oxidation products. The oxidative evolution of oils. Antioxidants.

LESSON 5. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FATS AND OILS.

Solubility. Crystallization and fusion. Color, ultraviolet-visible absorption. Infrared absorption, vibrational spectroscopy. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy applied to fats and oils.

LESSON 6. CHEMICAL STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES RELATED WITH THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS USED TO CLASSIFY AND AUTHENTICATE OLIVE OILS.

Free acidity. Peroxide value. Ultraviolet-visible absorption. Oxidative stability. Other parameters used to authenticate and qualify olive oil.

Lab practical sessions.

Session 1 (4 hours): Studying olive oil by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

One of the most relevant topics in the control of fats and oils is the use of spectroscopic techniques to asses content and traceability of fatty acid derivatives included in different matrices. Monitoring of fat and oil components through mid-IR spectroscopy allows, in  real-time, the detection of undesirable components, trans fatty acid quantification, the detection of admixtures or shortening traces analysis.

Session 2 (4 hours): Analysis by GC and GC-MS of oil headspace volatile components collected by solid phase extraction.

From a sample of pure oil, the extraction of its headspace volatile components is performed by solid phase extraction. Then, the collected volatile components will be analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry coupled to gas chromatography (GC-MS) to identify its most abundant components. The relative intensity of the most abundant components provides relevant information that can be correlated with the organoleptic features exhibited by the oil.

Seminar 1 (2 hours): Literature sources of relevance in the field of fat and oil components, particularly olive oil.

The most relevant information sources in the fields of chemical components of fats and oil, as well as about nutritional and biological properties of those components are presented. The access through Internet to the journals and periodic publications available in electronic format is stressed. Some resources to perform literature searching and the strategies to achieve successful results are also presented.

Elaboration of a bibliographic review (student work). The students, individually, must prepare a revision (state-of-the-art) on a particular topic of their own interest, from the literature published on that topic.

Seminar 2 (2 hours): Support to the obtaining of information and its elaboration.

This activity is conceived as a help to students to localize information, organized it and comment it to prepare their literature reviews.

Speech-debate (3 hours). Two invited experts coming from institution outside the University of Jaén will lecture on two particular topics. They will provide the students with the point of view of specialists on how the processes of refining and oxidation of olive oils are evaluated and assessed. The attendance to these special lectures is compulsory for the students. After the speeches, the students are encouraged to participate in a debate and to later prepare a personal comment on the contents and debate of these lectures.

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION (15 %)

The aspects to be evaluated are:

• The active participation of the students in classes and activities.
• Attendance of lab sessions.
• Participation in speech-debate.
• Value of the interventions in debates.

EXAM ON COURSE CONTENTS (65 %).

The students must do an exam on the course contents as the way to evaluate the ability acquired to:

• Understand the nomenclature applicable to the components of fats and oils.
• Identify the main and minor components occurring in olive oil.
• Connect the occurrence of particular olive oil components with the physicochemical and organoleptic features expressed by the oil.
• Connect the quality classification of olive oils with the deterioration degree that they suffer.

PERSONAL WORK OF LITERATURE REVIEW ON A SELECTED TOPIC (10 %).

The following items will be considered:

• Ability to collect information.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize information.
• Organization and neatness.
• Updating state of the information presented.

LAB PRACTICAL SESSIONS (10 %).

The assessment will evaluate the degree of involvement and activity developed by the student during the lab sessions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IT IS NECESSARY TO REACH A MINIMUM OF 4 POINTS (OVER 10) IN THE CONTENT EXAM TO BE ALLOWED TO ADD THE POINTS OF THE OTHER THREE ASSESSMENT ASPECTS TO THE FINAL MARK.