Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming integrated into many aspects of daily life. At the university, concern arises about the potential negative impact on the student's learning process. Hence, the impact of this tool cannot be ignored, and its use needs to be approached consciously by promoting activities that encourage critical thinking among students. In agri-food process engineering, mass balances are a fundamental tool to assess the changes in material flows and composition due to food processing. Problems of mass balances are usually solved using sequential or simultaneous approaches that can be applied, either manually or using spreadsheets or specific software for process simulation. As the possibility of addressing the problems with AI is increasing among students, this study aimed to explore the use of AI for solving mass balances. An activity was designed for 1st-year students of the Food Science and Technology degree of the Universitat Politècnica de València. Specifically, a case study was developed consisting of an orange juice concentration process. First, the students had to define the process flowchart, then they solved the mass balances with a simultaneous approach using a spreadsheet, and finally, they were asked to compare their results with those provided by AI. The results of the AI presented errors that raised the need for students to assess the reliability of the results and identify any possible mistakes generated. The use of AI in this activity promoted critical and analytical thinking among the students, reinforcing the concepts taught in class and encouraging confidence in their abilities.

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence, critical thinking, food processing, mass balances.