Preservation of
foods by fermentation (micro-organism) is a widely practical and ancient
technology. Fermentation ensures not only increased shelf life and
microbiological safety of a food but also may make some foods more digestible
and in the case of Cassava fermentation reduces toxicity of the substrate.
Lactic acid bacteria because of their unique metabolic characteristics are
involved in many fermentation processed of milk, mat, cereals and vegetables,
although many fermentation are traditionally dependent on inoculation from a
previous batch stated cultures are available for many commercial processes such
as cheese manufacture thus ensuring consistency of process and product policy.
It is anticipated that a contributing of the advances in lactic acid bacteria
research towards improvement of strains for use in food fermentation will
benefit both the consumer and producer.
PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS IN ANIMAL FEEDING FOR SAFE
FOOD PRODUCTION: Recent
outbreak of food borne diseases highlights the need for reducing bacteria
pathogens in foods of animal origin. Animal enteric pathogens are a direct
source for food contamination. The modulation of the gut microbiota with new
feed additives, such as probiotics and prebiotics towards host-protecting
functions to support animal health, is a topical issue in animal building and
creates fascinating possibilities. For the future, the most important target
within probiotic and prebiotic research is a demonstrated health-promoting
benefit supported by knowledge on the mechanistic actions. Combination of
suitable probiotic and prebiotic may prove to be the next step to reduce the
risk of intestinal diseases and remove specific microbial disorders.
WINE MAKING: the sugars in fruits such as grapes are
fermented by yeasts to produce wine. In wine making lactic acid bacteria
convert malic acid into lactic acid in malolactic fermentation in fruits with
high acidity. Acetobacter and gluconobacter oxidize ethanol in wine to acetic
acid (vinegar) saccharomyces cerevisae: stains will vary depending on the type
of wine, degree of fermentation desired, etc.
PRODUCTION OF BEER: Most commonly
found bacteria here is saccharomyces cerevisae and saccharomyces
carlsbergensis, beers are produced when complex carbohydrate are broken down
into simpler sugar before fermentation after the wort is produced through
series of processes with malt extract, the malt is allow to ferment with the
acid of selected strains of brewers yeast which are s. cerevisae, s.
carlsbergensis.
Sour cream,
yoghurt, kefir and kumiss are produced by lacto bacilli, streptococci, or
yeasts growing in low fat milk.
Sugar in bread
dough are fermented by yeast to ethanol and Co2, causes the bread to rise
sauerkrant, piddes, does and soy sources and microbial fermentation.
BREAD MAKING: They dough produced are allowed to
ferment by the yeast (micro-organism) utilizing the sugar to ethyl alcohol and
carbohydrate.
FOR VEGETARIANS: fermented foods serve as
palatable, proteins-rich meat substitutes which is the effect of microbiology
CONCLUSION
The relevance of
food microbiology in an emerging economy like us directly or indirectly very
important.
1.
in
food processing: our local wine like palm wine burukutu are made possible
through the help of food microbes through fermentation.
2.
our
diary milk: our dairy milk which provides us with protein is still with the
help of food microbiology that is been produced, the so called ‘kunu’ is just a
fermented cow milk of which food microbiology acted on.
3.
Some
food like yoghurt is made possible because of food microbiology.
4.
in
the baking industry: The dough are still allowed to ferment by the yeast which
is as a result of food microbiology.
5.
In
the traditional food industry: Some of our traditional drug made from the
combination of leaves and fruits are sometimes left for fermentation for
microbes to act on them before taking them, still the relevance of microbiology
to our Emerging Economy.
Some of our
traditional food industry where some of our local product are made, make use of
fermentation, e.g kunu making industry, burukutu etc.
References:
The Board of Begend of the University of Wisconsin system. Department of biochemistry and
food technology.
Budapest
university of Technology and Economics. Budapest - Hungary.