Fermentation Science

what is fermentation science?

Fermentation is an industrial process by which microorganisms are used to generate useful end products. Fermentation processes are diverse, from traditional food and beverage fermentations, to industrial processes that produce biofuels and refined chemicals, to proteins and antibodies in the biopharma industry to improve health. In the food and beverage industry, fermentation is used to create products including sour dough bread, yogurt, cheese, beer, wine, kimchi, sauerkraut and novel food ingredients that give the meaty flavor and texture to plant-based protein products. With advances in biotechnology, fermentation is an important process used in the pharmaceutical industry to make products like insulin. There is increasing interest in our human body's fermenter, our gut, and how our gut microbiome impacts our health. Many of today's challenges of feeding a growing global population, advancing medicines, and creating alternative bio-based energy sources sustainably will be solved using fermentation science. 

The right fit for you

If you can answer YES to some of these questions, talk to our food science academic advisor, Patrick Tiffany, ptiffan@purdue.edu, about a bachelor's degree in fermentation science and schedule a visit.

•  Do you like science, chemistry, biology, microbiology, and engineering? 
•  Do you want to work in industries tackling some of our biggest societal challenges? 
•  Are you interested in the food, beverage, biopharmaceutical, biofuels, and/or biotech industries? 
•  Are you interested in producing protein from microbial sources?

careers in fermentation Science

Fermentation scientists can be involved with the design and execution of experiments and processes, manufacturing operations of fermentation processes, quality assurance and safety of products, and compliance and regulatory affairs. 

plan of study

Purdue University's Fermentation Science bachelor degree program consists of 120 credit hours that can be completed in 8 semesters on the West Lafayette, Indiana campus. The Purdue University catalog lists the detailed requirements and list of fermentation science courses. 

Bachelor of Science Degree Fermentation Science Major Details and Plan of Study

Student Testimonial- Madison mehringer

 "The summer between my junior and senior year, I was a Supply Chain Operations – Dairy Manufacturing intern for Land O’Lakes. Cheese is a fermented product, and I was able to leverage my fermentation education during this internship. My project involved tracking pH development during the cheese making process to optimize starter culture usage and reduce the amount of time needed to drain the whey from the cheese curds. I used my knowledge of microbiology, starter cultures, fermentation indicators, chemical reactions, and fermented food processing during my internship. My education gave me critical background and insight into my project and helped me solve complex problems. It is so fascinating to see how microorganisms can completely transform initial ingredients into vastly different, and more shelf stable, end products."

Read more about Madison's Purdue Experience