Program overview
Fermentation Engineering is a graduate program under Light Industry Technology and Engineering. Simply put, it involves using microorganisms (like yeast, bacteria, fungi) or animal/plant cells in large reactors to 'cultivate' them to produce what we want, such as beer, yogurt, antibiotics, amino acids, vitamins, bioplastics, and even certain vaccines. Core courses include microbiology, biochemistry, fermentation technology, bioreactor engineering, separation and purification techniques, etc. You'll learn how to design fermentation processes, control temperature, pH, and oxygen, and extract the products. China has unique features in this field: first, its large industrial scale—the world's largest production bases for MSG, vitamin C, and citric acid are in China; second, close collaboration between universities and enterprises, with many labs directly linked to factories. It's suitable for students who enjoy hands-on experiments, are interested in the intersection of biology and chemistry, and don't mind occasionally smelling the fermentation tank. If your undergraduate background is in bioengineering, food science, chemical engineering, or related fields, you'll find it easier to get started.