KJB201 Laboratory Course in Biochemistry and Food Chemistry

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Sabina Leanti La Rosa

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Limits of class size:108

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:

Lectures: 14 hours.

Laboratory exercises, with preparation and writing of laboratory journals: 88 hours.

Individual study: 23 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in the Spring parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in the Spring parallel.

About this course

The laboratory course is built up as follows: 7 exercises, each lasting about 6 hours, one exercise per week.

Lectures (14 hours).

Writing of five journals, length 8 - 15 pages. Simple laboratory reports (fill-in form) for two exercises.

Two or three students per group.

The course provides high-level academic education and thus contributes to achieving almost any of the UN's sustainability goals. The course is related to food production (Goal 2), clean energy for all (Goal 7 & 13), biotechnology (Goal 8 & 9 & 12), better resource utilization (Goal 13), and understanding of life under and above water ( Goal 14 & 15).

Learning outcome

KNOWLEDGE:

Students will learn about elemental biochemical techniques such as electrophoresis and chromatography and get a theoretical introduction to the principles on which these techniques are based. In addition, the course covers areas of applied biochemistry and food chemistry. The course provides some specialization in parts of KJB200, including enzyme kinetics.

SKILLS:

Students will learn how to perform a variety of laboratory techniques, including:

  • Pipetting small volumes
  • Elemental spectrophotometry
  • Standard curves
  • Measurement of protein concentration
  • Measurement of enzyme activity, including enzyme kinetics
  • Chromatography (purification) of proteins
  • Gel electrophoresis of proteins
  • Analysis and processing of food components
  • Studies of viscosity and gels.

Apart from technical skills, one learns to critically evaluate methods and own research results.

Journal writing is an important part of the course and after completing the course one should be able to report research results in a scientific manner.

The student is able to perform the preparations, techniques and analyses employed in the course. The student masters the instruments and equipment used in the course.

GENERAL COMPETENCE:

General laboratory skills - How to work in a laboratory.

Critical evaluation and professional reporting of methods and own research results.

Journal writing.

Because the work is done in groups the course gives training in doing research in teams.

  • Lectures with elements of student active learning strategies. Laboratory excecises (with intensive guidance). Writing of journals. Other learning strategies, e.g. peer review of lab journals, may occur.
  • Question hours each week. Intensive guidance for journal writing.

    Canvas.

    • General chemistry equivalent to KJM100.
    • Biochemistry equivalent to KJB200 (can be taken the same semester).
  • Overall assessment:

    portfolio assessment: One laboratory journal, counts 25 %.

    Written exam (2 hrs) counts 75 %.

    Both parts must be passed.

  • An external examiner approves the examination questions and marks a minimum of 25 selected examinantion papers. The internal examiner grades the laboratory journals.
    • All lectures about the laboratory course (14 hours maximum).
    • Participation in the laboratory exercises.
    • Handing in the laboratory journals.

    Approved mandatory activities are valid for 5 years.

  • Lectures: 14 hours.

    Laboratory work: 4-6 hours per week for 9 weeks.

  • Students that have KJB201 as an compulsory subject will have prioritry when allocating labspace.
  • KJB210
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science