Sustainable Food Management

• Agricultural policy structures at national and international levels
• Agricultural policy and its impact on various aspects of food production, food processing and food distribution

• Applicable European and national regulations and guidelines for food
• Codex Alimentarius Austriacus
• Food labeling regulation

• Product knowledge of plant-based foods
• Specific quality characteristics of selected foods (e.g.: sugar content)
• Nutritional physiological basics

• Introduction to the organizational forms of plant organisms
• Functional plant anatomy and plant cell biology
• Plant physiology (photosynthesis and Calvin cycle, Shikimat pathway)
• Crop science
• Soil science
• Plant protection
• Conventional and organic forms of farming (extensive and intensive) of agricultural crop production and their advantages and disadvantages in the context of sustainability

• Fundamentals of organic chemistry
• Carbohydrates, fats and proteins
• Water and fat soluble vitamins
• Trace elements
• Introduction to food toxicology
• Additives
• Water/ice in food
• Aromas and flavors
• Beverages
• Luxury foods
• Cereal and baked goods chemistry
• Meat and sausage chemistry
• Milk and cheese chemistry
• Fruit and vegetable chemistry

• Laboratory exercises on fats/carbohydrates/proteins
• Chromatographic separation of food-relevant substances
• Extraction and titration procedures

• Basic metabolic pathways in the cell (e.g.: glycolysis, citrate cycle, nucleic acid synthesis)
• Enzyme action, mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis, enzyme kinetics, activity determination
• Cellular biochemistry (e.g. transport through membranes)
• Development and importance of microbiology
• Structure and function of prokaryotes
• Growth and nutrition of microorganisms
• Basic processes of microbial metabolism
• Phylogeny and systematics of bacteria
• Molds, viruses
• Basics of hygiene

• Basic techniques of the microbiological laboratory (cultivation of microorganisms, microscopy, isolation of microorganisms from various samples, measuring of airborne germs, measuring of germs on a surface, interpretation of data, etc.)
• Different metabolic cycles of microorganisms
• Importance of microorganisms (and their metabolic cycles) in food production and food safety

· Basics of presentation techniques
· Job application preparation and practice with job interviews

· Read and analyze relevant scientific texts in English
· Lead discussions on relevant topics relating to the food system and write texts

Teaching content is based on the applicable guidelines.

integrated course, 3 semester hour lecture, 1 semester hour practical exercises

• Providing a basic understanding of the goals and tasks of external and internal accounting
• Basic knowledge of bookkeeping, accounting, cost accounting and financing
• Operational performance indicators

• Fundamentals of analytical chemistry
• Protein analysis
• Fat analysis
• Carbohydrate analysis
• Titration
• Thin layer chromatography (TLC)
• UV-VIS spectroscopy
• Determination of general parameters (moisture, water, density, dry matter…)

• Selected qualitative and quantitative analyses
• Various analytical methods (e.g. basics of UV-VIS spectroscopy, manual and semi-automated titrations, determination of water activity values, dry mass determination)

• Operational and personnel hygiene: practical implementation
• Structural requirements
• Cleaning and desinfection
• Pest control
• HACCP according to Codex Alimentarius - methods and tools
• Hazard analysis and assessment

• Basics of management systems, system and process orientation
• Creation, development of quality assurance and
quality management, connections and effects
• Development of associated standards and regulations
• Most important goals and tasks of quality management
• Principles of quality management and quality assurance according to currently applicable standards • Quality planning and test planning
• Quality assurance tools, audits
• Overview of preventive methods and their use
• Documentation

• Design and selection of process engineering plants
• Plant planning: specification sheet, scope statement, documentation
• Plant engineering: planning, design and implementation
• Project-related questions

• Process engineering and mathematical description of the basic operations: Separating, mixing, crushing, agglomerating.
• In particular, for example: sedimentation, homogenization, cutting, grinding, classification, filtering, sieving, sifting, centrifugation
• Scale-up of systems and processes
• Thermodynamics in process engineering (heat exchangers, distillation, extraction, adsorption, cycle processes)

• Separating, mixing, crushing, agglomeration
• In particular: sedimentation, homogenization, cutting, grinding, classification, filtering, sieving, sifting, centrifugation
• Scaling-up
• Transport processes (one-dimensional, stationary heat conduction, convective heat transfer, heat transfer, design of heat exchangers, introduction to mass transfer)

