Master in Food hygiene control

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Food Hygiene

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Description

Students who obtain this degree will be able to detect, examine and determine the suitability and safety of these foods in all respects physical, chemical, microbial, and verification of compliance with Libyan and international standards.  The department also teaches the meaning of food contamination and its effect on public health, knowing the methods of control and ways to prevent the arrival of these pollutants to foods of animal origin and ways to avoid them.

The study program for postgraduate students to obtain a Master’s degree consists of:

1. Foundation or Preliminary Stage (Courses)

By studying compulsory and elective courses of 24 credits over 3 semesters.

2. Scientific Research Stage (Dissertation)

After the student succeeds in the preliminary stage (24 credits), he/she enters the stage of specialized scientific research with 6 credits, and the legal period required to obtain a master's degree ranges from 18 to 36 months.

Objectives

The postgraduate study program (masters) in Food Hygiene and control of foods of animal origin aims to:

1. Preparing veterinarians with knowledge in the field of Food Hygiene and Control of foods of animal origin and their products capable of detecting, examining, analyzing and issuing health certificates for those foods on the extent of their suitability for human consumption or not.

2. Determining the suitability and safety of foods of animal origin from the phenotypic, chemical and microbial aspects, and verifying their conformity with the applicable international and local standards.

3. Enable learners to acquire scientific expertise and obtain a specialized scientific degree that qualifies them for various jobs, whether in the relevant ministries or companies specialized in the fields of public health or in research centers and universities.

4. Establishing and consolidating the meaning of food pollution and the extent of its impact on public health, knowing the methods of controlling and preventing such pollutants from reaching food of animal origin, and how to deal in the event that they reach food.

5. Qualifying learners with high skills in the field of food hygiene and control and food safety of animal origin according to international standards.

6. Providing learners with the ability to design and conduct scientific experiments in the field of food hygiene and control and food safety of animal origin.

7. Contributing to support educational and research plans at the faculty and university levels in line with the policy of development in the field of postgraduate studies and scientific research.

8. Strengthening the link between the veterinarian and the community, starting from farms (at the level of individuals) to organizations and institutions (veterinary quarries, slaughterhouses, ports, airports, hospitals, university cities, dairy farms, dairy industries, meat and meat products, etc.).

Outcomes

After completing the study of the various courses, the student will be able to:

1. Understanding the scientific basis for the requirements of modern slaughterhouse design, methods of slaughter and health inspection of meat.

2. Knowing the different meat to avoid fraud and deception.

3. Knowing the different technological methods for the manufacture and preservation of milk and its products and its scientific basics with understanding the hygienic conditions of dairy industries.

4. Understanding the methods of analyzing and evaluating milk and its products, and knowing the scientific methods for detecting adulteration of milk.

5. Obtaining the various samples (animal products) needed for laboratory examination, as well as being able to analyze the obtained results.

6. Judging on bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases to protect the consumer from zoonotic and occupational diseases.

7. Active participation in solving field problems in food safety.

Certificate Rewarded

The Department of Food Hygiene and Control grants a Master’s degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences (MVSc.) in the field of Food Hygiene and Control over foods of animal origin (Meat and Milk Hygiene and Control). 

Entry Reuirements

The admission requirements contained in the internal regulations governing the affairs of postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, issued by a decision of the University Council No. (9) 2020 on December 29, 2020, apply, and what does not conflict with the General Regulation No. (501) in accordance with clause of (117) in 2010. 

Study Plan

The Master in Food hygiene control prepares students to qualify for Master in Food hygiene control. The student studies several subjects which have been carefully chosen in this major to cover its different aspects.

It comprises 3 Semesters of study, in which the student will study a total of 24 units, which include 4 units of general subjects, and 15 major units, 5 of elective units. In addition to a final project in the student's major.

