Preparation of study material for the profile course Food microbiology, mycology and foodborne diseases in the newly accredited Food Hygiene study programme

In relation to the recent international accreditation of the combined first and second degree Food Hygiene study programme at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy (UVMP) in Košice, changes in the scope and curriculum of the profile course Food Microbiology, Mycology and Foodborne Diseases in the 4th year of study were approved and implemented by the University management. In addition to theoretical education, this course is also focused on performing microbiological examination of food samples and microbiological risk assessment from a food safety perspective. As there is currently no comprehensive study material available to cover the full scope of practical training in this course in the light of current scientific knowledge and legislative requirements, the main objective of this project is to revise the curriculum, update the laboratory practicals by introducing the latest detection and identification methods (including the methods of mycological examination of food samples, molecular analysis and testing antimicrobial resistance) and to prepare new study materials with implemented didactic tools. These will include the textbook Microbiological and Mycological Examination of Foodstuffs in both printed and electronic forms, accompanying online teaching material for distance learning – PowerPoint presentations, photo and video documentations demonstrating laboratory procedures of microbiological food analysis, as well as online tests that will help students to verify and self-assess the acquired level of knowledge in individual study topics. Another valuable output of this project will be the establishment and building of a bank with microbial strains isolated from food samples during practical training, which will further be available to students who decide to work out their diploma theses at the Department of Hygiene, Technology and Food Safety. All components of the new study material will be available and freely accessible on the UVMP website.