• Introduction to alternative food systems, viewed globally and regionally
• Regionality in the food sector
• Short food chains (food coops, solidarity agriculture, farmers markets,…)
• Regional food procurement routes
• Alternative food systems in practice

• Current legal and social requirements (EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork Initiative, Circular Economy Action Plan, ...)
• Basics and regulations for sustainability and ESG (Environment, Social, Government) management (ISO 26000, Global Compact, EMAS, ISO 14001, ...)
• Greenhouse gas balance (Science Based Targets Initiative, Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3 emissions, ...)
• The most important steps for the sustainability report (procedure according to GRI Guidelines or CSRD Directive), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ERSR)
• Good practice examples

• International Food Standard, BRC, ISO 22000
• Measurement, analysis, improvement - integration into the existing management system.

• Introduction to the supply chain management system (SCM) and basic structures of food logistics
• Aspects of sustainability and optimization options in SCM and food logistics

• Special food processing methods
• Process technology fundamentals of food processing (e.g. milk processing technology, meat processing technology)
• Special technologies and special features of beverage production

• Exercises on project-related questions
• Special food processing methods
• Milk processing technology, butcher processing technology
• Special technologies and peculiarities of beverage production

• Preservation technologies
• Packaging technologies
• Practical application of preservation and packaging methods

The content is based on the applicable guidelines.

• Basic principles of project management
• Project management instruments
• Project organization and controlling
• Project management roles

• Conventional energy systems for food production
• Decarbonization concepts for food production
• Renewable energies (solar energy, heat pump, biomass, biogas, geothermal energy, wind and hydropower)
• Flow diagrams, energy and mass balances
• Process management and evaluation
• Identification of optimization measures

• Modern automation technologies in the food sector
• Current developments and applications of digitalization in the agri-food sector
• Practical application of modern digitalization and automation
• Programming simple automation solutions in practice

• Goals, tasks and functions of the PPS
• Structure and function of ERP systems
• Practical exercises with a modern ERP system

The course content is based on the applicable guidelines.

· Imparting basic knowledge of marketing related to food management
· Basic principles of market research, consumer behavior, segmentation, 4 P's
· external and internal analysis tools
· Development of the value of the topic “brand”
· Use of different tools to describe brand identities
· Different strategic approaches and accompanying assignments

• Introduction to the circular economy
• Material flow management and process optimization
• Residual materials, waste utilization and recycling in food production
• Circular production systems in food production
• Good practice examples from the food sector

• Life Cycle Thinking
• Overview of common methods and standards for the sustainability assessment of products and services (ISO 14031, ISO 14040/44, ISO 14046, ISO 14047...)
• Sustainability assessment of products and services, with a focus on ecological aspects, practical applications and areas of application

• Deepening of sensory methods
• Experimental design of sensory tests
• Statistically correct evaluation of sensory tests
• Evaluating the sensory qualities of different product groups

• Current research topics in agriculture
• Analysis of agricultural enterprises
• Development of possible sustainable operating concepts

• Chromatographic analysis methods (HPLC and GC)
• Electrophoretic methods
• Selected titrations and UV-VIS methods
• Laboratory exercises: Advanced analytical methods (e.g. microwave-assisted sample preparation, GC/HPLC, other UV-VIS methods, Nernst distribution theorem)

· Finding and specifying topics
· Research planning, documentation and evaluation
· Scientific research
· Practical implementation
· Writing a thesis

See accompanying seminar

· Deepening of the teaching content from the first semester
· Supportive exercises for literature search and selection
· Supportive exercises for selecting methods and evaluating data
· Supportive exercises for designing scientific texts
· Peer review of text modules from the bachelor's thesis
· Assistance with organizational issues relating to the bachelor's thesis and bachelor's examination

• Innovation management in the company
• Creative methods and idea generation
• Corporate strategy and innovation policy
• Markets and target groups
• Innovation funding

• Theoretical models in product development
• Product development as a business task
• Special requirements for food product development
• Sustainability aspects in product development
• From the specifications to the finished product

• Practice: From specifications to product prototypes
• Process engineering implementation of a product prototype in the laboratory
• Integrated application of the skills acquired during the course
• Applying good manufacturing practices to product development in the laboratory

