Food Health and Environment - A.Y. 2025/2026

The aim is to evaluate different aspects of nutrition, with reference to both healthy and pathological conditions. Prevention is also be addressed. Insights of the agronomical aspects of food production (including plant physiology and genetics) and the environmental impact of agriculture with respect to human health is also covered.

• General aims of the MsC is to provide graduates with a deep expertise in nutritional sciences and in the related biochemical and biomedical sectors together with a background on environmental sciences intended as the physical environment in which food production and processing occurs and where several processes can affect the quality of the food produced, which will in turn affect human health. Effects of nutrition is dissected at the physiological, molecular, cellular and eventually pathological levels derived from unbalanced diets and food contaminants. More in details, classes provide outstanding knowledge in several domains that  include:biology and nutritional sciences, fitting with the related biochemical and biomedical sectors, including pathophysiology, immunobiology related to nutrition and interactions of human genetics with food and health;
• properties of nutrients and non-nutrients contained in food as well as any modifications that may be generated during technological processes, biochemical mechanisms of digestion, absorption and metabolic processes affecting nutrients, including the main food-based pathologies resulting from qualitatively or quantitatively inadequate diets or allergy-based food intolerances;
• influence of foods on well-being and disease prevention, including the characterisation of novel foods, knowledge of their safety levels during technological and/or biotechnological processing, as well as of toxicological levels, acceptable daily intakes and assessable risk in the intake of substances contained in or carried by the diet;pharmacology of nutrients, food supplements, various substances of natural origin, minerals and vitamins, the effects of drugs on nutritional status and nutrient absorption, and the relationships between diet/lifestyle/microbiota in humans;
• psychopathology, social factors and anthropological factors affecting eating disorders;
• genetics, botany and biochemistry of the main plant species used in food and their interaction with the environment, as well as the technologies currently available to selectively modify their nutritional properties or their resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses;
• food chemistry, food transformation, micro and macronutrients in foods;
• overview on the European Union legislation about food, and food-related technology transfer as well as marketing;
• environmental effects on food quality derived from biotic and abiotic contaminants.

The qualification is obtained after having acquired 120 CFUs including the final exam. The final test consists in a verification of the candidate's ability to present and discuss with clarity and mastery of language the contents of an elaborate / thesis in English with original requirements, in the presence of a Commission appointed by Director's Decree on a proposal from the CCS. In order to be able to discuss the final exam on the basis of the completion of the university course and to allow the fulfilment of the administrative formalities connected to it, the student must have acquired all the credits required to access it.

Deep expertise provided on several food-related topics, among which:

• Food chemistry, food transformation, micro and macronutrients in foods and biochemical processes involved in their assimilation, diet planning in healthy humans.
• Nutrition-related human diseases, autoimmune diseases, relationships between endocrine and metabolic disorders with human diet, interactions human genetics/food/health.
• Relationships diet/lifestyle/microbiota in humans, microbial communities and food, microrganisms and food poisoning.
• Plant crops providing the main food sources: biochemistry, genetics and plant-microrganisms interactions-related aspects.
• Legislation about food; food-related technology transfer (from scientific results to business).

• Analytical (biological, microbiological, clinical-chemistry) and quality control in public and private food sectors;
• nutritionist in the public and private health sector, collaborating with medical doctors;
• consultant and freelance in the food and nutrition sectors;
• expertise gained will also allow you to undertake a career as scientist in food-related topics in small, medium, large enterprises, as well as in public and private research centres;
• food-related communication and scientific dissemination in dedicated scientific journals;
• FH&E graduates can access Section A of the Professional Register of Senior Biologists after passing a specific examination.

Courses and programmes

On the Uniupo - Syllabus website, by selecting the academic year of interest from the drop-down menu, you can consult:

• the syllabuses of the courses of the first year
• the syllabuses of the courses of the second year

On the dedicated page of this website you can find more information on compiling the study plan.

Study plan

• Full time

Regulation

• Regulation

The pre-enrolment round for the 2026/2027 academic year will open on February 23, 2026. 

Admission requirements: a bachelor degree (first level degree) in L-13, 12 or L-2 class; students either with a diploma in different laurea classes or with an equivalent diploma obtained abroad, will be admitted just after ascertainment of the curricula requirements. 

Language proficiency

The linguistic level of access is B2 or equivalent to itself of obtaining the previous university degree. The methods of check are described in the Teaching Rule of the Degree Course. Following the formal control of the curricular requirements, the Teaching Commission by an interview will judge the adequacy of the initial preparation.

Laboratory safety courses: Food Health and Envinronment (FHE) - (LM)

All students who are exposed to chemical and or biological risk related with activities effected at the University of Eastern Piedmont, must carry out adequate training path.

Tutor

The teacher-tutor has the task of advising, directing and accompanying you in the compilation of option cards/ web plans, as well as during the entire academic path.

