Food Production Management – (M.Sc.)

Contents

Modules
Industrial Ergonomics: Jobs, Culture, Change

Human aspects of work systems. Human-centred systems design. Motivation and job satisfaction. Job design. team working, team design, virtual teams. Quality of working life. Implementation of change; participation in design, implementation. Selection, training. Shiftwork. Evaluation of change

Preservation and Food Quality Assurance

The concepts of food preservation and methods (chemical, microbiological and physical) used to prolong the shelf life of foods are studied at a level appropriate for production and technical managers within a food factory.

Food Production Management: Research Project

This module will involve the completion of a either laboratory or pilot plant based project, or will involve a survey of a particular aspect of a food production process. Many projects will involve collaboration with the food industry.

Q3 Food Flavour

* The biochemical origin of some fruit flavours along with onion and garlic flavours
* The key chemical pathways for thermal flavour generation (Maillard, caramelisation)
* The release of flavours from foods during storage and during eating `flavour fade' and flavour release
* The interaction of flavours with the sensors in the mouth and nose. A course book will be used with reference to recent advances in different receptor types
* The neural processing of these signals into perception
* and other topics.

Chemistry and Processing of Plant Products

Cereal Science: Production of cereal based goods and factors determining their physical forms. Starch based products: Potato and cassava, in addition to a range of cereals, and their conversion to expanded snack products and breakfast cereals. Fermentation: Yeast fermentation to yield alcoholic beverages and the manufacture of tea, coffee and chocolate, which include a traditional 'fermentation' stage involving endogenous plant tissue enzymes. Enzyme Technology: Financial constraints, legislation, enzyme source and enzyme immobilisation. Major examples from starch processing and brewing will be discussed. Fats and Oils: Manipulation of oils to produce fat spreads and cocoa butter alternatives. The processes described include interesterification, fractionation and hydrogenation.

Food Commodities

Food commodities can be defined as raw materials consumed directly or used to manufacture food products. The major food commodities we shall study are cereals, oilseeds, fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, eggs and milk. Having described the chemical composition of the commodity, strategies employed to store and/or prepare the material for food manufacturing operations will be covered. A common theme, which runs this module, is quality. What is quality and how can it be defined for each commodity? How does it develop then deteriorate? What methods (chemical, physical or biolochemical) can be employed to control quality control and slow down deterioration? Each commodity will be dealt with individually but principles that link different commoditites will be emphasised. Dr Tim Lloyd will provide an introduction to the factors that affect the trading of global commodities.

Chemistry and Processing of Animal Products

Physiology of biochemistry of muscle are reviewed in terms of the composition and quality of striated meat, fish and poultry. The effects of processing on the quality of animal products will be followed from the live muscle to the final cooked portion. Criteria for the eating quality of animal products are given and interpreted in terms of the chemistry and processing conditions. Processes such as curing, tumbling and comminution of meat will be highlighted as well as the processes that aid in meat preservation, i.e. chilling, freezing, canning and storage in modified atmosphere packaging. An understanding of the chemistry and processing involved with the production of milk products (yoghurt,cheese and ice cream) will be studied.

Science Technology and Business

This module introduces to the importance of, and the processes involved in, the commercial exploitation of science and technology and involves a creative approach to the generation of a business concept. The development of a business idea forms an integral part of the students managed learning.

(MSc) Managing Operations and Change

Managing Operations and Change - An Overview: Managing Change. What is change, why is it important, main change issues, models of change. Clarifying what needs to be changed - formulating strategy - performance criteria - key activity areas. Planning the changes: the future, the present, managing in the delta. Developing action plans for the changes. Considering the expertise, resources, timescales, costs and investments. The People in the Change Process: The sponsors of change, change champions and targets. Support for change and innovation, attitudes and behaviour, roles, beliefs and skills. The Enablers of Change: Teams, empowerment, the learning organisation. Making it Happen: Management emphasis on key operations and enablers. Implementation, training, continuous improvement, management development.

Fundamentals of Hydrocolloid Technology

The course will cover fundamentals of hydrocolloid structure (linear polysaccharides, starch, proteins), hydrocolloids as thickeners (molecular size determination, principles of rheology, viscosity of individual hydrocolloids, starch and proteins), hydrocolloid gelation (fundamentals, gel rheology, visualisation of gel structure, thermal and spectroscopic methods for monitoring gel structure), hydrocolloid interactions (phase separation, synergism, hydrocolloids in emulsions, hydrocolloid flavour interactions), applications of hydrocolloids (food, pharmaceutical, paints, personal care products). These will be covered in lectures and supported by directed student centred learning.