Study plan for this program is shown below:

1st Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
MVFH 802 Food Microbiology 03 Compulsory +

This course is designed to give postgraduate students an idea of the role of microorganisms in the manufacture and preservation of food, and the relationship of such microbes to food spoilage of animal origin (dairy and its products as well as meat and its products, fish and its products, animal waste, eggs and its products) including the relationship of microbes to diseases transmitted through these foods and its sources of contamination , food poisoning as well, where the student "after passing the course" becomes able to evaluate food of animal origin and determine its validity on the basis of the quantitative and qualitative content of bacteria and fungi present. In addition, an area in the course was also allocated for ways to prevent damages and protect consumers from expected harms.

MVFH 811 Meat Hygiene and Control (I) 03 Compulsory +

The courses teach the economic and nutritional value of meat and its products - slaughterhouses and their importance - the carcass (main cuts and chemical composition) - the structure and function of meat muscles - changes in meat muscles after slaughter - factors affecting the palatability of meat - identification of meat types - slaughter and processing of poultry and rabbits - meat and fish products processed meat (cured meat - sausage products - smoked meat - dried meat - canned meat - canned, smoked and dried fish) - by-products of meat, poultry and fish hygiene.

MVFH 801 (Milk Hygiene and Control (I 03 Compulsory +

The curriculum presents the physical and chemical characteristics of milk and its products, heat treatments of milk, factors affecting the quantity and quality of milk, sources of contamination of milk and its products, diseases transmitted through milk and its products, how to prevent pathogens, food poisoning, starters, indicator organisms, detergents and disinfectants of food factories. Mastitis, antibiotics residues and pesticides in milk and milk products, detection methods, HACCP system and application methods in dairy factories, dairy products manufacturing, and how to protect consumers from adulteration and matching with Libyan standard specifications.

2nd Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
MVFH 813 Meat Hygiene and Control (II) 03 Compulsory +

The courses teach the economic and nutritional value of meat and its products - slaughterhouses and their importance - the carcass (main cuts and chemical composition) - the structure and function of meat muscles - changes in meat muscles after slaughter - factors affecting the palatability of meat - identification of meat types - slaughter and processing of poultry and rabbits - meat and fish products processed meat (cured meat - sausage products - smoked meat - dried meat - canned meat - canned, smoked and dried fish) - by-products of meat, poultry and fish hygiene.

MVFH 806 (HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points 03 Compulsory +

Definition of HACCP - Reasons for using HACCP - Advantages of HACCP - The Seven Rules of HACCP, which include: Rule One: Perform a Hazard Analysis Rule Two: Determine critical control points Rule Three: Set Critical limits Fourth rule: Develop Procedures to Monitor Fifth rule: Introducing corrective actions Rule Six: Establishing a Verification System Seventh rule: Develop a documentation system

MVFH 805 (Milk Hygiene and Control (II 03 Compulsory +

The curriculum presents the physical and chemical characteristics of milk and its products, heat treatments of milk, factors affecting the quantity and quality of milk, sources of contamination of milk and its products, diseases transmitted through milk and its products, how to prevent pathogens, food poisoning, starters, indicator organisms, detergents and disinfectants of food factories. Mastitis, antibiotics residues and pesticides in milk and milk products, detection methods, HACCP system and application methods in dairy factories, dairy products manufacturing, and how to protect consumers from adulteration and matching with Libyan standard specifications.

MVST100 Biostatistics 02 General +

3rd Semester

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
MVFH 809 Foodborne Zoonotic Diseases 03 Compulsory +

The course deals with the common diseases that are transmitted through eating foods of animal origin in terms of the different causes of such diseases, sources of pollution, heat treatments of food and their effect on pathogens, symptoms of diseases in humans and animals, as well as how to prevent the transmission of such pathogens and methods of dealing with products of infected animals to eliminate pathogens, and the practical approach is exposed to how to isolate these pathogens.

MVRM200 Research Method 02 General +

That the student be able to understand the methods of action of medicinesThat the student be able to understand the methods of action of drugs inside cellsThat the student understands the difference between the therapeutic effects of the cells and those harmful to them

Elective Subjects

Code Title Credits Course Type Prerequisite
MVFH 818 Egg Hygiene and Control 03 Elective +

This course studies the composition, chemical composition, nutritional value of eggs and their products, freshness determination, as well as how to detect the microbiological content and isolate pathogenic and spoilage microbes in eggs, methods of preserving eggs, egg products, microbial defects in eggs and how to detect and isolate the causes, food poisoning, antibiotic and pesticide residues and how to detect them, as well as the methods used to prevent problems with eggs and their products, and how to protect the consumer.