• Prof. Giampiero Valè
• Prof. Elisa Bona
• Prof. Irma Dianzani

Mentoring Programme

For the orientation in itinere and the support to students enrolled in the degree course, the teaching staff is supported by tutors specialized in the various educational fields, selected with a specific call among the most prepared and deserving student population.

Teaching commission

The Teaching Commission collaborates with the Board of Studies and its President on the activities related to teaching, in particular: the preparation of the schedule of classes, the training of graduate commissions, the coordination of teachers - tutors, the formulation and evaluation of tests of incoming skills, guidance on entry and in progress, in training projects abroad and international mobility and in all the initiatives that the Degree Programme implements in the educational field.

• Prof. Marco Arlorio
• Prof. Maria Cavaletto
• Prof. Giampiero Valè
• Prof. Irma Dianzani

The University of Eastern Piedmont offers a good range of possibilities to go abroad. Students can enrol on a degree course offering a double degree: one from Italy and one from the country in which they are going to study. Alternatively, it is possible to choose to spend a period abroad with the classic Erasmus+ programme, either to follow courses (Erasmus for study purposes) or to do an internship (Erasmus for traineeship purposes). Some prefer Free Mover mobility or choose even more flexible programmes, making use of international scholarships.

In particular, the Erasmus and Foreign Students Office handles relations between students (both outgoing and incoming) and Heads of Internationalisation at partner universities. This support is highly relevant not only to the Erasmus+ call for study purposes, but also extends to mobility for traineeship purposes, in particular through support in the search for work placements (to this end, a list of predefined traineeships and useful websites for finding a host institution is constantly updated on the University website).

In order to further facilitate outgoing students, efforts are made to put them in contact with students who have already had an international mobility experience and/or with incoming international students, so that there can be an exchange of information from a practical-organisational point of view. A useful tool that has been in place for a few years now, in all Departments, is the Erasmus WIKI, a web page where students can find useful information on how best to organise their stay abroad. Individual pages have been created for each destination, which are updated from time to time by students returning to Italy.
The Erasmus and Foreign Students Office also deals with the distribution of EU and ministerial funds, calculating the scholarships due and the related reports for all the types of mobility mentioned above.
With regard to international mobility agreements, it should be noted that more than 150 inter-institutional agreements are currently active (and others are still in the process of being renewed), 13 international cooperation agreements within the EU and 9 international cooperation agreements outside the EU.

In the area of incoming students, the Erasmus and Foreign Students Office offers support and assistance to students during the application phase, forwarding them the contacts of the Student Services, Orientation and Job Placement Offices in order to obtain information on the accommodation available in university residences and the calendar of teaching activities.

The Erasmus and Foreign Students Office also continues to collaborate with the ESN Piemonte Orientale association in the organisation of events designed to promote international mobility, such as the Language Tandem, Welcome Days and Erasmus Days (held in October each year).

The university's internationalisation office activates and manages international agreements and international cooperation agreements other than those envisaged within the framework of Erasmus mobility. These agreements fall within the scope of international teaching activities.

To date, 33 international agreements and 8 development cooperation agreements are active.

If you are looking for information about lecturers and office hours: UPObook

• If you want to contact the Student secretariat: UPOrisponde
• If you want to speak directly with the Secretariat (in case of particularly complex issues) UPOriceve
• If you need services to support students with disabilities/DSA: UPOrisponde
• If you are looking for information on job orientation, internships/internships and job placement: jobplacement@uniupo.it

A complete list of useful contacts can be found here.

The PIM (Freshmen Information Point) service is active during the matriculation period.

The "S.O.S.T.A." desk Servizio Orientamento e Servizio Tutorato di Ateneo is a peer-to-peer service for the reception and support of students, set up with the collaboration of university students.

Student representatives are part of the governing bodies of the Department and the University and are an important component of it, helping to direct all its activities.
The student representatives' offices in Vercelli are located in room B3 at the Ex-Ospedaletto, viale Garibaldi 98.

• Students Representatives

The quality assurance of teaching is linked to the University Quality Policies and is implemented and monitored by evaluating the management of the educational offer, with a view to continuous improvement. At the CoS level, quality assurance is delegated to the Quality Group and the Review Group.

• Composition of the Quality Group and the Review Group

The documents relating to the quality of the CoS can be found in the appropriate section.

• Course programme
• Syllabi (select the specific year in the menu)
• Regulations

The format of the thesis, written in English, should include the following chapters:

• Index
• Summary
• Introduction
• Aim of the research
• Materials and Methods
• Results, Discussion
• Conclusion
• Future developments
• References

which should be at least 50 pages long including iconography and bibliography.

The first page must include the University logo, the name of the Department and the Master's degree program, the name of the speakers and any co-speakers, the name of the student. The elaborate / thesis will allow the student to access the final test (for which 20 credits are foreseen), which consists in a verification of the candidate's ability to present and discuss with clarity and mastery of language the contents of an elaborate / thesis in English with original requirements, in the presence of a Commission appointed by Director's Decree on a proposal from the CCS.