THE MICRO-ORGANISMS that act on foods

may be divided into two general groups:

(1) Those bringing about spoilage/

deterioration

(2) those employed by man as a means of

p:-eservation.
'
 Food Preservation
Food preservation is an action or method used to maintain
foods at certain desirable properties or quality to obtain
maximum benefit.
A good method of food preservation is one that slows down or
prevents altogether the action of the agents of spo ilage without
dan1aging the food.
Food preservation has been an essential activity thro ughout
hun1 an history. The cycle of seasons brings pe riods o f shor tage
a nd abundance of various foods at different times of th e year.
Preservation nlakes it: possible to cons um e s ome of th ese
foods during off seasons, throughout the year.
Food preservatio n usually invo lves controll ing o r preventing
growth of n1icrorganis ms or minimizing the quali ty degradation
due to microbial spoilage o r unwanted che n1i cal changes in
foods such as ra ncid ity due to oxidation o f fats ove r tin1e.
 Principles of Preservation
All that inactivates the enzymes as well as
microorganis ms to control spoilage forms the basis of
preservation techniques. In the preservation of foods
by various methods, the following general princmples
are involved (Khurdiya and Roy 1986).
* Prevention or delay of microbial
decomposition

* Prevention or delay of self-

decomposition of the food
Prevention of damage by insects,
animals, mechanical causes, etc
 Prevention or delay of microbial
decompositio n 1

•:• By keep ing out n1 icroorga nisn1s (asepsis)

•:• By removal of microorganisrns eg filtration,
centrifugation, washing or tri1nn1i11g
•:• By hindering the growth and activity of
microo rganisms. for exan1ple, by low temperature
(refrigeration and froze n storage), dryi ng
/dehyd rati on, fermentatio n, chemicals
'
preservatives
•:• By killing the n1icroorganis ms eg- thermal
processing, irradiation, hurdle technology etc
 Prevention or delay of self-de·composition of
the food
•!• By destruction or inactivation of enzymes, as by
blanching, sulphiting
•!• By prevention or del,ay of che111ical reactions, for
example, prevention of oxidation by means of an
antioxidant

Prevention of damage by insects, animals,

• mechanical causes etc
 Fermentation
It is the decomposition of
carbohydrates by microorganism
or their enzymes
 Fermentation
Food fern1entation represents one of the oldest known uses of
biotechnology in food processing and prese rvation (Campbell-
Platt, 1994). Microorgan is111s such as bacte ri a, yeast, 111ould are
used in the production of traditional ferrnented food which can
be dated back n1any centuries, with early evidences of the
alcoholic fern1entations of barley to beec grapes to wine
(Ca.rnpbell-Platt 1994) and the production of yoghurt and cheese
(Fleet, 2007).
Fern1ented foods have contribu ted to approxi rnately one-third of
the hu111an diet worldwide, with dairy, cereal and beverage
products don1inaling around the globe (Can1pbell-Platt, 1994).
So me exa111ples of fennented foods are Ind onesian te,npe,
Malaysia l<icap and belachan, Japanese 1niso, Korea n
kimchi, cassava, sa uerkra ut, yogurt, vinega r, wine, cide r,
beer, Chinese soy sause, hum-choy (Steinkraus, 2002) and
Puer tea (Abe, 2008).
 FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGY

Fe rn1enta ti o n is o ne s uch technology th at has been

developed indige nous ly fo r a wide ra nge of food
con1m odities (H esseltine, 1981). These in clude
cereals, legumes, root crops, fruits, vegetables and
dairy products.
As a uni t opera tio n in food processing, ferm e nta tio n
offers a la rge number of adva ntages, including food
~

