The process of fermentation is responsible for some of humankind’s tastiest achievements — beer, wine, bread, cheese and pickles, for example. Now, there is a major at the University of Maryland that will teach the specific science of fermentation to a new generation of makers and entrepreneurs.

The University of Maryland states that the new fermentation science major, housed in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or AGNR, will prepare students for workforce demand. The broadly defined fermentation industries include beverages (beer, wine, distilled spirits and kombucha), vegetable foods (kimchi, tempeh and miso), dairy foods (cheese and yogurt) and biotechnology industries (biofuels and pharmaceuticals). In addition to general education courses, students will take core required courses on fermentation science. They will also participate in industrial internships, gaining practical experience and doing experiential learning with fermentation industries, resulting in possible placement in those companies.

Professor Frank Coale, Extension specialist and acting assistant dean for special programs in the College of AGNR, has been instrumental in establishing the major.

“This has been brewing for some time,” said Coale. “There’s been talk for at least the last five years in the local agricultural and food industries statewide that there is a need for well-trained professionals to help the various fermentation industries grow and diversify.”

However, the fermentation science major did not spring up overnight. The process, from interested conversation to formal inquiry to creating the new major, began two-and-a-half years ago. The first step was putting together a workforce, conducted by the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) at Towson University in 2019.

“It was important to us that the study be conducted by an independent entity,” said Coale, “and when the study was published in early 2020, it showed that the food and beverage fermentation industry is one of the fastest growing in the state, outpacing general growth, and that the outlook for professional bachelor’s degree-level jobs was strong.”

Kevin Atticks, of Grow & Fortify, a firm that specializes in assisting the Maryland industries of wineries, breweries and distillers, can testify to that need. He is excited that the university’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is bringing forth such an educational opportunity.

“The new fermentation program is a transformational development for our industry,” Atticks said. “The infusion of new expertise and training of a new workforce will allow new opportunities for growth in every sector of the fermentation industry.”

Coale said Atticks also has been a “huge help” in bringing the program to fruition, and that Grow & Fortify commissioned a survey for the industry that brought forth great enthusiasm from more than 50 respondents. “When you send out an email survey, and folks actually take the time to not only fill in the multiple choice answers provided, but to write paragraphs in the comments box, you know you’ve hit on a topic that is important to them.”

Once the studies and surveys showed the viability of the program, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources then turned to researching how they wanted to design the major. They looked at similar programs at other universities, like the University of California at Davis and Colorado State University.

“Compared to any other programs already in existence, though, our new program will be unique,” Coale said. “One, because it combines the fermentation studies for food, beverages and pharmaceutical products, and two, because we are requiring that students also study the origin of the agricultural materials being used to create the end products and how they are grown. Students will be on the farms seeing how the grain, grapes, fruits, vegetables and milk they are using, are produced.”

As such, the fermentation science major is under the purview of two departments within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources — both the nutrition and food sciences department, and the plant science and landscape architecture department.

Diana Cochran, an assistant clinical professor in plant sciences and landscape architecture, with a background in the study and production of hops, grapes and small fruits, is the lead faculty member for the program. She is helping to spread the word to current and incoming students about the new major and its opportunities.

“I think the major is going to attract students who might not have ended up in the ag college otherwise,” Cochran said. “The connection to the food industry is going to draw in a new and potentially diverse group of students.”

After passing their prerequisite science classes, students will focus on the major’s specific courses such as cheese making, enology, brewing, distilling, food science, and food processing. These classes will focus on the fundamental principles of processing, to understand the complex and diverse materials that are the raw ingredients and the final food and beverage products of fermentation.

In addition, internships and research credits will be required for the major.

“We want students to be very hands-on, and to make real connections with the industry they will be graduating into,” Cochran said.

Cochran and Coale are both excited about the application of the research and internship portions. Coale has been instrumental in planning the renovation of the new Fermentation Lab on the university’s College Park campus that will allow for “full brewing, full winemaking, full cheesemaking,” he said.

Cochran has begun conversations with wineries and breweries that are interested in taking on interns from the program.

“The industry is ready for us to do this,” she said.

Indeed, not just the industry, but the entire state of Maryland is ready. Final approval for the major had to pass through not only the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Board of Regents, but also the Maryland Higher Education Commission and every university within the state system of universities as well.

“A lot of eyeballs and a lot of critical assessment went into crafting this new program. And, at every step of the way, it was a resounding yes,” Coale said.

The new fermentation science major is being offered at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus and at the Universities of Shady Grove in Maryland starting this fall.

Shelby Watson-Hampton is a freelance writer covering southern Maryland.

Fermenting cucumbers for homemade pickles is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

Fermented foods have been a staple in the Mid-Atlantic region for centuries, but new versions of these goods, featuring raw ferments, spicier ingredients and more complex recipes, are satisfying new taste palettes, offering a multitude of supposed health benefits to their consumers and creating markets for local farmers.

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