Nutrition is a dynamic science that examines how dietary intake influences human growth, development, health, and disease across all stages of life. Evidence from life-cycle nutrition research consistently shows that nutritional requirements are not static; rather, they vary significantly from preconception, infancy, and childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and ageing, shaped by physiological, biochemical, and socio-environmental factors.
This course provides third-year Food Science and Technology students with an integrated understanding of human nutrition across the lifespan, linking fundamental nutritional principles with practical dietetic applications. It emphasizes the role of nutrients in supporting optimal growth, maintaining health, and preventing disease at each life stage, while also considering emerging public health challenges, dietary transitions, and sustainability issues in nutrition practice.
Students will explore age-specific nutritional requirements, physiological changes, and dietary guidelines, alongside the principles of dietetics, including nutritional assessment, meal planning, and the application of the Nutrition Care Process. The course also highlights the role of dietitians in clinical, community, and food industry settings, preparing students to translate scientific knowledge into evidence-based dietary recommendations.
By the end of this course, students will be equipped to critically evaluate nutritional needs across diverse populations, design appropriate dietary interventions, and contribute to improving nutritional wellbeing throughout the human lifespan. This foundation is essential for advancing professional competence in food science, nutrition, and dietetics, and for addressing global nutrition and health challenges.
FST3223-Food Microbiology is a module delivered to year 3 students in the BSc. Food Science & Technology Program at University of Rwanda College of Agriculture Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. The Module is aimed at equipping the students with knowledge and skills to understand the interaction of microorganisms between food and environment and to practice various techniques of microbiological analysis of food thereby controlling food spoilage and ensuring food safety.
The module aims at equipping students with fundamental and applied knowledge of cereal grains, focusing on their structure, composition, processing technologies, quality control, and product development, in order to prepare them for professional practice in the cereal and food processing industries.
Food Product Development and Sensory Evaluation is a practical course for Year 3 Food Science and Technology students, focused on designing and improving food products to meet consumer needs. It equips students with skills in product formulation, testing, and scientific sensory assessment. The course emphasizes transforming ideas into market-ready products through research and consumer analysis.