preservatio n, i111proved food safety, enha nced fl avo ur

a nd acceptability, increased variety in th e diet,
itnproved nutritional value, reduction in anti-
nutritio nal compounds a nd in so me cases, improved
fun ctional prope rties also (Wes tby et al., 1997).
Product UDlf Courry llajor lllcroorp:nlsms Usa:t RdtrtDCt
i.DCJ'fdltnts
Almagro Simo. Meditt1:nneat1 Eggplant Locrobaci/lllS /,nn,nnm,, L Plalc Siochtl Cl al (2000)
eggplants cow:uncs bm•Js. L. pll1ntarvm
Gundruk IDdia.Nq>al l..taf)• green Pldiococcus and Side dish Bancoc:k and Azam-AJJ
\"tgctablt Lactobaallusc,1/ob1osus, L (1998). Tamang ti al
(mumrd) pl_antanon (2005)
Buroog lllUStlSa Philippmes MUSQfd Lb bm?S, Sahd,Stde K.aro.,tovi and
Pldtococcusc,mi.sttJ, dish KobaJdova (2003)
Camuoi V.euwn Eggplant, salt, Lb fam,nrum, Lb f'61tOSJJS, Stde dish Nguym cul (2013);
supt L bm1.S 5cscm ct al (2001)
Duamuo1 Vicmam MUSQfd bttt. Lb /tnnllllll1fl, Lb f'61tOSJJJ, Side dish Let (1997)
sail Lb pltmtanrm
Dakguadoog MUst3rdlcafsalt Lb pfantannn Salad. Side Let (1997)
-.. dish
Kanp Blac.kcmot Locrobaalhts plantarum, Bc•.-mgc Sura ct al (2001); Scth1
Locrobacllhts para- (1990a)
ca.sf/ subsp paracosfl.
Lalrononoan,s,nt,rotd,s
subsp 1'11Sllltll'OldfS,
Pldloc«cusf'61(0S4C,OCIUS,
and Lactoboctl/MJ
dflbrwd/1 subsp
dtlb111,cb1
 (Contmu,d)
Product name Country Major Mkroorganisms Usage Refertnce
ingredients
Khalp1 Ncpal. lndi. CUcumbcr L. Jal/ax, P. pentosaceus, Ptckk Twng ti 11 (2005)
Lacrobac11/11s bmts,
Lactobacil/11s plantanon
Kunchi Korea Kort.111 cabbage, L. mssenterotdes,Lb brews, Salad, Side Kim and Chun (2005)
r.1dlsb, various Lb.pl011tanon dlsh
vegetables, salt
Salltftraul Europe, USA Cabbage, salt Leuconostocm,senrm,d,s, Salad, Side CaplJce and F1tzgcrald
Lactobaclllus bre\'IS, dtsb (1999)
Lactobacill11S p/011tanon
Sulkl Nq>al,ln<m ' R.dtsh tap roo1s Lactobac,l/11S bm·,s, Soup, ptcklt Tamang tt al (2005)
Lactobacil/us plancanon,
Lbcasei, LJal/ax
Sbalgam Mey Tunup, carro~ Lb. bmis,Lb. d1/broecbi Bt\trage Tanguler and Ertcn
sail subsp. d1/bro«bt and Lb. (2012)
fermentum
 FERMENTATION MICROORGANISMS
Microorga nis ms that invo lved in th e fern,entation process
play a key role in detern,ining types of co1npounds or
products for111ed. Compounds that are for111ed during
fern1entation include organic acids, alcohol, aldehydes and
ketones (Ca mpbell-Platt, 1994).
Microorganis 1ns that are industrially impo rtant and
con1monly used in food fermentations include the fo llowing.
rte Lactobaci/lus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc,
tactococcus, Bacillus.
Yeast: Saccharomyces, Candida, Torulopsis.
Mold: Asperg illus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Mucor.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FERMENTATION
Steinkraus (1997) classified fermentation based
on the major products that are formed during the
fermentation process, such as:
► Lactic acid fermentation
► Alcoholic fermentation
► Aceti racid fermentation
► Alkaline fermentation
 CLASSIFICATION OF FERMENTATION
Steinkraus (1997) classified fermentati on based
on the major products that are formed during the
fermentation process, s uch as:
• Lactic acid fermentation
• Alcoholic fermentation

