Optimization of fermentation medium is considered one of the research focuses in modern fermentation industry.Nowadays lots of statistical methods and optimization techniques have been widely applied in the fermentation medium optimization.Among them,orthogonal design,uniform design,response surface design and artificial neural networks are the most common methods.Depending on different research purposes,proper designs were selected to achieve the best results.This paper summarized a comprehensive description of characters of these common methods in fermentation medium optimization.Differences and relatedness among them are also discussed in terms of selection criteria for practical purpose.