ESTABLISHMENT OF A FERMENTED BEVERAGES LABORATORY FOR ENHANCING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN FERMENTATION SCIENCE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1026033
• Grant No.: 2021-70001-34525
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $130,859.00
• Proposal No.: 2020-11314
• Project Start Date: Jun 1, 2021
• Project End Date: May 31, 2025
• Grant Year: 2021
• Program Code: [NLGCA]- Capacity Building Grants for Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture

Recipient Organization
CAL POLY CORPORATION
(N/A)
SAN LUIS OBISPO,CA 93407

Performing Department
Food Science and Nutrition

Non Technical Summary
This project is aimed at purchasing scientific equipment to build a fermented beverages analysis laboratory to enhance learn by doing, practical training, and research in fermented foods at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). The equipment will allow for the analysis of quality parameters routinely measured in the industry to monitor fermented beverage production. Through this project, new fermentation teaching modules will be developed, and both the equipment and new teaching modules will be incorporated into existing courses. This project further seeks to utilize experiential learning as the main pedagogical technique for integrating fermentation topics into the curriculum. This is an education grant which covers the Related Biological Sciences and Food Science/Technology and Manufacturing disciplines. The newly developed laboratory will serve as a major resource to provide research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. The project will address the education needs of providing scientific instrumentation for education and experiential learning and will help prepare students for graduate school or for careers in the agricultural industry. It also aligns well with the purpose and priorities of the NLGCA program, which are to maintain and expand capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach/extension activities related to the FANH sciences.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
501	5010	3020	25%
501	5010	1000	25%
502	5010	1000	25%
502	5010	3020	25%

Knowledge Area
501 - New and Improved Food Processing Technologies; 502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 1000 - Biochemistry and biophysics;