• Acetic acid fermentation

'
• Alkaline fermentation
 Akot-ol,c
• •
i-f'rnw,nt.st,on

L.)~· l .)(~
~r!•c iCld
1Pfr1t><i!Jhcr,
ferm.-r!a!IOn

An illustration of the various types of fermentations, based on microorganisms,

fermentation condition and end product. Source: Anal [2019).
 Alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic Yeasts
(wine, beer)

Lactic add Lactic acid

lacticacid bacteria (yogourt)
Fermentation
Acetic add Acetic acid
Acetic acid bacteria (vinegar)

Amino-acids
Alkaline
(Japanese natto)
 Lactic acid fermentation
Lactic acid fermentation is
an anaerobic intra-
molecular oxidation
process by which sugars
such as glucose, fructose,
sucrose etc. are converted
into cell ular ener gy and th e
1n etabolic byprod uct lactate
by lactic acid bacteria
C6H1206 Lactic acid bacteria 2C H3 CHOH COO H\
Glucose _ _ _ _ _ _ __ .
Lactic Acid
Vegetables like
cabbage, cauliflower, carrot,
Turnip, radish, cucumber, tomato,
onion, garlic and fruits like
mango, apple, lime, pear etc
are suitable for lactic acid
fermentation.
The lactic acid bacteria are group of
spherical (cocci) or rod-shaped
(bacilli), gram-positive, catalase-
negative, immobile, nonsporulating,
anaerobic, aerotolerant, and
producers of lactic acid (the main
metabolite generated during the
fermentation of sugars by these
bacteria).
 Fermented Products
Fermentation processi11g of h eads of white
cabbage (Brassica oleracea va r. capitata L.) and
cucumber (Cu cumis sativus L.) for the production
of sauerkraut ('sour herb' or 'sour cabbage' as
kl1own in Germany) a nd pickles resp ectively, is
commonly practised in Western countries.
In Africa few vegeta ble leaves like those
from cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] a nd
African kale [Brassica carinata A. lBra uq] are
subj ected to fermentation before consumption
(Kasangi et al., 2010; Oguntoyinbo et al., 201 6b).
Th e consumption of traditionally fermented foods
s uch as sauerkraut, yogu rt etc has been associated
with several health benefits, but direct evide nce for
the benefits of various foods remains limited.
Intake of fermented foods has been associated with
weight maintenance (Mozaffarian et al., 2011) and
a reduced risk of type 2 di.abetes (Chen et a l.,
2014) and cardiovascular disease (Tapsell, 2015),
with several randomized, controlled trials
s uppo rting a causal link between fermented foods
a nd improvement in metabolic parameters ( et., Kim
et al., 2011).
 Two type of Lactic acid fermentation
------
(Axelsson, 1998) - - - - - - -
Homolactic ferm entation Heterolactic fermentation

One molecule of glt1cose One molecule of glucose

is co nverted into two is converted into one
molecules of lactic acid. molec11le of lactic acid,
one molecule of
ethanol, and one
molecule of carbon
•
dioxide
Before lactic acid f ermentation can occur, the molecule ofg lucose must
be split into two molecules ofpyruvate. This process is called glycolysis.
 glycolysls
CYTOPLASM
Oxygen 2 Pyruvates
present No 0 2 present 0 2 present
Cellular Fermentation Cellular respiration

Respirati on
(aerobic)