Lecture series with selected current topics along the food chain on:
• Trends in the agri-food sector
• Topics in food systems science
• Current and modern technologies in the food sector
• Alternative raw and auxiliary materials and circular economy
• New forms of organization
• Excursions and visits to trade fairs

• Linking the contents of the course Sustainability management and reporting (3rd semester) with the learning experiences from Internship 2 and 3
• ESG opportunity and risk assessment
• Strategy and organization (roles in the company, context analysis and strategy development, stakeholder integration)
• From strategy to reporting and ESG action planning

Instead of one of the predefined modules, students can freely choose an equivalent of 3 ECTS from one of the following offers:
· An additional module offering from the degree program itself.
· A module from other degree programs or universities that corresponds to the objectives of the degree program.

· Physiology of nutrition
· Pathophysiology of nutrition
· Community catering and health in nutrition
· Dietary diets
· Exemplary forms of nutrition (e.g.: perinatal nutrition, toddler, old age, sport)

• Atomic structure and periodic table of elements • Types of bonds • Chemical equations incl. consideration of energy aspects • Redox reactions • Proton transfer reactions • Physical chemistry (gas laws, thermodynamics) • Measuring pH-value • Titrations • Laboratory exercises

application of mathematical methods (high school, secondary technical school or higher); basics of calculus, logics, set theory, equations, trigonometry, logarithms, exponential functions, differential and integral calculus

Dimensions and units, measurements; introduction to mechanics (force, movement, energy, work, power, thermal energy, solubility, diffusion), electricity and magnetism, oscillation and optics, material science

The core of the course are accompanied visits to approximately 10 companies in the food industry. The excursions aim to facilitate a - perhaps first - look at the different areas of food manufacturing, processing and sales.

Three pillars of sustainability: ecology, econoics and social aspects; Methods of sustainability ratings; integrated concepts and international developments

• vocabulary-building exercises on topics relevant to LEB • Improvement of speaking, writing, and reading in English • English for Professional Purposes I

• Fundamentals of communication and interaction • Communicative competence • Basic speech- and presentation techniques • Introduction to working with study- and developmental goals • Reflections upon the choice of academic studies

• Project definition • Project team • Project plan • Visualisation • Project crisis

• Formal structure of scientific works • Literature research - Search in and access to libraries and library catalogues - Online research • Choice of literature • Citing sources • Citation rules

Based on a specificed food, students will investigate the production, processing, sales and use of the food for a project. The project report must conform to the required form and content standards of an original scientific paper.

The lecture will cover the fundamentals of a balanced, healthy diet. The essential nutrient groups - proteins, fats and carbohydrates - will be discussed, as well as the most important foods which contain respective micronutrients and their role in nutrition. At the same time the lecture will address the correct and sustainable handling of natural resources of the studied nutrient groups, as well as critical aspects of nutritional physiology, of food production and processing.

• What is sensory food science? Sensory food science stands in contrast to subjective tastings and organoleptic perception. • Sensory physiology and the effects of color and form on consumer behavior; • Why we eat what we eat: genetic predispositions and acquired eating patterns, changes of preferences over the course of a liftime (preferences for and aversions to certain foods) • Man as measuring instrument: Fields of application of sensory food science: quality control (incl. determining shelf life), product development, market research, food design, nutrition science • Analytic and affective sensory science with practical exercises (acceptance and preference tests, triangulation, duo-trio test, QDA, statistical evaluation, spiderwebs, interpretation); • Planning and executing a consumer tasting including an evaluation • Descriptor training

This course aims to provide the students with grounding in the goals and tasks of external and internal financial accounting. Students should deepen their understanding of bookkeeping, balance sheets, cost accounting and financial accounting, as well as economic correlations by discussing practical examples of decision parameters and their importance for companies.

Work experience in a commercial department where students can apply theoretical knowledge.

