MASTER OF SCIENCE FOOD QUALITY MONITORING AND SAFETY
| Module Code | Module Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MFQ530 | Food Microbiology and Parasitology | Cell culture techniques for pathogen detection, Growth and reproduction in food as medium, Microorganisms in Food and Beverages, Food spoilage, Biofilms in food prConcept of food safety policy; policy on food safety and security; policy on food production, harvesting and post-harvest handling, and marketing of food; nutrition vs. food safety; National, regional and international trade policy initiatives in food safety; ethics, marketing and trade issues especially World Trade Organization, COMESA, EU.ocessing, Food poisoning, Microbial Principle of food preservation and processing. |
| MFQ533 | Food Safety Policy, Legislation and Fraud | Concept of food safety policy; policy on food safety and security; policy on food production, harvesting and post-harvest handling, and marketing of food; nutrition vs. food safety; National, regional and international trade policy initiatives in food safety; ethics, marketing and trade issues especially World Trade Organization, COMESA, EU. |
| MFQ534 | Food Safety and Quality Management Systems | The modules deals with Food quality Management: - quality, quality control and quality assurance. principles of quality management, statistical quality management; Food quality and safety management systems with reference, but not limited to: - good practices. |
| MFQ539 | Food Chemistry | The module deals with the composition and properties of food. It is also concerned with the chemical changes food undergoes under different environmental conditions and when subjected to different production processes. |
| MFQ536 | Food Safety and Risk Analysis | The module involves Food Hygiene: Importance of prerequisite programmes in food safety at the farm/food plant, establishment hygiene:- location, design and layout, internal structure and fittings maintenance; equipment hygiene |
| MFQ531 | Crop and Animal Production | The module covers various area including Animal Production: Conventional and non-conventional food animals, diversity of animal foods; animal health: - causes and impact on product quality; prevention and control measures:- vaccinations, treatment, housing and management; use of drugs and chemicals in control of animal diseases, hygiene, grain preservation, fodder and feed production; safe application, storage and disposal, residue effect of drugs; types of animal feeds and associated biological, chemical and physical hazards; methods of hazard prevention and control. Harvesting, handling, and storage of animal products: meat, milk, poultry, eggs, fish, honey; appropriate handling, hygiene practices, equipment, correct storage environment. Source, quality, treatment and storage of water for animals. Environmental sanitation: - control of microbes, pests and insects; safe disposal of liquid and solid wastes; personal health and hygiene, worker ethics, training in safety and hygiene practices; adoption of Total Management Practice and Good Hygiene Practice; records keeping. |
| MFQ532 | Research Methods, Applied statistics and Scientific Communication | This module provides a comprehensive foundation in research methodology, biostatistics, and scientific communication, guiding students from the conceptualization of a research problem to the dissemination of findings. The first phase covers the entire research lifecycle, including ethics, literature review, and study design, while integrating project management tools like log-frame analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. The biostatistics component builds on these designs by teaching students how to translate research questions into statistical models, utilizing software such as N-vivo for qualitative data and various packages for complex quantitative analyses like ANOVA, multivariate regression, and time-series modeling. Finally, the scientific communication segment explores the history of science and equips students with the strategies needed to present data to both scientific and non-scientific audiences, ensuring that evidence-based research can effectively influence policy and industry practices. |
| MFQ535 | Epidemiology and Food Quality Monitoring and Surveillance | The module looks at Principles and uses of epidemiology; causes, determinants, measures of occurrence, transmission and maintenance of disease; disease patterns and study design; disease/food quality monitoring, surveillance and reporting; active and passive surveillance, sources of data, intensive follow-up. Screening tests: sensitivity and specificity, predictive value, agreement. Sampling methods and sample size; epidemiological investigations: animal and plant diseases, food-borne disease outbreak investigations, food spoilage; prevention, control and eradication of diseases; epidemiological considerations in planning disease control, disease control strategies. Surveys and analytical observation studies: principles of surveys and data collection, study designs: cross-sectional, retrospective, prospective studies. |
| MFQ537 | Consumer Behaviour, Nutrition and Food safety | It focuses on Concepts and theories that attempt to explain the behaviour of individuals in society; Types/groups of consumer; The role, rights and responsibility of consumer; problems facing consumers and their solution; consumer protection, legal redress, price control and consumer organizations; Consumer behaviour, attitude change and motivation; Population at risk in context of food safety; the influence of food safety on consumers; consumer and food safety in emergencies/disasters and preparedness; food safety and seasonal dimensions:- surplus and scanty, rainy and dry; consumer interaction with environment during food production and handling; communication through advertising, packaging and labelling. |
| MFQ570 | Dissertation | It allows students to do a research on an approved topic in line with the strategic plan of the University of Zimbabwe (2019-2025). The research work may commence at any time after the final coursework examination. Research projects may be community, clinical, laboratory based at any institution approved by the department. The student shall present their findings to their cohort and members of the department. At the end of the second year the student is expected to develop and submit an original research manuscript to an accredited peer review journal before graduation. The Dissertation shall be at least 12,000 words and at most 20,000 words in length. In the case of a Dissertation with predominantly calculated solutions, pages that are less than 10,000 words may be allowed. |