FDSC 5206

Fermentation of Food

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2024-2025 Catalog. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Fermentation of food changed the course of human history. This course will help interested students learn about fermentations, generally, and concentrate on examples within major categories of fermented foods: fruit, vegetable, dairy, soybean, and grain. We will describe the cultures that developed and consume different fermented foods, and how microbes interact with their environments and with each other during food fermentations. Students in the course will develop an overview of the scientific principles and practices behind fermentation, and gain practical experience in sensory evaluation while increasing their enjoyment of foods.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: one college-level biology or college-level chemistry course.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP, 2022SP

Outcomes

• Describe the importance of fermentations to human history, health, & cultures.
• Explain basic chemical and biological changes that occur during fermentation of different raw materials.
• Match particular foods with the specific microbes involved in that foods' production.
• Describe the basic microbial ecology of different food fermentations.
• Explain general procedures for production of specific foods.
• Describe the flavor attributes of fermented foods.

When Offered Spring.

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