Extreme Biochemistry is part of the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology. (www.uovs.ac.za/biotech).

The current department arose from the merger in 1988 of the departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry (both founded in the early 1960s), and the more recent merger with the departments of Food Science and Consumer Science in 2002. The department was awarded the status of a MIRCEN (Microbiological Resources Centre) by UNESCO in 1996. 

The department comprises 23 academic staff with approximately 80 post-graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. We offer training in the broad disciplines of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Food Science and Consumer Science at an undergraduate level as well as at B.Sc. Hons., M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. A particular strength of the department is the close association between the disciplines of biochemistry and microbiology, resulting in a dynamic interchange of ideas and expertise. 

The focus of the different research groups in the department is on various facets of microbial, biochemical and food biotechnology, including yeast physiology and taxonomy, biocatalysis, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, extremophiles, chromatin structure and gene expression, food chemistry, bacteriology & biotechnology, lipid biotechnology, fermentation biotechnology and veterinary biotechnology.

Extreme Biochemistry is one discipline that concentrates on a multidisciplinary approach that includes geomicrobiology, geochemistry, phylogenetic analysis, metagenomics, protein chemistry, molecular biology and applied microbiology.