Biotechnology has emerged as a major field few decades back but the art of science behind biotechnology primarily emerged with the discovery of natural process of fermentation by microorganisms. The microscopic world of microbes is diverse and huge as they are of multiple types classified into genus and species based on their morphological, biochemical and genetic abilities. They are helpful as well as harmful to the extremes for humans in many ways. Despite continuous efforts by biologists, their identity has been ambiguous and still a lot is waiting to be explored. Only 0.5% of the microbial world is known to us (Reade, 2012). Fermentation has posed many benefits like vaccine production, metabolite production, antibiotics, drugs, hormones, vitamins, biofuels, and much more offered by microorganisms that humans have utilized in various sectors to produce products like bread, vinegar, wine and beer.
Fermentation & Microbes
Fermentation is the process in which the microbial cells or the enzymes in the eukaryotic cells break down the complex organic molecules into simpler components releasing energy in form of ATP under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation of a food variety or any drinks is possible by multitudes of microorganisms at different geographical regions. Each combination of microbe and location on the same food product will yield a unique result that is on us to decide for utilization. To understand the relation between microbes and fermenting process, the physiological characteristics are studied rather than molecular characteristics like temperature for growth, pH, salt conditions, oxygen requirements, and nutrients. Food industry uses this process in bulk to enhance the flavours, shelf life and colours of the various food products.
Fermentation in Daily Life
Various food ingredients used in daily life can be fermented to produce other needed food products. Rice, wheat, honey, potato, corn are few of the many foods fermented to get beverages like wine and liquor. Yeast is a eukaryotic microbe that has been used in fermentation since ages. Bread and various batters are widely produced using yeast as fermentation source when added with sugar. Yeast ferments sugar and produced carbon di oxide that offers the fluffiness to batter and makes it rise and light. The probiotic supplements in fermented foods that compose of lactic acid producing bacteria offer the good bacteria to go inside the body (Mercola, 2016). Yogurt is the best example that is rich in health benefits and is produced via fermentation of milk through bacteria and each household is an expert in this process. The pickled fermentation of vegetables like onion, cabbage, turnips, squash, carrots and many more are examples of improving digestion.
Fermentation Process for Food Products
Microbes carry out the natural process of fermentation and it is explored at a large industrial scale in the food industry by humans to produce products. Huge fermenters of hundreds of litre capacity are employed that have regulations for temperature, pH, salts, oxygen, carbon di oxide, stirring to offer the accurate microbial growth condition. To further enhance the production, microorganisms have been genetically modified to GMO’s of desired traits that yield all the more purified products that have reduced the production costs like polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, monosidum glutamate and more (FAO, 2010 p.6). The growth pattern of microbial population is studied for each process that includes lag phase describing the adaptive period when microbes prepare for multiplication, then log phase when the population increases exponentially, followed by deceleration and stationary phases as the growth components in the medium start decreasing and toxins starts accumulating.
Moreover, the food processing using biotechnological techniques is not limited to taste and flavour but do ensures food safety, food quality, process control, yield, consistency and ethics for edibility. Conventional genetic modifications to Sacchromyces strains have substantially improved the production in beverage field, brewing and baking industries (FAO, 2010 p.6).
Despite the wide range of applications of biotechnological fermentation food processing, the recent genetic modification techniques are facing controversies in terms of ethics and food safety. The genetic modification is not considered safe due to various reasons of being added to a consumable food product that will anyhow enter the consumer’s body. The ethical issues revolve around the fact of manipulating a living entity for our benefit and then consuming the modified products that may pose harms in coming future to health.
References
FAO. Current Status and Options for Biotechnologies in Food Processing and in Food Safety in Developing Countries. FAO International Technical Conference. 2010. Accessed at http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/019/k6993e.pdf on 13 April 2016.
Mercola, Dr. J. Fermented Foods: How to Culture your Way to Optimal Health. 2016. Accessed at http://articles.mercola.com/fermented-foods.aspx on 14 April 2016.
Reade, Ben. Fermentation: Traditional Biotechnology. Nordic Food Lab. 2012. Accessed at http://nordicfoodlab.org/blog/2012/03/fermentation-traditional-biotechnology on 12 April 2016.
