Thomas Becker studied Technology and Biotechnology of Food at the Technische Universität München (TUM, Germany). He finished his diploma thesis in 1991 and obtained his PhD in 1995 in the area of biotechnological process control. Afterwards he was a Postdoc and finished his abilitation on bioprocess engineering at the TUM. Thomas Becker became a professor for process analysis and cereal technology in 2004 at the University Hohenheim. In 2009 he became head of the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology at the Technische Universität München. Prof. Becker has published more than 120 publications in peer reviewed journals and around 360 oral and poster presentations. He is a member in various scientific and industrial boards as well as varying journals. Prof. Becker´s main research areas are in the fields of brewing and beverage technology, bioprocess technology, process analysis, process engineering and cereal technology.

The chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology set the goal to accompany the new challenges of modern food production with scientific methodology. The ambition of this research is to verify the characteristics, with all of its interactions between the provided and processed complex vegetable food- and beverage matrix and the physico- chemical and biological reactions in procedural and process engineering context. The aim is to achieve a better understanding of the interactions of the raw material grain (in particular malt), the resulting product- and process characteristics, and the final product. Keywords are therefore flavor-process-engineering, raw material and product design, food safety, and current issues of the legislature with all of the therein associated implications. Researchers want to dedicate their selves to the requirements of consumer expectations and the increasing importance of techno- and bio-functionality. In particular, it is planned to use new fermentation consortia. Why shouldn’t it be possible to use grain to develop additional product spectra? Under consideration are grain shakes or protein shakes with a cereal/vegetable raw material basis, or other (bio-) functionalized beverages or cereals. Additionally, the potential of techno-functionalization from grain fractions or their ingredients are considered, with all of the associated opportunities of brewing, beverage or cereal industries.

This is in conjunction with the growing “whole grain, green labeling” development. This will be seen to be completely out of context, as the liquid or solid final product will be produced from grain. Therefore, novel, alternative imaging techniques, the important structural and biotransformational processes from corn to final product are analyzed at the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology. Researchers are dedicated to advanced process technologies (e.g. continuous processes, novel structuring processes, novel bioprocesses, innovative process management), and certifying to what extent they derive gains to the industry. Through the use of novel analyzing methods, the qualification of raw materials from the cultivation of plants to the final products is given a superior going-over. Therefore five working groups were established, which are dealing extensively with this research approach and in almost any constellation to be available for possible co-operation partners:

• Process engineering and beverage dispensing equipment
• Raw material related process and product design with malting
• Beverage oriented biotechnology
• Cereal technology and engineering
• (Bio-)Process technology and process analysis

The Institute of Biochemical Engineering is dealing with all aspects of the technical use of biochemical reactions. The focus is on bioreactors and biocatalysis, as well as fermentation and bioprocess integration. Laboratories and technical facilities (“Biotechnikum”) with the complete infrastructure for the cultivation of microorganisms and cells from 1 mL - 200 L scale enable the Institute of Biochemical Engineering to analyze microbial reactions at a laboratory as well as at a semi-technical scale. An interdisciplinary team of scientists (biotechnologists and chemical engineers) work on improving their understanding of bioprocesses and the development of new biotechnological products and processes in close cooperation with scientific and industrial partners from the chemical, pharmaceutical, and process industries. Scientific focus:

• Micro-bioprocess engineering
• Biocatalysis
• Fermentation
• Gasfermentation
• Bioprocess integration