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Food and Beverage Fermentation

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The study of fermentation concerns the use of microorganisms to transform the stability, safety, value, and flavor of foods. This diverse field is one of humanity’s oldest food-related practices and utilizes an array of fundamental food science principles, from microbiology to chemistry to engineering. Our faculty’s fermentation research includes brewing science and enology or winemaking, cocoa production, food safety and preservation, and the stability and health of fermented products such as sauerkraut and cultured dairy.

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Engineering

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Microbiology

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Food Safety

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Food Preservation

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Sensory Science

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Food Processing and Packaging

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Health and Nutrition

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Food Business

Featured Project

In search of higher quality chocolate

More About this Research

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FST’s Amanda Stewart and Marlon Ac Pangan are collaborating with researchers at the Cocoa Research Center in Trinidad and Tobago, one of the leading organizations in the cocoa industry, to study the different factors that affect the fermentation of cocoa in the chocolate-making process. 

By harvesting cocoa beans in Trinidad and Tobago and then bringing them back to Virginia Tech to conduct chemical and sensory analysis on them, Stewart and Ac Pangan hope to help cocoa farmers improve the quality and sustainability of their crops. 

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