Microbial Fermentation: How Microbes Are Changing Food Production?

Josipa Primorac

Food Technologist

5 min read
Microbial Fermentation: How Microbes Are Changing Food Production?

Not all farmers are humans. In fact, some of the most efficient food growers are small, microscopic organisms. They have been here for decades, preserving our food and creating flavors we all love. Microbial fermentation in the food industry involves creating food or food ingredients using microorganisms like yeast, fungi, algae or bacteria. These microorganisms use organic material as a feed, growing in an oxygen-free environment inside the fermentation tank.

Today, scientists are introducing new ways of using microorganisms for food production, revolutionizing the food tech sector while addressing challenges such as the climate crisis, food insecurity, and feeding a growing population.

Tiny workers behind our favorite foods

Traditional fermentation is one of the most widespread processes in food production. Consider yogurt and cheese, for example. These dairy products are made by fermenting lactose, the main carbohydrate in milk. The process begins when lactic acid bacteria are introduced into milk, initiating a chain reaction. These bacteria feed on lactose and turn it into lactic acid. It thickens the milk into yogurt and causes it to curdle into cheese. Blue cheese is made with both bacteria and fungi. The fungi influence the cheese, creating a unique blue color and adding to its strong flavor. 

Fermentation isn't limited only to dairy. In the world of beverages, it's the key to producing beer and wine. When making beer, yeasts transform the sugars from grains into alcohol and carbon dioxide, a process known as alcoholic fermentation. The same process applies to wine, where yeast converts the sugars in grapes into the alcohol that fills our glasses during late-night book readings. Fermentation has applications beyond lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation; it is also used for creating seasonings for salads and other dishes.

Vinegar, a must-have item in many kitchens, is fermented in two steps; the process begins with the fermentation of sugars from apples, grapes, or other sources into ethanol. Next, acetic acid bacteria transform this ethanol into acetic acid, this time in the presence of oxygen, producing sour vinegar. Rather than being a one-size-fits-all method, fermentation is a diverse tool in food production.

Microbial fermentation is used not only for food production but also for producing enzymes, additives, chemicals, and therapeutics such as insulin, biofuels, and other bioconversion processes. Looking at these tiny but tireless workers, we can only appreciate and understand that even the smallest living organisms can have the highest impact and add value to the planet.

Using microbial fermentation as a winning formula

Considering the long history and ongoing advancements in the production of fermented products, scientists are now leveraging fermentation to innovate further and introduce exceptional and safe products to consumers. Innovations in microbial fermentation have enabled faster food production using fewer resources. Moreover, since 2020, we have witnessed increased demand for plant-based, non-animal, and environmentally friendly food products. 

As described above, traditional fermentation methods improve the flavor and functionality of plant-based ingredients, such as the centuries-old tradition of making tempeh from soybeans or fermenting vegetables for pickling. Nowadays, different cereal and legume-based materials are fermented, creating a nutritional, functional, and sensory-appealing base for alternatives to animal-based products. 

Biomass fermentation, on the other hand, uses the rapid growth rate of microorganisms to produce large quantities of protein-rich foods efficiently. For example, microorganisms like yeast, fungi or algae can be cultivated on substrates rich in sugar or by-products of the food industry. The final product of this process is a biomass-rich high-quality protein, known as yeast protein, fungal protein or algal protein. Some bacteria and algae produce food while utilizing carbon dioxide as a growth source instead of sugar! Solar Foods, Calysta, and Farmless use carbon dioxide and hydrogen to nourish microbes. 

Precision fermentation takes this a step further, programming microorganisms to act as miniature production factories, creating specific functional ingredients tailored to our needs. These ingredients include milk or egg proteins (from a plant-based source) or specific vitamins and food colorings. Some of the products developed so far are hemoglobin (Impossible Foods), whey protein (Perfect Day) and natural red colorings (Chromologics). 

Table 1. Different fermentation types

Different-fermentation-types

Just Grow It

Microbial fermentation is not only a cornerstone of ancient food preservation but also one of the most promising solutions for modern production.

By applying the power of microorganisms, food production becomes more sustainable, as the process often requires lessfewer resources than traditional methods, such as water and land. Furthermore, fermentation can improve the nutritional profile of foods by boosting nutrient content and digestibility and introducing beneficial microbes that promote the health of the digestive system. Fermented foods also have increased functional traits, such as better texture, flavor, and shelf life, which reduces the need for artificial additives and preservatives. 

However, the fermentation process is not without challenges. Ensuring food safety, meeting regulatory standards, and achieving consistent product quality are ongoing challenges. Most projects on biomass and precision fermentation products are conducted within academic or research institutions and start-ups, and complex technologies like these take years to come to an industrial scale. Yet, technological advancements and a growing understanding of microbial processes continue to push the boundaries of what fermentation can achieve.

If we dig deeper into the topic, it becomes clear that:

  • Innovative fermentation methods can play a leading role in providing the next generation of food products.
  • Alternative ingredients are not more processed than food we already know.
  • New technologies can enhance traditional food production methods and not necessarily replace them.

As we face global concerns such as climate change and food security, microbial fermentation offers realistic hope for the future of food production. Fermentation's potential to transform our food systems is more promising than ever. So, next time you have the opportunity to try a new food product made through fermentation, remember the little microbial friend that made it all possible. 

References:

  1. Mannaa M, Han G, Seo YS, Park I. Evolution of Food Fermentation Processes and the Use of Multi-Omics in Deciphering the Roles of the Microbiota. Foods. 2021 Nov 18;10(11):2861. doi: 10.3390/foods10112861. PMID: 34829140; PMCID: PMC8618017.
  2. Elhalis H, See XY, Osen R, Chin XH, Chow Y. Significance of Fermentation in Plant-Based Meat Analogs: A Critical Review of Nutrition, and Safety-Related Aspects. Foods. 2023 Aug 27;12(17):3222. doi: 10.3390/foods12173222. PMID: 37685155; PMCID: PMC10486689.
  3. Teng TS, Chin YL, Chai KF, Chen WN. Fermentation for future food systems: Precision fermentation can complement the scope and applications of traditional fermentation. EMBO Rep. 2021 May 5;22(5):e52680. doi: 10.15252/embr.202152680. Epub 2021 Apr 27. PMID: 33908143; PMCID: PMC8097352.
  4. The Good Food Institute. 2023 State of the Industry Report. Fermentation: meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy.\

Further reading:

Beneficial Microbes in Food Preservation

White Wine Vinification

 


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