• Aminoacids and analysis of aminoacids using HPLC • Peptide bonds, protein structure • Functions of proteins • Enzymatic cleaning, chromatography • Transport through membranes

• Development and significance of microbiology • Structure and functions of procaryonts • Growth and feeding of microorganisms • Fundamental processes of microbial metabolism • Phylogeny and systematics of bacteria • Molds • Viruses

• Qualitative and quantitative analysis of main-, minor- and trace components of foods • Methods of inorganic and organic routine analysis • Preparing samples • Selection criteria

• Carbohydrates (structure, sources, reactions, changes during storage, production, processing, sweeteners) • Fats (structure, sources, processing, crystalisation, oxidation of fats) • Proteins (protein rich food) • Vitamins (water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins) • Micronutrients (sources) • Introduction to toxicology (cancerogenous substances, herbal toxins, toxic elements) • Additives • Water/ice in food • Flavors and sapidity agents

• Corn and grain crops • Leaf crops • Permanent grassland • Energy and non-food crops

Work experience in a commercial department where students can apply theoretical knowledge.

• Botany • Soil Science • Introduction to Fertilization • Introduction to Plant Protection

• Group processes and team training • Visualisation, presentation, planning-reports • Evaluating presentations, decision training, info market • Current state analysis and analysis techniques (interview, questionnaire, continuous observation, multi-moment recordings

• continuation of the improvement of speaking, writing, and reading in English • discussions and debates of current topics on topics related to LEB • examination of case studies relevant to LEB • English für Professional Purposes II

Depends on the agrarian business

Introduction to food laws relevant for issues touched in the 1st semester project: - Introduction to food safety and the food chain - Labeling regulation - Public and private quality labels - Packaging requirements

• Didactical supervision • Comparing students' practical experiences • Collecting results

• Descriptive statistics: scales of measurement, empirical distribution, graphic depictions of data, distribution function, ogive, measures of location scales, dispersion measures, skewness and kurtosis, classification of data, concentration, use of statistical software, normal distribution, statistical connections • Probability theory: Random variables, discrete and common probability distribution, expected value and variance, distribution analysis, test distribution, covariance, multidimensional scattering • Inferential statistics: Estimation of parameters, Chebychev (Tschebyscheff) theorem, confidence interval incl. its significance in metrology, testing hypotheses incl. key test procedures in sensory science and quality management , Gaussian principle of propagation of uncertainty, basic analysis of variance

Applying theoretical knowledge in the context of an activity that was agreed upon with the mentor.

• Company and personal hygiene: practical application • Constructional requirements • Cleaning and desinfection • Pest control • HACCP according to Codex Alimentarius - Methods and tools • Risk analysis and -evaluation

• Fundamentals of management systems, system and process orientation • Emergence and development of quality assurance and quality management, connections and implications • Development of corresponding norms and policies • Main goals and tasks of quality management • Principles of quality management and quality assurance according to ISO 9000-series, ISO 22000, IFS, BRC and interpretation • PDCA-circle, tools of quality assurance, audit • Overview of preventive methods and their application • Quality planning, inspection planning • Systematic problem solving, K- & V-measures, CIP • Documentation

• Applied keeping of cattle and pigs • Applied keeping of sheep and goats • Applied science of heredity and breeding • special animal feeding

Work experience in a commercial department where students can apply theoretical knowledge.

• Fundamentals of anatomy • Fundamentals of physiology • Fundamentals of heredity • Fundamentals of breeding • Fundamentals of animal feeding

In the practical phase students should acquire grounding in food processing and food trade. They present their findings in the course Reflexion on Practice Module 2.

Commodity groups will be indtroduced under expert supervision. Students must choose a product and describe the most important production stages from cultivation to sale. Sensory science of the chosen products is also an integral part of the seminar.

Students reflect on their practical experience phase and hold a presentation in the scope of their work. In addition to a theory vs. practice comparison there will also be a presentation of best-practice examples.

Practical application of a basic procedural operation in consultation with the course leader

Mathematical and process engineering related description of fundamental operations: sedimentation; homogenization, cutting, classification, filtering, sieving, centrifugating, mixing, scale-up Essentials of modeling

Fundamentals of thermodynamics (temperature, dilation, laws of thermodynamics, thermal machines, circular processes) Fundamentals of conduction processes (one-dimensional, stationary heat conduction, convective heat conduction, heat transfer, installing heat exchangers, introduction to material transmission

Students must produce a project within the scope of their practical work. It must include essential components of a food safety concept.