Quality Management and Quality Techniques

There are two main divisions of the material:
a) Quality Management. Historical introduction to the development of quality management thinking. The need for quality, definitions, ideas and concepts of quality. Quality gurus: Deming, Juran, Crosby, Taguchi, etc. Variation and quality improvement, problem-solving tools, Kaizen, Six Sigma. Culture change for Total Quality Management (TQM); empowerment, team-building, motivation. Business excellence awards (MBNQA, EFQM). Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000); auditing and certification. Quality economics, quality performance measures, benchmarking. Supply chain quality. Service quality.
B) Quality Techniques. Process capability: Variation Risk Management, loss functions, capability assessment. PCIs, non-normality, Six Sigma approaches. SPC charts: Shewhart charts for attributes and variables. CUSUM, EWMA. Acceptance sampling for attributes and variables. Advanced quality planning - QFD and FMEA. Quality Data management. Taguchi Statistical Robust Design. Total Preventative Maintenance.MacromoleculesThe module will be directed at providing the students with a firm understanding of the structure and properties and function of industrially and important macromolecules under a variety of conditions (solution, colloid) with particular reference to food macromolecules. Perception of Food QualityThe module considers how humans perceive food quality, how the quality attributes can be measured, the relevance of a multi/cross modal approach to perception and how these concepts can be applied to deliver quality food products.Introduction to Managing OperationsThe core nature of operations management and its importance in promoting efficient and competitive business. Balancing the key variables of demand, resources, capacity, inventory and performance. Relationship between operations, marketing and finance. Strategic and day-to-day issues in operations manufacturing and service businesses. Global trends in operations management and the influence of changing markets and technology developments on operating concepts. Case studies of successful practice.Supply Chain Planning and ManagementModule content is divided into three major parts.
1. Fundamental planning and control concepts for supply chain and production management: fundamental concepts and key variables; the importance of effective and efficient order fulfilment processes; classification of manufacturing enterprises. Inventory - forms, functions, decisions, models (EOQ, POQ, quantity discounts, re-order point order quantity model (R, Q), one-for-one replenishment model (S-1, S0, newsvendor model). Forecasting for supply chain and production management: qualitative and quantitative approaches (moving average, exponential smoothing, Holt's method, decomposition, regression and causal modelling).
2. Planning, Scheduling and Control approaches: aggregate planning; hierarchical planning and control; MRP-based planning and control; capacity management strategies; JIT principles, kanban systems; Theory of constraints (TOC) and Optimised Production Technology (OPT). Introduction to Shop Floor Scheduling and Sequencing.
3. The extended enterprise: fundamental concepts and definitions in supply chain management and logistics; planning and control for multi-site operations; the bullwhip effect; Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.Management Science for Decision SupportThe emphasis in this module is on formulating (modelling) and solving models with spreadsheets. The topics covered include: modelling principles, optimisation and linear programming, network models, introduction to integer programming, key concepts of probability and uncertainty, decision theory, queuing systems and simulation.Project ManagementDefinitions and classifications of projects. Objectives in project management - time, costs, quality. Resources and resource management. Critical Path Methods and resource scheduling. Performance measurement and costs. Project lifecycles. Project teams and leadership in project management. Managing risk in projects. Analysis of project successes and failures. Project Management software.Performance Measurement and Lean TechniquesConcept and importance of performance measurement within the context of supply chain and operations management. Financial, non-financial, single and multi-factor measures. Approaches and techniques for developing customer facing and internal measures such as Balanced Scorecard, Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. Selection and application of key performance indicators. Importance of intra and inter-organisational benchmarking and approaches to target setting. Techniques for continuous improvement. The identification and elimination of sevel types of waste in manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations. Practices associated with lean operations. Value stream mappoing of manufacturing and service operations in the extended enterprise. Understanding and application of techniques such as visual management (5S), set-up reduction and poke yoke.Supply Chain Management in PracticeModule content is divided into four parts. (1) Supply Chain concepts: Classification of supply chains and networks. The importance of supply chain management. The procurement function. Supply chain dynamics.
(2) Supply chain network design and planning. Buyer-supplier relationships and decisions. Sourcing decisions and lean procurement. Network models. Inventory positioning. Coordination and integration. Collaborative forecasting, planning and replenishment.
(3) Logistics management: The relationship between logistics and SCM - scope of the logistics function. Transport and distribution management. Technologies for logistics and SC management. Outsourcing the Logistics function - 3PL and 4PL.
(4) Supply chain and reverse logistics strategies. Performance, costs, agility and robustness in SCM and Logistics. Supply chain and logistics solutions in major sectors. Strategic planning for integrated SCM and logistics solutions. Benchmarking and competitive strategies in SCM and logistics.Food Production PracticalsThe module consists of a series of investigations. The majority of these will be practical exercises involving both laboratory and pilot plant workCore Competences in Food Production ManagementThis module ensures that the core knowledge required for the Master´s course in Food Production Management is available to students with different scientific backgrounds. As such it will consider: o Appropriate use of data and statistics for quality management o Hygiene requirements within food factories o General laboratory skills o Written documentation used in food manufacture o Knowledge and use of appropriate terminology used in the manufacture of foods o Recognition of the key compounds used in food production Food Factory Designs and OperationsThe influence of hygiene, quality and legislation on the manufacture of food will be addressed in terms of the factory scale. Design and layout of factories for low and high risk foods will be explained with examples of Good Manufacturing Practice. Cleaning practices will be explained in terms of theory and in practical sessions using commercial cleaning equipment. The provision of services like steam and water (of the required quality) will be explained along with automation, particularly control using feedback loops. The legal constraints on food producers will be explained with reference to English and EC law, with input from enforcers (e.g. Environmental Health Officers and Trading Standard Officers) and related professionals. Unit operations, that are typically used in food production, will be studied in terms of the theory of their operation and how they are applied for different commodities. The application of all these principles will be illustrated by factory and other appropriate visits. Food and Factory DesignThe theory and practical aspects of new product development will be investigated. Students, working in groups, will create a food product to a given specification. Products will be tested against the specification, including microbial safety. The manufacturing facilities will be described in terms of people, facilities, capitol equipment, packaging and storage of raw and final product.