The Institute of Food Research’s Food Safety Centre and the University of East Anglia (UEA) have developed a complimentary online course via their partner, FutureLearn, with an audience of two million learners.
‘Identifying Food Fraud’ will introduce students to analytical chemistry and how it is used to check that certain ingredients in the food we eat match their label.
“Our globalized food chain is so complex; it really needs a combination of all of the advanced analytical techniques we have at or disposal to keep ahead of the food fraudsters,” says Dr Kate Kemsley from the Centre.
“We hope that this course will engage people in the power of analytical chemistry, in applications that impact on all of us.”
The course is produced by UEA’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) team, responsible for over 170,000 individual learner sign ups to date.
MOOCs can be taken by thousands of people simultaneously.
As there is no selection of students and fees, users can read course materials, hear lectures, watch videos, ask questions, interact and take tests or quizzes from anywhere via the Internet.
MOOCs aim to encourage participation, engagement, connections, networking and life-long learning.
The ‘Identifying Food Fraud’ features practical applications of many of the techniques encountered, including infrared technology, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry.
