Fermentation and Brine Sciences
Associate of Applied Science · 64 credit hours · 4 semesters · Division of Food, Fermentation and Culinary Production
Commercial production of fermented and brine-cured vegetable products. Salinity control, lactic fermentation, pH monitoring and documentation, acidified foods regulation under 21 CFR 114, and small-batch scaling.
All batches are initiated on Monday of the first week of the practicum term to align fermentation timelines with the final documentation deadline in FER 205. Complete batch records for the practicum term are required to pass FER 205. Graduates are eligible to sit for the FDA Better Process Control School examination, administered off-site each March.
Curriculum
| Course | Title | Credits | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| FER 110 | Sanitation and Food Safety | 3 | 1 |
| FER 115 | Raw Product Selection and Handling | 3 | 1 |
| CUL 110 | Foundations of Culinary Production | 3 | 1 |
| ENG 121 | Composition I | 3 | 1 |
| MAT 104 | Applied Mathematics | 3 | 1 |
| GEN 101 | First-Year Seminar | 1 | 1 |
| FER 120 | Principles of Lactic Fermentation | 4 | 2 |
| FER 130 | Brine Chemistry and Salinity Control | 3 | 2 |
| FER 140 | pH Monitoring and Instrumentation | 3 | 2 |
| FER 145 | Fermentation Microbiology | 3 | 2 |
| COM 110 | Oral Communication | 3 | 2 |
| FER 205 | Acidified Foods Regulation and Documentation | 3 | 3 |
| FER 210 | Acidified Foods Practicum | 4 | 3 |
| FER 220 | Quality Assurance and Sensory Evaluation | 3 | 3 |
| CUL 240 | Menu and Product Development | 3 | 3 |
| BUS 210 | Small Business Operations | 3 | 3 |
| FER 250 | Small-Batch Scaling and Copacking | 4 | 4 |
| FER 260 | Regulatory Filing and Recordkeeping | 3 | 4 |
| FER 270 | Packaging and Labeling | 3 | 4 |
| FER 280 | Production Practicum | 6 | 4 |
Student outcomes
| Measure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of published length | 73.7% |
| Placement in field or related field | 92.3% |
Rates are calculated under the methodology statement of record (rev. 2025-08-15).
Graduates
I came in thinking I knew how to make pickles, and I did. What I didn't know was how to keep a batch record that would survive an FDA visit. That's the part that let me open a business. I still use the log format from FER 205.
Renata Osgood-Klee, ’11 — Owner, Osgood Provisions, Wooster
Facilities and instruction
Instruction is delivered in the facilities of the Division of Food, Fermentation and Culinary Production. Additional photographs are collected at Campus photographs.
programs/fermentation-brine-sciences · Bellweather College of Applied Technology