Food Fermentation Technologies

Fermented food products make up a significant part of the diet in developing nations and the Far East. In the West, with the exceptions of bread, cheese, and sausages, fermented foods have largely faded to the sidelines with the advent of modern technologies such as refrigeration. Nevertheless, there is a renewed interest in traditional fermented foods in recent times, mainly driven by the purported health benefits of fermented foods both as vehicles of probiotic organisms and health-promoting metabolites. The term fermentation sometimes refers specifically to the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol, producing alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and cider. However, similar processes take place in the leavening of bread (CO2 produced by yeast activity), and in the preservation of sour foods with the production of lactic acid, such as in sauerkraut and yogurt. Fermentation in food processing is the process of converting carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids using microorganisms—yeasts or bacteria—under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation usually implies that the action of microorganisms is desired. The aim of the book is to provide an in-depth study of the principles of food and fermentation technologies and recent advances and developments in the field of fermentation technologies, focusing on industrial applications. The book would be of great interest to the post-graduate students and researchers of food technology, applied biology, biotechnology, microbiology, biochemical and chemical engineering.