• IFS, BRC, ISO 22000 • Measurement, analysis, improvement - integration into the existing management system

• Historical development of materials science and logistics • Terminology and subject matter of logistics • Competitive factor of logistics • Trends in logistics • Goals and procedures of material flow analysis • Methods of material flow analysis • Planning of material flow • Performance assurance in logistics • Block layout variants for construction of new plants • Inventory codes in production • Optimal batch sizes for acquisition and production Method: Lecture, practical exercises

Commodity groups will be indtroduced under expert supervision. Students must choose a product and describe the most important production stages from cultivation to sale. Sensory science of the chosen products is also an integral part of the seminar.

In the practical phase students should learn the fundamentals of food processing and food trade. They present their findings in the course Reflexion on Practice Module 3.

Students reflect on their practical experience phase and hold a presentation in the scope of their work. In addition to a theory vs. practice comparison there will also be a presentation of best-practice examples.

Students choose, study and present a specific processing step.

• Special Procedures in Food Production • Basics of Food Processing Engineering • Technologies of Milk Processing • Technologies in Meat Processing • Particular Procedures and Technological Features of Beverage Production

This course is regarded as an introduction to economics focusing on the agricultural commodity market. It will cover fundamentals of economic systems, shortage and efficiency, as well as micro- and macroeconomics. It will be rounded of with references to current economic policies. Introduction into concepts and practical examples for sales and marketing of agricultural products.

Theoretical concepts of Sales and Key Account Management will be applied in the practical part.

Application of financial planning and investment knowledge to agricultural enterprises (farms). Financing and public subsidy schemes in agriculture. Enterprise and human resources management in agriculture.

• Technical fundamentals: study of norms, introduction to the science of strength of materials + exercises • Introduction to materials science • Introduction to machine elements • Introduction to motor technology (work processes, carburation, combustion engines) • Motor characteristics

• Introduction • Characteristics of a sustainable agricultural system • System planning and plant design for food production (vegetable and animal wise) • Recent technological and organizational developments • Excursions to particular companies

Theoretical concepts of Industrial Economics and Sales and Key Account Management will be applied in the practical part.

• Definition and delimitation of Industrial Economics, Business Administration, Economics • Corporate types and legal forms • Cost and Income Statement Recommended Reading: Slide handouts and lecture notes of the lecturer

Special requirements of the food industry sector will be transferred to the sales process. This will facilitate an understanding of the fundamentals of features of industrial purchasing processes. Furthermore, demand analyses and segmentation techniques will be looked at, as well as the Key Account concept and Account Planning.

The application of modern technologies used in food processing are trained in practice.

• Fundamentals of the electrical measurement of food relevant variables • Sensing elements and sensor engineering: metrological principles, metrological circuits and hardware basics • Fundamentals of automation in food processing (actuators) • Fundamentials of control and regulation techniques • Instrument engineering and evaluation of control and regulation technologies

Course leaders supervise students working on their bachelor theses.

Course leaders supervise students working on their bachelor theses.

Practical course with elements of personal coaching to clarify option of transition into the job market (agriculture, food processing, trade or other services) or to graduate degree programmes. Students will be supported to use the following last part of the studies for first decisions.

The subject of this course will be the importance of the "brand", its vision and mission statement. Different tools for the description of brand identity and positioning will be introduced. Based on this we will cover the most important criteria for a cross-media campaign.

Work in a marketing department, comparing theory to daily work routine.

In the first part we will cover fundamentals of marketing according to Kottler and draw the connection to food marketing. After students learn the fundamentals of market research, consumer behavior, segmentation and the 4 Ps, the second part of the course will cover different external and internal analytical instruments. Different strategic approaches and supervised assignments will complete the course.

Students study an aspect of sustainability criteria and present it in the scope of a discussion round.

• International food standards • Food additives • Food approval • Food safety

• Emissions and waste in food production • Handling of renewable and non-renewable ressources • Strategies and options for the avoidance and use of residual- and by-products • Strategies and options for the reduction of energy and water use in food production • Sustainability standards: life cycle assesment, material flow analyses, product carbon footprint, cost optimization and others

Students should complete a practical task and present their findings.