Keywords

analysis

experiential learning

fermentation

food science

instrument

laboratory

quality control

Goals / Objectives
Goals1) Build instrumental capacity in our fermentation laboratory to measure analytical parameters in beverages produced through fermentation.2) Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysis.3) Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities.Objectives1) Purchase scientific instrumentation for analysis of fermented beverages, effectively modernizing the fermentation laboratory2) Create fermentation science oriented experiential modules and incorporate them into existing courses offered in the Food Science and Nutrition department, as well as the Wine and Viticulture department at California Polytechnic State University3) Develop research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Project Methods
Efforts1) Modernization of Fermentation LaboratoryScientific instrumentation will be purchased to modernize the fermentation laboratory and build capacity for analytical analysis of fermented beverages.2) Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysisAt the undergraduate level, a fermentation module with an experiential learning component will be created and integrated into the existing undergraduate Food Analysis (FN 368) Course. This course is an upper division course, taken mostly by Food Science majors, fulfilling their curriculum requirements. The new fermentation module will include two 80-minute lectures on the scientific principles (chemistry, physics, mathematics) and quality control monitoring of the production of fermented products, with an emphasis on fermented beverages (beer, cider, wine), in addition to a class project. The class project will constitute the experiential learning component of the newly developed module. The class project will span 3 - 4 weeks, it will require students to work in teams. Each team will select a fermented beverage to produce and will monitor the fermentation using the instrumentation purchased for this project, students will perform quality control analysis on the raw materials, the fermentation process, and the final product. Each team will prepare a presentation to the class covering the principles of their fermented beverage production, the principles behind the various analysis performed, and the interpretation of the experimental data. The project will expand student learning objectives for this course, and students will gain experience and knowledge in career-building skills in laboratory techniques for quality control analysis of fermented beverages.At the graduate level, the instrumentation will be integrated into teaching materials for the existing Chemistry of Food Systems (FSN 564) graduate course. A laboratory project to analyze how different raw materials and processing conditions will affect fermentation performance and final quality parameters will be introduced, as well as a 2-hour lecture on interpretation of quantitative quality control analytical data to make informed decisions on the choice of microorganisms and processing conditions for the production of fermented beverages.3) Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities.Undergraduate students at Cal poly are required to complete a senior project before graduation, students enrolled in senior project will have the opportunity to perform fermentation related research. Additionally, students interested in fermentation research will also be encouraged to participate in independent research activities with faculty. The new laboratory will also provide opportunities for graduate students to conduct their research projects.Students participating in fermentation related research projects in the newly established laboratory will work directly with Dr. Castro, Dr. Lathrop, and Dr. Casassa. Students will be trained on how to operate the analytical instruments purchased through this grant and how to interpret the data generated. The equipment purchased from this grant will be used to develop undergraduate and graduate research projects in the following areas: 1) Impact of raw ingredients (malts, hops, etc.) and fermentation conditions on the fermentation performance and characteristics/quality of beer products, 2) Impact of apple varieties, apple pomace supplementation, and fermentation conditions on fermentation performance and quality of apple ciders, 3) Impact of grape variety characteristics and winemaking techniques on the chemical properties of wines, and 4) Optimization of the fermentation process.All undergraduate and graduate students who carry out research in the new fermented beverages laboratory will be encouraged to participate in Cal Poly's internal research competition, where students are selected to represent Cal Poly at the CSU Student Research Competition. Additionally, students will also be encouraged to present their findings at national conferences and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals under faculty supervision. Though participation in both undergraduate and graduate research activities, students will gain knowledge in fermentation practices, analytical techniques, research planning, data analysis, and presentation of results.Evaluation The project will be evaluated on an on-going basis by the PD and the Co-PD's, and by our evaluator Dr. Michael McCullough. The evaluation plan will be focused on the effective achievement of the project goals. For the evaluation plan, data will be collected to: 1) provide feedback during project implementation to assist the research team in identifying areas which need improvement, and 2) evaluate the attainment of the educational and research goals.The Project team and Dr. McCullough will meet regularly to monitor progress towards the achievement of the project goals and will provide feedback to guide the efforts towards meeting the objectives. The project team will make revisions, improvements, or enhancements to the project activities based on the received feedback. Dr. McCullough will provide annual evaluation reports to the project team. Additionally, Dr. McCullough will prepare a final performance report to determine the overall success of the project, as well as recommendations for improvements in the application of similar projects.Evaluation Activities:1) Modernization of Fermentation LaboratoryModernization of the fermentation laboratory will be evaluated based on the purchase and installation of the scientific instrumentation, this item will be evaluated as either accomplished or not accomplished, the team does not foresee any difficulties in attaining this project goal.2) Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysisStudent learning will be evaluated through surveys of student perceived learning and perception, these surveys will be conducted after each fermentation module is completed. Additionally, formal performance assessments (exams, quizzes, projects, laboratory practical exams) will also be conducted. The surveys will be developed by Dr. McCullough in collaboration with the project team.3) Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities.Increased research opportunities will be evaluated through pre- and post-research involvement surveys. At the beginning of the project, all junior and senior students will be surveyed on their participation in research experiences, the same survey will be administered every year to measure the increase in student research involvement due to the establishment of the fermentation laboratory and the development of research opportunities by the faculty. The surveys will be developed by Dr. McCullough in collaboration with the project team.

Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Cal Poly undergraduate and graduate students in Food Science, Wine and Viticulture. Students participating in newly created Cal Poly brewing club. Cal Poly campus community and faculty participating in LAEP, SURP, and CAFES Spring Research Symposium programs. Efforts included formal classroom instruction, laboratory sessions, experiential learning opportunities during elaboration of fermented beverages and their analysis during Food Science courses and research projects developed thanks to the fermented beverages laboratory. Efforts also included poster presentation at LAEP, SURP, and CAFES Spring Research Symposium poster sessions. Changes/Problems:Technical problems with Anton Paar Alcolyzer unit has delayed progress of certain research projects. Due to these delays a no cost extension was requested for the project. Analyzers have received maintenance from manufacturer and should be ok to continue the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A brewing club has been created in which students brew different beer styles and enter national homebrew competitions. This activity is a great opportunity for students to receive training in fermented beverage production and further develop their skills in production and analysis of fermented beverages. The laboratory has provided research opportunities for students participating in the Learning Aligned Employment Program (LAEP). This program is designed to provide opportunties of California residents with unmet financial need who belong to underrepresetned groups. Additionally a student was allosed the opportunity to workon the CAFES SPRING 24 Research Symposium. Bothstudents worked for one to two quarters with the project director on research projects that featured hard cider. The research activities provided experience in fermented beverage production, analysis, and presentation of results to different audiences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through poster presentation at the CAFES Research Symposium and an oral presention at a Graduate Student Social/Education Event. Results have alos been shared through the fermented beverages laboratory website. Additionally, members from the local brewing community have toured the laboratory to learn about its cababilities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Presentations will be prepared and delivered to incoming freshemn in the introductory FSN 102 class, as well as in Food Science club meetings to increase knoledge of the opportunities and capability of the fermented beverages laboratory. Social/Learning events for graduate students will be organized to also increase general knowledge on the opportunities available for fermented beverage analysis and production. Student recruitment will continue to increase hands on experieneces for both undergraduate and graduate students. Manuscripts and poster presentations will be prepared and submitted to journals and conferences in order to disseminate results from research activities and highlight student inolvement. Evaluation of changes made to fermentation modules based on previous feedback will be assessed. Effectiveness of the experiential learning activities will also be evaluated. Workshops on fermented beverages analysis will be developed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Instrumental capacity has been greatly enhanced with the purchase of analytical equipment (beer, hard liquor, and kombucha analyzer, automatic yeast cell counter, wine analyzer) and supplies (analysis kits, reagents, glassware) since the beginning of the project. With the purchased equipment, teaching modules in fermented beverage production and analysis have been developed in the Food Analysis course. Food Chemistry course has also seen the incorporation of laboratory sessions where instrumentation from the fermented beverages laboratory has been utilized. Experiential learning activities are the focus of the developed modules and laboratory practices. In addition to improving teaching resources, research opportunities have been developed for both graduate and undergraduate students in various programs across Cal Poly, these programs include: Food Science, Wine and Viticulture, and Chemistry. This project has improved hands-on laboratory skills for students and provided practical real-world knowledge on the production and analysis of fermented beverages. The use of experiential learning techniques has improved student learning and research skills. The project will allow students to graduate with both practical and theoretical knowledge of fermentation science, which can be used to make innovative and positive contributions to both industry and academia, and will also help increase career opportunities. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Goals Build instrumental capacity in our fermentation laboratory to measure analytical parameters in beverages produced through fermentation. Equipment and supplies were purchased to build the fermented beverages laboratory The laboratory is equipped with an Anton Paar Alcolyzer ME, an Anton Paar Lyza 5000 wine analyzer, a Cellometer X2 yeast cell counter and laboratory supplies which include analysis kits, reagents, and glassware. These purchases have allowed the analysis of analytical parameters in fermented beverages, including in process and final product parameters normally measured during fermented beverage productions. Through various classroom and laboratory instruction as well as research activities, the laboratory has provided students with hands on opportunities and training in the use of analytical instrumentation. Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysis. Fermentation modules have been developed and improved yearly for the Food Analysis course that all Food Science undergraduate students are required to take. These modules consist of a theoretical component on fermented beverages, as well as a practical component in which students are required to produce fermented beverages and monitor their progress and final quality using the equipment in the fermented beverages laboratory. After completing the fermentation module, students give a presentation on the fermented beverages developed, describing the production process and instrumental measurements, emphasizing their application and importance. The fermentation module has increased student hands-on training in laboratory techniques for quality control analysis of fermented beverages, as well as increased their knowledge of the fermentation process. Instructional videos on the use of the laboratory equipment and fermented beverage production have been developed with the help of undergraduate students to improve training. Laboratory activitieswhich feature the use of fermented beverage analysis euqipment have also been developed in the Food Chemistry course. These activities provide further hands on learning opportunities of students to learn the production and analysis of fermented beverages. Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. Research projects have been developed for both graduate and undergraduate students. Students enrolled in senior project have utilized the equipment to perform their research project. The fermented beverages laboratory currently has two graduate students working on brewing and hard cider making projects. These graduate level projects are possible thanks to the instrumental capacity of the fermented beverages laboratory. Undergraduate students have worked on various cider and brewing projects, with one project showcased at the 2024 CAFES Research Symposium. Two manuscripts are currently in preparation from these research projects.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Effect of Specialty Malts on Dry-Hopping in Beer
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Effect of Apple Pomace Co-Fermentation on the Volatile Composition of Cider

