<span translate="no">University Extension Course: Food Preservation and Cooking Techniques, Vacuum Packaging and Fifth Range Foods</span>
Móstoles, Spain
Course
DURATION
2 months
LANGUAGES
Spanish
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 492 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* The price for non-EU non-resident students is only approximate as each academic fee is different
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
About: This university extension course, *Curso de Extensión Universitaria Conservación de Alimentos y Técnicas de Cocción, Vacío y Quinta Gama* (University extension course in food preservation and cooking techniques, vacuum and quinta gama), covers food preservation, cooking methods, vacuum packaging and ready‑to‑eat concepts. It highlights practical skills relevant to culinary arts, food technology and food processing.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue roles as food technologist, product development chef and quality assurance specialist. They can work in research and development (R&D), manufacturing, catering, retail and foodservice, applying skills in preservation, shelf‑life extension and vacuum packaging, and roles in regulatory compliance globally.
This course focuses on the study of food preservation and cooking techniques, including those used at an industrial level. Students will acquire the theoretical and scientific foundations underlying these techniques, enabling them to enhance their professional skills and improve both the quality and safety of prepared foods. The curriculum includes basic food microbiology, preservation techniques using cold, heat, drying, and dehydration, as well as vacuum, modified, and controlled protective atmospheres. Furthermore, it covers culinary techniques for food preservation and preparation, from traditional methods to cutting-edge techniques, with a particular emphasis on sous-vide cooking.
Vacuum packing has been an effective method of preservation for years, but over time, thanks to research, we have not only discovered a great way to control culinary processes, but also an exceptional system for complying with current health and hygiene regulations.
Mastering these techniques allows us to extend shelf life, control waste and inventory, and greatly facilitate services in the hospitality industry through the controlled regeneration of food prepared in a production kitchen. This, in turn, helps control costs and streamlines purchasing and ordering, simplifying warehouse organization.
The course also includes instruction on mandatory hygiene and sanitation regulations for the hospitality industry. This, along with knowledge of different preparation and preservation techniques, will help improve food safety throughout its shelf life, preventing the growth and proliferation of bacteria and reducing the presence of processing toxins. This will allow us to offer customers the highest quality service. All of this will improve the management of a food service business, even optimizing staff performance and standardizing processes.
Extensive knowledge of vacuum packing techniques also allows for the production of ready-to-eat meals, enabling the creation of a private label and eliminating the need to source these products from third parties, thus reducing costs. Furthermore, it's worth noting that Aranjuez boasts exceptional raw materials, allowing students to practically apply this innovative culinary technique in menu development.
Goals
Master all concepts derived from food preservation and preparation techniques used at both industrial and culinary levels, from traditional to cutting-edge, with special emphasis on the use of vacuum theory in its two aspects of food preservation and cooking.
TOPIC 1. INDUSTRIAL PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES
1.1Introduction to food microbiology
1.2.Food preservation by cold: freezing and refrigeration
1.3Food preservation by heat:
- Sterilization, pasteurization, blanching.
- Pasteurization processes. HTST process and UHT process. Milk pasteurization and juice pasteurization.
1.4.Food preservation by drying and dehydration:
- Water activity.
- Dry with hot air.
- Drying by contact with a hot surface.
- Drying equipment.
- Lyophilization.
- Concentration by freezing.
- Evaporation.
1.5Storage in modified and controlled vacuum protective atmospheres:
- Types of protective atmospheres.
- Vacuum-packed.
- Packaged in modified atmospheres.
- Storage in controlled atmospheres.
1.6Food preservation by irradiation: Types of radiation. Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter. Concept of dose. Applications in the food industry.
TOPIC 2. PRESERVATION AND PREPARATION TECHNIQUES IN THE KITCHEN
2.1Preservation by low temperatures: refrigeration, freezing, and thawing in the kitchen.
2.2High-temperature preservation: pasteurization and home canning.
23 Traditional preservation and cooking techniques:
- Desiccation.
- Marinades, pickles, smoked, spiced.
- Fermented foods and sprouts.
- Food preparation: baking, boiling, and frying.
2.4Modern preservation and cooking techniques:
- Food additives
- Freeze-drying
- Pressure cooked and sous vide
TOPIC 3. THE VACUUM TECHNIQUE IN FOOD COOKING
3.1Sous Vide Processing: Concept and Uses
- Direct vacuum packing. Concept, technique and types of food to which it is applied
- Indirect vacuum packing. Concept, technique and types of food to which it is applied
3.2Preservation and vacuum processes
3.3Fifth range and food industrialization processes
3.4Vacuum menu design
TOPIC 4. HYGIENE AND SANITARY REGULATIONS
4.1Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Basic concepts.
4.2Law 17/2011, on food safety and nutrition. Basic concepts.
4.3Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of consumer information. Basic concepts.