FERMENTATION

BY

B.DEEPA

FERMENTATION
INTRODUCTION

Campbell-Platt (1987) has defined fermented

foodsasthose foodswhichhavebeen subjected to
theactionofmicro-organismsorenzymes so that desirable
biochemical changes cause significantmodificationto
thefood.
However, to the microbiologist, the term fermentation
describes a form of energy yielding microbial metabolism
in which an organic substrate, usually a carbohydrate, is
incompletely oxidised, and an organic carbohydrate acts
as the electron acceptor.

Fermented Foods
Micro-organisms

cause changes in the foods which:

Help to preserve the food

Extend shelf-life considerably over
that of the raw materials from
which they are made
Improve aroma and flavour
characteristics,
Increase its vitamin content or its
digestibility compared to the raw
materials.

Lactic Acid Bacteria

Major

group of Fermentative organisms.

This

group is comprised of 11 genera of gram-positive

bacteria:

Carnobacterium, Oenococcus, Enterococcus,

Pediococcus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus,
Vagococcus, Lactosphaera, Weissells and Lecconostoc

Related

to this group are genera such as Aerococcus,

Microbacterium, and Propionbacterium.

Lactic Acid Bacteria

While

this is a loosely defined group with no precise

boundaries all members share the property of
producing lactic acid from hexoses.

As

fermenting organisms, they lack functional

heme-linked electron transport systems or
cytochromes, they do not have a functional Krebs
cycle.

Energy

is obtained by substrate-level
phosphorylation while oxidising carbohydrates.

Lactic Acid Bacteria

The

lactic acid bacteria can be divided into two groups

based on the end products of glucose metabolism.

Those

that produce lactic acid as the major or sole product

of glucose fermentation are designated
homofermentative.

Those

that produce equal amounts of lactic acid, ethanol

and CO2 are termed heterofermentative.

The

homolactics are able to extract about twice as much

energy from a given quantity of glucose as the
heterolactics.

HOMOFERMENTATIVE FERMENTATION

HETEROFERMENTATIVE FERMENTATION

Lactic Acid Bacteria

All

members of Pediococcus, Lactococcus,

Streptococcus, Vagococcus, along with some
lactobacilli are homofermenters.

Carnobacterium,

Oenococcus, Enterococcus,
Lactosphaera, Weissells and Lecconostoc and some
Lactobacilli are heterofermenters

The

heterolactics are more important than the

homolactics in producing flavour and aroma
components such as acetylaldehyde and diacetyl.

Fermentation processes for preservation purposes,

encourage the
multiplication of lactic acid forming bacteria and their metabolic activities
in foods.
The acidification during fermentation can be obtained by two ways i.e.,
natural acidification and artificial acidification.

Natural acidification is achieved by a predominant lactic fermentation, which

assures the preservation based on acido-anabiosys principle.

Artificial acidification is carried out by adding acetic acid which is stable in

specific working conditions.
In this case biological principles of the preservation are acido-anabiosys and,
to a lesser extent, acido-abiosys.

Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains and is
believed to have its origins in the Caucasus Mountains.
Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix
of proteins, lipids, and sugars, and this symbiotic matrix forms "grains"
that resemble cauliflower. For this reason, a complex and highly variable
community of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts can be found in these
grains.

The yeast in kefir is able to deal effectively with pathogenic

yeasts in the body. The bacteria/yeast team cleanses and fortifies
the intestinal tract making it more efficient at resisting
pathogens.
Storage at 20 C is a good method to preserve kefir grains
for household manufacture of fermented milk.

KUMIS
Kumis is made by fermenting raw unpasteurized mare's milk
over the course of hours or days, often while stirring or churning.
Kumis itself has a very low level of alcohol, the common drink
of medieval Europe that also avoided the consumption of potentially
contaminated water.

During fermentation, the lactose in mare's milk is converted into lactic

acid, ethanol and carbon dioxide, and the milk becomes an accessible
source of nutrition for people who are lactose intolerant

MISO
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning producedby fermenting rice, barley,
and/or soybeans with salt and the fungus, the most typical miso being made
with soy.

Most of these products contain rice or barley fermented

by Aspergillus oryzae
The mixture is allowed to ferment for 3 months to 3 years, which
produces an enzyme-rich food.

Contains all essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.

Strengthens the immune system and helps to lower LDL
cholesterol.
High in antioxidants that protects against free radicals.
If refrigerated, Miso will last a very long time. Exact shelf life depends
on the salt and moisture content of the miso.

TEMPEH
One of the most important products of Indonesia is tempeh,
which is made from soybean fermented with the mold Rhizopus
It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process
that binds soybeans into a cake form.
Tempeh is a naturally
cholesterol-free food

High fiber content

Contains natural antibiotics
Good for diabetic patients

Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is the most well known German food. Sauerkraut is
finely sliced green cabbage that has been fermented by
lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and
Pediococcus). The fermentation process (also known as pickling)
gives the cabbage a distinct sour flavor, which is where it gets
the name Sauerkraut (sour cabbage).

Health benefits have been claimed for raw sauerkraut. It

contains vitamin C, and other nutrients.

Fermented Foods of India

Idli
Papadam
Dhokla
Jalebies
Kurdi
Kanji

Main advantage of Fermentation:

Reduction in anti-nutritional and toxic components in plant
foods by fermentation
It was observed in a research which showed " Cereals, legumes, and tubers that
are used for the production of fermented foods may contain significant amounts
of antinutritional or toxic components such as phytates, tannins, cyanogenic
glycosides, oxalates, saponins, lectins, and inhibitors of enzymes such as alphaamylase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin.
These components reduce the nutritional value of foods by interfering with the
mineral bioavailability and digestibility of proteins and carbohydrates.
In natural or pure mixed-culture fermentations of plant foods by yeasts,
molds, and bacteria, antinutritional components (e.g. phytate in whole wheat
breads) can be reduced by up to 50%; toxic components, such as lectins in
tempeh and other fermented foods made from beans, can be reduced up to
95%.

THANKYOU