MVFH 803 Microbial Food Ecology 02 Elective +

This course covers the factors affecting the growth of microbes in food and knowledge of the basics of food preservation and spoilage in order to produce high quality food free of defects. It also includes knowledge of the environment to which microbes associated with food are exposed during manufacturing, handling and storage, and how to deal with them in the laboratory. The detergents and disinfectants that are used during food processing are also studied.

MVFH 804 Food Technology 03 Elective +

The food technology course is one of the branches of food sciences, which provides the student with methods of manufacturing foods of animal origin, methods of preserving such foods, methods of packaging and storage, as well as dealing with the HACCP system and critical points for contamination of such foods and control points, the course also deals with physical and chemical characteristics of raw materials for manufacturing with the final product and the extent to which it conforms to the Libyan standard specifications or the standard specifications in force in Libya.

MVFH 817 Animal By-products 03 Elective +

Animal by-products, which are essential or secondary products extracted when preparing animal, poultry or fish sacrifices for marketing or that are not suitable for this, as well as some inorganic materials such as shell powder and bones. These are utilized as mineral feed materials in addition to dairy factory waste. Advantages of using animal waste in animal and poultry feed. Preparing animal waste for use as feed materials (waste collection, waste preparation, follow appropriate processing method for the type of waste, packaging, sterilization, storage).

MVFH 816 Molecular Analysis of Food Contents 03 Elective +

Evaluation of food safety and quality standards, especially genetically modified and organically produced foods, by studying methods for determining the content of amino acids – the composition of fatty acids – protein analysis – the detection of genetically engineered foods using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.

MVFH 807 Food Poisoning 02 Elective +

In this course, food poisoning is identified that occurs when a person consume food contaminated with food poisoning pathogens or their toxins, or the food is chemically contaminated with pesticides, lead or mercury, in addition to some parasites, fungi and viruses. Methods for detecting these causes are also studied in the laboratory.

MVFH 808 Food of Animal Origin Analysis 03 Elective +

This course includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of foods of animal origin "for each product separately" from the physical and chemical aspects "standard methods" in addition dealing with standard specifications in detail and dealing with methods of detecting adulteration in each product, and includes chemical analysis to detect residues in food.

MVFH 815 Poultry and Rabbit Meat Hygiene 03 Elective +

This course explains the importance of poultry and rabbit meat hygiene and control and their products - Slaughter and preparation methods for poultry and rabbit meat - Pre and post slaughter detection - Judging the most important diseases affecting poultry and rabbits - Factors affecting the quality and safety of poultry and rabbit meat - Risks of mishandling and display of poultry and rabbit meat - Differentiation between frozen, fresh and chilled poultry, detection methods and determination suitability for human consumption – Application of the HACCP system in poultry and rabbit skinners and poultry and rabbit meat products factories.

MVFH 810 Laboratory Diagnostic Methods of Food of Animal Origin 03 Elective +

This course introduces the basics of food microbiology, where the study includes methods of isolating and classifying different groups of microbes with a formal and structural description of each group and methods of studying their functions. The study also includes a brief introduction to infectious diseases in terms of their types, types of microbes that cause them, and methods of controlling microbial infections.

MVFH 814 Molecular Identification of Foodborne Microorganisms 03 Elective +

The use of modern techniques in the field of genetic engineering, molecular biology and radioactive isotopes in diagnosing microbes present in food. It includes an explanation of some modern techniques in the field of molecular biology in order to isolate genes that have limited functions using radioisotope numbering for nucleic acids.

MVFH 812 Fish Hygiene and Control 03 Elective +

This course provides knowledge of the importance of fish hygiene and control - Factors affecting the quality and safety of fish - Methods used for preserving fish - Risks of poor handling and presentation of fish - Natural phenomena (red tides) - Avoiding the risks of fish food poisoning.