Principles of Food Preservation (FOOD1001)

Course overview

Food preservation methods & techniques used in commercial food processing.

The usual storage life of most unprocessed plant- and animal-based foods is very short. These foods are perishable and spoil easily leading to a lot of food wastage. Also, some foods such as fruits and vegetables are seasonal. Food production and supply does not always tally with consumer demand. In some places there is surplus production of a particular food product, whereas in other places there is an inadequate supply. Food preservation improves the shelf life of most foods, decreases wastage of food by preventing decay or spoilage, makes seasonal foods available throughout the year, minimizes the scarcity of food around the world and hence, contributes to stabilizing food prices. The basic principle of food preservation is to either inactivate or inhibit microbial growth and then prevent recontamination. We all use food preservation in our day-to-day life. This course assists in developing an advanced knowledge and understanding of various methods of food preservation such as heating, cooling, freezing and drying of foods.

This course comprises of 2-hour lectures and 3-hour laboratory practicals. The lectures are divided into modules that cover fundamentals of thermal processing; cold preservation/non-thermal processes; concentration and dehydration; food packaging; fermentation; chemical and natural preservatives and Hurdle Technology. The laboratory practicals provide hands-on experience in applying some of these methods to preserve foods.

Students are required to attend all practical classes and activities on campus.ﾠ

At the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge-sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold students and staff accountable for actively contributing to establishing a respectful and supportive learning environment. 

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and againstﾠUQ Policy,ﾠand will not be tolerated. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us. 

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students undertaking this course will be assumed to have some knowledge on chemistry, microbiology, physics and basic mathematics.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

FOOD2006, FOOD7011 (Co-taught)

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Details on the timetable are available on Blackboard.ﾠ

If you have any concerns regarding your official timetable or course allocations, or there are no suitable class times available, contact Faculty of Science Timetable science.mytimetable@uq.edu.au for advice.  

If you have any questions about missing class activities, please contact your course coordinator.  

Aims and outcomes

To develop aﾠknowledge and understanding of various methods of food preservation such as heating, cooling, freezing,ﾠdrying andﾠfermentation of foods.ﾠ To develop an understanding of how chemical and natural preservatives work to extend the shelf-life of food. To develop an understanding of how packaging and Hurdle Technology can be used to achieve the goals of food preservation.ﾠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Practical Lab Workbook

• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Notebook/ Logbook

Weight

25%

Due date

Formative practical lab workbook (Weighted 0%, Pass/ Fail ) 27/03/2026 2:00 pm

Final practical lab workbook (Weighted 25%) 1/05/2026 2:00 pm

Refer to additional course grading information for practical attendance requirements.

Learning outcomes

L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Turnitin submission details:  

You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.  

Legal Declaration:  

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and understand its implications.  

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the extension. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. 

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).  

Sequential Quiz

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

20% Each quiz counts 5% towards the 20% overall weighting.

Due date

Online Quiz 1 covers week 1-3 (weighting: 5%) 20/03/2026 2:00 pm

Online Quiz 2 covers week 4-5 (weighting: 5%) 17/04/2026 2:00 pm

Online Quiz 3 covers week 6-8 (weighting: 5%) 1/05/2026 2:00 pm

Online Quiz 4 covers week 9-12 (weighting: 5%) 29/05/2026 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

The online assessment is completed within Blackboard under the appropriate assessment title on your course Blackboard site. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit. 

You complete this submission in class.

Legal Declaration: 

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and understand its implications. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. 

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).  

End of Semester Examination

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

55%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

6/06/2026 - 20/06/2026

Other conditions

Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Course Grading Rules and Assessment Hurdles.

Students must obtain a passing mark in the End od Semester Examination to pass this course.

If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on marks from a combination of progressive assessment and the final exam and the student does NOT score a passing mark for the End of Semester Examination, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.

Laboratory practical class attendance.

Students are required to attend the practical week as well as follow-up week(s) to complete a practical. Some practicals do not have follow up weeks. If, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the practical timetable needs to be changed, students will be informed in advance. To obtain a grade for a particular practical class students must attend and complete the associated exercises. If you do not attend a practical class and its follow up activities, or do not provide evidence of your attendance (i.e. signing attendance sheet), your report for that particular practical will not be marked/graded.

Students who cannot attend a practical due to medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL) should fill 'Absence from Practical' form that can be found in the course Ultra. Acceptable evidence for practical non-attendance is similar to the evidence required for a deferred examination. The Practical sessions are timetabled activities, and if students miss a practical and request exemption/access to online material as relevant, they must provide documentation that shows they were unable to attend the practical on the relevant day. Documentation for ongoing conditions, such as Student Access Plans, are not acceptable evidence for missed Practical sessions.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Please note the following when writing your assignments. 

You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments. 

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism 

All reported work must be done by the individual student. Assignments that look and sound alike will be reported as plagiarism – a serious offence at UQ. Please note the university’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism which can be accessed at Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy. 

Turnitin.

Assignments that are required to be submitted through Turnitin, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site. If you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating, and you will be held liable for this action. 

Results. 

Unless specifically indicated by the lecturer involved, every attempt will be made to have the results for progressive assessment tasks available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will be available before the day of your end of semester examination in the course, unless otherwise indicated by the Course Coordinator. Results and feedback availability for progressive assessment will be announced via the course Blackboard site. 

Feedback in this course. 

Feedback is welcome in this course as any information on how students find this learning experience is constructive. 

Please use the evaluation form provided to you at the end of semester - or if you are enrolled internally, a course evaluation process will occur in the last few weeks of semester. 

Re-mark applications. 

Refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility. 

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

Lecture Material versus Practical Material.

Due to the nature of this course, it is NOT always possible for the lecturer to present material prior to those practical sessions that make use of such information.

Lectures are not the only means by which these concepts are taught and learnt.

Students are required to use library resources to prepare for practical exercises that use techniques and methods not covered in the lectures prior to the practical exercise.

Practical class requirements.

Students must provide and wear their own clean, full-length, white laboratory coats, safety glasses (including overcover safety glasses over spectacles) and enclosed foodwear during practical classes.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
• AI for Assessment Guide

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Occupational Health and Safety in the Laboratory Guideline

Course guidelines

Practical Class Requirements

Due to Occupational, Health and Safety requirements, you are reminded that clean, full-length, white laboratory coats (worn done up), safety glasses (including overcover safety glasses over spectacles) and enclosed footwear (no sandals, etc. - the course's Ultra has images of footwear that is not permitted in the laboratory) are required for all laboratory sessions. Long hair should be worn tied back. Failure to comply with these safety requirements and others indicated in the practical classes will mean that you can not enter the laboratory to take part in the practical session.

It will be the students responsibility to ensure that the laboratory is left in a clean and tidy condition.