Module manager: Dr. Amin Sadeghpour Dilmaghani
Email: A.Sadeghpour@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
FOOD2100
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module will introduce the physico-chemical principles of colloid and interface science and illustrate the application of colloid science approach to the processing and quality assessment of a range of food-grade colloids (e.g. proteins, emulsions, foams and biopolymers) with particular emphasis on applications in dairy and plant-based alternative products. The module also covers advanced methodologies to understand the structure and aggregation of colloidal systems.
The module aims to introduce you to the fundamentals of colloid systems as building blocks of dairy and plant-based food products. Understanding these principals is key to design and manufacture innovative products and enhance their stability and nutritional benefits.
You will learn how basic colloidal principles can be applied for measuring food quality in terms of stability. You will also learn an overview of colloidal changes that affect their in-mouth sensory perception. In addition, you will acquire knowledge on the state of the art scattering tools as key methodologies to probe structural changes occurring across multiple length scales in colloidal systems.
On successful completion of the module, students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Recognise advanced tools that can be used to probe structure and stability of food colloids at multiscale
2. Explain the basic colloidal concepts underpinning the multi-scale structure of food products
3. Apply colloid science solutions to address stability and formulation challenges in industrially manufactured food products
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Critical thinking (Work ready skills): Show effective balancing of arguments using colloid science perspective to form an evidenced-based opinion about food structure
5. Teamwork/ Collaboration (Work ready skills): Show effective working in group creating commitments from others to arrive at writing a joint report,
6. Academic writing (Academic skills): Write in a concise, structured manner to address a sensory/ health benefit challenge using evidence from basic colloid science knowledge
7. Apply creativity and innovation (Enterprise skills): demonstrate application of the colloid science knowledge to solve a real industrial problem
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 27 | 1 | 27 |
| Seminar | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Private study hours | 167 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 33 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
In-class Individual Quiz: Every week’s lecture starts with a quiz (digital tool) to assess for the previous week’s learning where feedback is provided instantly with correct answer in projection (MCQ x every week)
In-class Group Debate: At the end of each lecture series, there is a seminar session where the class will be split into groups and a problem (provided upfront) will be discussed and debated based on the materials provided in the lecture series (Group debate 2 hours each x 5 times in the semester) to prepare for the exam.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 30 |
| Coursework | Online Time-Limited Assessment | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team