A) TRAINING OBJECTIVES
According to the general training objectives set out in the SUA Form, this teaching course aims to provide students with fundamentals of biochemistry and, with them, the knowledge of the biological, chemical and nutritional properties of the main classes of compounds that form the basis of human nutrition.
The main objectives of this course are:
i) provide a basic understanding of the chemical-physical and biological properties of the main compounds (amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins) contained in food, or food-derived;
ii) illustrate the basic concepts of enzymatic kinetics and bioenergetics in order to explain, on a scientific basis, the way in which the metabolic reactions can take place in living organisms, at very high rate.
iii) understand the logic of the main metabolic pathways, the interconnections between them, their regulation and the relative energy balance.

B) EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS
1. Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the teaching course, students should be able to discuss/recognize:
i) the structures and chemical-physical properties of the most important food-biomolecules;
ii) the ways in which the digestive processes (of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) take place;
iii) the main products of the digestive processes, the enzymes involved and their specificity;
iv) the absorption of compounds generated at gastro-intestinal level and mechanisms of their delivery to the cells /organs deputed to their complete degradation;
v) the basics of bioenergetics and enzymology;
vi) the main degradative pathways of: mono-, di- and polysaccharides; amino acids; triacylglycerols; fatty acids; glycerol; ethanol.
vii) the general scheme of metabolic processes which are involved in the production of ATP.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding
Upon passing the exam, students must be able to: recognize the functional groups of biological molecules, even those not specifically treated in class; discuss the potential reactivity of the various functional groups; describe the behavior in water of the main classes of biomolecules; evaluate the nutritional qualities of foods, on the basis of their composition.

3. Making judgments
Judgment skills will be stimulated during the delivery of lectures, with students being asked to provide their interpretation to practical biochemical issues (eg. food intolerances, use of food supplements, etc.). If necessary, the autonomy of judgment will be stimulated also by consulting selected scientific articles. The achieved level of judgment indipendence will be evaluated at the moment of final exam, too.

4. Communication skills
The lectures will be conducted in order to stimulate students discussion, on specific topics. During these discussions, students will be invited to express with an appropriate, concise, clear and effective scientific language. The student's communication skills will be tested also during the final exam.

5. Learning skills
The course will be provided in order to promote the learning of basic biochemical concepts, at the first; then, the lectures will deal with more complex biochemical issues. The students should take advantage of this course, adopting a personal (but rigorous) method of study; this method should allow them to improve their ability and autonomy of learning, thus strengthening their ability in independent study.