• Design and selection of procedural plants • Plant design: functional specification document, documentation, execution, project design • Plant construction: Plant components, apparatuses, plant parts, media, equipment, safety and environmental technology • Dimensioning of conveyer and material transport apparatuses in process engineering

• Introduction and overview • Goals, tasks and functions of PPS • Setup of ERP- and PPS-systems • Operating characteristics procedures • Disposition, demand calculation, sequencing • JIT and KANBAN • Simulation of production processes • Conception of a PPS-project • Implementation of a PPS-system • Optimization of an organization process with a graphic process-modeling system

Students follow a food along the entire supply chain observing supply chain management criteria.

• General fundamentals of packaging practice • Hygienic design of packages and packaging processes • Packaging processes ( Vacuum-, modified and aseptic packaging, autoclaving of foods) • Degermination models and validation procedures, relevance of D- and z-scores • Packaging machines for foods and their hygiene categorization; maintenance of sterility, commercial sterility

• Historical development of SCM • Terminology and subject matter of SCM • Competitive factor of SCM • Trends in SCM • Goals and procedures SCM • Methods of analysis SCM • Inventory indices in SCM • Batch sizes from the perspective of SCM • Goals, tasks and functions of PPS • Design of ERP- and PPS-Systems • Disposition, demand calculation • JIT and KANBAN Method: Lecture, practical exercises

• Basic Physics and Biology of Energy Issues • Energy as a central element of the food chain • Principals of Cleaner Production • Agricultural Production of Energy Sources and Materials • Selected Excursions

Instead of one of the predefined modules students are able to select an equivalent of 5 ECTS from one of the following sources: - Additional module offered by the degree programme itself. - A course module from any other degree programme or another university fitting to the overall goals of the programme. - The completion of at least four semesters (minimum of 8 semester hours) of accredited courses in a second foreign language with relevance to global food issues.

This class will provide students with an overview of the world's food system and its impacts from the individual to the global scale. Further the class deals with complex implications of choices that are made along the food supply chain. Students should critically think about how the global food system may need to change in order to adapt to future economic and environmental conditions. https://www.coursera.org/course/globalfoodsystems

• Fundamentals of dietetics: food intolerance, allergies, celiac disease...) • Diets of specific groups (pregnant women, children, the elderly) • Special diets (vegetarians, vegans…) • Performance-enhancing substances • Non-staple and luxury foods in nutrition • Nutrition physiology • Ecological aspects: Nutrition and environment protection (organic farming, use of resources, food production and -transport...) • Socio-ethical aspects of a sustainable diet: Fair Trade, world food supply: safeguarding the food supply with regard to a growing global population (plant vs. animal food, distribution of resources, refinement losses, responsibility and possibilities of industrialized countries...) • Economic aspects: food prices, discarding of intact food...

Finding and defining a topic, planning a project, documenting and evaluating the project, scientific research, practical application, report and presentation.

Group feedback about individual stages of the bachelor thesis, preparing a presentation of scientific work; focus on select technical and organisational topics.

A lecture series with current topics in the field of organization and technologies in food processing including different lecturers from the academic as well as industrial environment. Introduce topics which might be relevant for a pursuing master program: - Cooling and Freezing Technologies - Food Biotechnology - Fundamentals of food rheology - Modern analytical Methods for appointing a proof of origin as well as proof of ingredients - Recent technologies in the field of food processing - Alternative raw and auxilliary materials in food processing - New forms of organization in order to support cooperations between producers and consumers - Developments in environmental and nutritional topics

• Target groups for new foods • Getting to know new innovation methods • Practical procedures of developmental tasks in the food industry

• Fundamental legal regulations, • Approval procedures for Novel Food, • Current state of nutrition in Austria and Europe, • Health-enhancing properties • Differentiation between functional foods and medicinal products

• Practical procedures in development operations in the food industry • Selection criteria and food modification options • Application to process engineering

Analysis of particular food samples by using modern sample digestion and analyzing methods: LC, GC, MS

Lecture series to provide students with additional knowledge and competences needed for the certification exam for farming: • Special topics in crop farming and livestock keeping • Farm management • Special topics in agricultural and forest technology • Practical training in agricultural and forest technology

Instead of one of the predefined modules students are able to select an equivalent of 5 ECTS from one of the following sources: - Additional module offered by the degree programme itself. - A course module from any other degree programme or another university fitting to the overall goals of the programme. - The completion of at least four semesters (minimum of 8 semester hours) of accredited courses in a second foreign language with relevance to global food issues.

Introduction to energetic optimization and preventive environmental protection in food plant processing.