# BSEN20060

**Source**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=MODULE&MODULE=BSEN20060&TERMCODE=202500&ACYR=2026
**Parent**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=ETS2&AUDIENCE=

Academic Year 2025/2026

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#### Food Physics (BSEN20060)

Subject:
:   Biosystems Engineering

College:
:   Engineering & Architecture

School:
:   Biosystems & Food Engineering

Level:
:   2 (Intermediate)

Credits:
:   5

Module Coordinator:
:   Professor Enda Cummins

Trimester:
:   Autumn

Mode of Delivery:
:   On Campus

Internship Module:
:   No

How will I be graded?
:   Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is designed to provide an understanding of the physical properties of foods and how they influence the design and operation of major food processing operations and also how they influence consumer perception and preferences for foods. The module focuses on fundamental and empirical rheological measurement techniques and the corresponding application of measurement results in material characterisation. The module covers physical, rheological and thermal properties of foods including the principles and design of measurement techniques.

## About this Module

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### What will I learn?

###### Learning Outcomes:

- Explain the basic sciences governing selected Physical Properties of Foods.\
- Describe their importance to both the consumer and the food manufacturer.\
- Perform simple calculations involving physical properties.\
- Determine and investigate the numerical values of food physical properties by:-(a) Laboratory measurement; (b) Literature search; (c) Calculation where appropriate.

###### Indicative Module Content:

Indicative Topics covered include: \
- Colour measurement, \
- thermal properties of food (specific heat; thermal conductivity; thermal diffusivity); \
- Electrical properties of foods (microwave and dielectric properties -radio frequency heating); \
- Liquid properties of foods (food rheology); \
- Solid properties of foods (texture of solid foods);\
- Water in foods (psychrometrics and food storage; Water activity; Influence on drying of foods).

### How will I learn?

###### Student Effort Hours:

| Student Effort Type | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| Specified Learning Activities | 18 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 50 |
| Lectures | 22 |
| Tutorial | 8 |
| Practical | 16 |
|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 114 |

\

###### Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

Online Lectures and practicals

### Am I eligible to take this module?

###### Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

\

###### Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
\
 \

### How will I be assessed?

###### Assessment Strategy

| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exam (In-person): End of term exam | End of trimester  Duration:  2 hr(s) | Graded | Yes | 60 | Yes |
| Individual Project: Practical assignment and final Practical Examination | Week 4, Week 5, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 11 | Graded | No | 30 | No |
| Quizzes/Short Exercises: Multiple Choice Quiz | Week 7 | Graded | No | 10 | No |

\

###### Carry forward of passed components

No

\

### What happens if I fail?

| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
| --- | --- |
| Spring | Yes - 2 Hour |

*Please see [Student Jargon Buster](https://www.ucd.ie/students/services/ucdstudentjargonbuster/) for more information about remediation types and timing.* \

### Assessment feedback

###### Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment\

###### How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

### Reading List

Food Physics \
Physical properties - Measurement and Applications\
\
Authors: Ludger O. Figura and Arthur A. Teixeira\
\
ISBN 10: 3540341919 ISBN 13: 9783540341918\
Publisher: Springer, 2007

### Associated Staff

| Name | Role |
| --- | --- |
| Dr Dimitrios Argyropoulos | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Professor James Lyng | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Assoc Professor Paddy Grace | Tutor |

### When is this module offered?

**Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.**

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Autumn | Practical | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 | Mon 15:00 - 17:50 |
| Autumn | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks | Thurs 11:00 - 11:50 |
| Autumn | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks | Tues 12:00 - 12:50 |
| Autumn | Exam | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 11 | Tues 18:00 - 19:50 |

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