3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Lower Division
This course will provide an overview of the use of microorganisms in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The course will introduce fundamental concepts associated to the microbiological transformation of various substrates to produce desirable products such as foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals or chemical compounds. As an introductory course, the scientific principles of fermentation processes will be gradually introduced through the analysis of familiar fermented food products, such as bread, cheese, beer, wine, cocoa, coffee, etc. Once the fundamental concepts are learned, examples of advanced fermentation technology for production of pharmaceutical products and fine chemicals will be presented.
Learning Outcomes1Explain the role of microorganisms in the transformation of various substrates into desirable products.
2Identify the type of microorganism (bacteria, yeast or mold) involved in the production of various fermented foods and beverages.
3Explain the impact of environmental processing conditions (T, pH, aw, O2) on microbial growth.
4Recognize the similarities across a wide variety of products made through fermentation.
made by Purdue students.