Greetings from foodland: teaching food and nutrition biochemistry to undergraduates in Italy

CONTEXT. Biochemistry have always been a mandatory topic within undergraduate courses at UNIMI aimed at food/nutrition students, namely: Food Science & Technology (BS and MS); Catering Sciences (BS); Human Nutrition (MS). Addressing these targets requires: i) a specific focus on topics that are seldom considered in courses offered in bio-medical settings; ii) a close integration with other area disciplines; iii) a complementary array of elective courses that cover various specific aspects of biochemistry that cannot be presented otherwise. INITIATIVE. Lectures take into account specific requirements of each curriculum. For instance, protein chemistry is presented at the BS level by using food proteins of known structure, and discussed in terms of structural features in the raw materials and in changes occurring upon processing (at the household, restaurant, or food industry level). Along the same lines, metabolic pathways and their regulation are presented starting from widespread metabolic disfunctions (such as obesity, diabetes, or inheritable conditions). Much attention is paid also to molecular issues related to food safety (including food allergies and intolerances). The same "hands on" approaches is used for lab classes, that are an integral component of each course - covering about one third of total credits - and aim at providing fundamental-type information by analyzing common practical situations. METHODOLOGY. Academic and non-academic experts from businesses, regulatory agencies, and hospitals are invited to offer specific information on selected topics. Some of them - such as metabolic diseases - are part of the regular courses, and involve formal lectures by biochemists in our medical schools. Others are indicated by the students themselves, or selected among themes emerging from the media. Non-medical experts are typically recruited among our own former students. All teaching materials (including those provided by non-UNIMI personnel) are made accessible to registered students through a dedicated UNIMI platform. Links are provided to significant external websites. OUTCOME & PERSPECTIVES. In spite of their inherent complexity and volume, biochemistry courses score very well with the students in their mandatory anonymous survey. Apparently, our approach to biochemistry courses make the students "visualize" the practical implications of concepts learned in other courses within the same curriculum (including general, organic, and - in some cases - physical chemistry) or in previous studies (many of our Human Nutrition MS students have a medical BS). The students' appreciation is circumstantially confirmed by the sizeable attendance to elective and specialized biochemical-themed courses.