Progress 06/01/22 to 05/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Cal Poly undergraduate and graduate students in Food Science, Wine and Viticulture. Also, Cal Poly campus community and faculty participating in Beacon research scholars program. Efforts included formal classroom intruction, laboratory sessions, instruction, and experiential learning opportunities during elaboration of fermented beverages and their analysis during Food Science courses. Efforts also included poster presetnation at the Beacon Research Scholars poster presentation. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The laboratory provided research opportunity for a student in the BeACOn research scholars program. This program is designed for underrepresentedstudents to gain research experience. The student worked one on one with the project director for 2 quarters, and gained research experience as well as participated in the BEACoN research presentation symposium, where the research was shared with the campus community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through poster presentation at the BEACoN research symposium and through a website created for the fermented beverages laboratory. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Presentations will be prepared for undergraduate and graduate students to increase knowledge of the fermented beverages laboratory. Recruiting of students for research projects will take place to increase participation in the fermented bevereages laboratory. Manuscripts and poster presentations will be prepared to disseminate results from research activities and to highlight student involvement. Evaluation of changes made to fermentation modules based on previous feedback will be assessed. Effectiveness of the experiential learning activities will also be evaluated. Demonstrations and workshops on fermented beverages analysis will be developed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project is aimed at purchasing scientific equipment to build a fermented beverages analysis laboratory to enhance learn by doing, practical training, and research in fermented foods at California Polytechnic State University.The equipment purchased allowed for the development of teaching modules in the Food Analysis course which focused on analysis of fermented beverages. Additionally, hands on activities were developed to increase experiential learning opportunities. This was all possible thanks to the equipment purchased for students to get practical experience.Research opportunities have been developed for both graduate and undergraduate students in the Food Science program, as well as students from Wine and Viticulture and Chemistry.This project has improved hands-on laboratory skills for students and provided practical knowledge on the production and analysis of fermented beverages.The use of experiential learning techniques has increase faculty awareness of the technique and has improved student learning. The project will allow for students to graduate with theoretical and practical skills on fermentation science, which can be used to make positive contributions to both industry and academia, while at the same time increasing their career opportunities. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Goals 1) Build instrumental capacity in our fermentation laboratory to measure analytical parameters in beverages produced through fermentation. Equipment was purchased to fully establish the fermented beverages laboratory. The laboratory is now equipped with an Anton Paar Alcolyzer ME, an Anton Paar Lyza 5000 wine analyzer, a Cellometer X2 yeast cell counter and laboratory supplies. The purchase instrumentation allows for the analysis of analytical parameters in fermented beverages, including in-process and final product parameters normally measured during fermented beverage productions. Through various instruction as well as research activities the laboratory has provided students with hands on activities and training in the use of analytical instrumentation. 2) Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysis. Fermentation modules were developed for the Food Analysis course that all undergraduate students are required to take in their Food Science program. These modules consist of a theoretical component on fermented beverages, as well as a practical component in which students are required to produce a fermented beverage and utilize the equipment in the fermentation laboratory to monitor the process as well as perform final product analysis. After completing the fermentation module, students give a presentation on the fermented beverages developed, describing the production process and instrumental measurements, emphasizing their application and importance. The fermentation module has increased student hands-on training in laboratory techniques for quality control analysis of fermented beverages, as well as increased their knowledge of the fermentation process. Instructional videos on the use of the laboratory equipment have been developed with the help of undergraduate students to improve training. 3) Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. Graduate and undergraduate research projects have been developed in the fermented beverages laboratory. Students enrolled in senior project have utilized the equipment to perform their research project. The fermented beverages laboratory currently has one graduate student working on a thesis project on brewing, taking full advantage of the analysis capabilities the laboratory offers. Undergraduate students have worked on cider research, one project was showcased at the BEaCON scholar's poster presentation at Cal Poly, while a manuscript is currently in preparation from the other research project. An undergraduate student is currently starting a cider fermentation project. Opportunities for fermentation related research have increased as a result of the laboratory.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Effect of Apple Pomace Co-Fermentation and Pre-Fermentative Thermo-maceration on the Content of Phenolic Compounds in Hard Cider
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: The Effect of Yeast Selection on the Chemical and Sensory Properties of Hard Cider
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Webpage on department website describing the fermented beverages laboratory and its current members and activities

Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiencereached during this reporting period were Cal Poly undergraduate and graduate students in Food Science, Wine and Viticulture. Efforts to reach this audience consisted of formal classroom instruction, laboratory instruction, and experiential learning opportunitiesin the elaboration and analysis of fermented beverages as part of Food Science courses. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A website for the fermented beverages laboratory will be developed to feature the laboratory equipment and analysis capabilites now available to students at Cal Poly. Manuscripts will be developed from research projects in order to disseminate results from research activities performed in the newly built fermented beverages laboratory. Research projects for both undergraduate and graduate students will be developed in order to increase research capacity at Cal Poly. Resutls from surveys on experiential learning will be analyzed to determine success of the project as well as make any necessary revisions, improvements, or enhancements to the project activities. One on one training to students interested in fermentation science will be scheduled. Fermentation modules for Food Science courses will be developed and improved upon basd on feedback from this reporting period.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Thsi project is aimed at purchasing scientific equipment to build a fermented beverages analysis laboratory to enhance learn by doing, practical training, and research in fermented foods at California Polytechnic State University. The equipment purchased allowed for the development of teaching modules in the Food Analysis course which focussed on fermented beverates, additionally experiential learning opportunities were developed utilzing the equipment in order to increase student learning. The project has also allowed for the creation of resarch opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students in the Food Science program. This project has helped improve hands-on laboratory skills for students, and provided practical knowledge on the produciton of fermented beverages. In addition, the use of experiential learning techinques has increase faculty awareness of the effectivenness of this approach to teaching. The project will allow for students to graduate with theoretical and practical skills on fermentation science, which can be used to make positive contributions to both industry and academia, while at the same time increasing their career opportunities. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Goals 1) Build instrumental capacity in our fermentation laboratory to measure analytical parameters in beverages produced through fermentation. Equipment was purchased to modernize the fermented beverages laboratory. The laboratoy is now equiped with instrumentation capable of measuring analytical parameters of fermented beverages, which include in-processas well as final product parameters commonly measured during fermented beverage production. The laboratory now has the ability to provide students with practical training experience in the use of analytical instrumentation. 2) Provide experiential learning to enhance teaching and training in fermented beverage analysis. Fermentation modules were developed for the Food Analysis course that all undergraduate students are required to take in their Food Science program. These modules consists of a theoretical component on fermented beverages, as well as a practical component in which students are required to produce a fermented beverage and utilize the equipment in the fermentation laboratory to monitor the process as well as perform final product analysys. These module has increased student hands-on training in laboratory techniques for quality control analysis of fermented beverages, as well as increased their knowledge of the fermentation process. 3) Increase capacity for undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. The instrumentation is available for students to utilize during undergraduate and graduate research projects. Students enrolled in senior project have utilized the equipment to perform their research project. Additionally, a graduate student used the fermented beverages laboratory equipment in order to complete her research project on cider fermentation, a thesis is currenlty under review as a product of her research.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Under Review Year Published: 2022 Citation: THE EFFECTS OF CO-FERMENTATION OF CIDER AND APPLE POMACE ON CIDER ATTRIBUTES