Oxygen )
Anaerobic
not present Fermentation
Anaerobic (Lactic Acid
Fermentation or Alcoholic)
 .. --.-....
Aerobic
@) Fermentation ethanol 2 @)
respiration
2NAD • j
! g :::gH ·2H ' lactic aci d 2@
~ 2ADP , 2Pt • 2NAD I -.f
2NAOH · H
2@)
C> 2ATP : 2NADH+ H ---4
J--2@) ·
2(§) - Ol 1081obtc ► 2(§) 2(§)
I
:
Conc:li110nS ••••• ! ........... .
•
Of
....... .
. ..... ..
'-. A
OOfobtc
I 2NADH + 2H
•
2NAD H ' Pi A.DP
..
_.,.-;:-:.:.:.:::::=
T Pl A.DP
OJCldacJve 2@
decarboxylatlon 2-NAD 3H '
o f pyruvate @ , ~2-NAOH + 4 H
2
2(§)
\, H,o - -........,•
½0, - - - "
6NAO 4H '
6NA.DH+6H"
·--0,
Krebs cycle
Xyt6CN'cl/ TC.A
2FAO
2FAOH,
2GDP 2P'I
•2GTP
FAD--........,

NAO
2H '

4H '

NADH + H '

electron tfonspo,t cnon (ETC)

 Major lactic acid bacteria involved lactic
acid fermentation Source (Beuchat, 1995)
Homorermeoter FacuJtative Homorermeoter Obligate Heteroferme nter

Enterococcusfaecium Lactobacil/us b,a varicus Lactobacillus brcvis

Enterococcusfaecalis Lactobaci/I us casei LactobaciII us buch ne ri

Lactobaci/lusacidophilus Lactobacil/uscoryniformis Loctoboci//uscef/obiosus

Lactobacillt1s /actis Lactobaci/luscun,atus Lac:tobaci//uscon/uses

Lactobacil/usdelbrueckii Lactobaci/1us p.la nta rum Lactobaci II us coprophiI us

lactobacillr1s sa /ivorius lactobaci/fussake lactobaciflusfermentatum

Padiococcus pentocacus lactohaciII us so nfra ncisco

Streptococcus thermophilus
•
l euconostoc dextranicum

Pediococcusacidilactici leuconostoc mesenteroides

Pedicoccw,domnos11s J.e11conostoc parnmesenteroldes

According to Demiyr et al., 2006 the main
environmental factors which affect growth
and acidification by lactic acid bacteria are :
□ Temperature
1

□ Degree of exposure to air

□ Concentration of fermentable
carbohydrates
□ pH
□ Presence of naturally inhibitory ~
compounds in raw vegetables
 FACTORS INFLUENCING FERMENTATION
PROCESS

1. Water Activity
2.pH
3. Temperature
4. Salt
 1. Water Activity
• Water Activity (aw) is an index of the ava ilability of
water for ch emical reactions and microbial growth
(Banwart, 1989).
• The values of water activity (aw) ranged from O to 1.
• The water activity of foods is reduced by drying or by
adding solutes such as salt, as in cured products, or
sugars, as in co nserves, or by combinations of these
treatments. The solute used to lower th e aw affected
the gr owth of microorganisms.
• For eg increase in salt may exert a greater o~smotic
pressure outside the microbial cell and res ult in cell
degradation.
 3. Temperature
Temperature is one of the most important
environmental factors that regulates the
growth of microorganisms.
Pederson, 1979 reported that temperature
inflttences the
• Cell size
• Metabolic product such as pigments and
toxins,
• Nutritional requirement
• Enzymatic reactions
• Chemical composition of cell
The ideal temperature is between 15 and
20°C. Lower temperatures will hamper the
start of fermentation and higher
temperatures can cause an accelerated acid
production, which can lead to products with a
typical flavour.

Sauerkraut fermented at temperatures of 13

to l8°C will be superior in quality to that
fermented at 24 °C and above, since the
hetero-fermentative LAB grows better at
lowe1· temperatures (Fleming et al., 1985).
 4. Salt
• Salt has the capability t o change the osn1otic
pressure.

• Salt withdraws water and nutrients fr on1 the

tissue. The nutrients serve as substrates fo r
growth of lactic .acid bacteria.

Sa lt+ Acid formed

'
Inh ibiti on of growth of undesira ble microorgan is ms
and delays enzymatic softening of the product.
 Fer1ne11tation of Vegetables with Salts
(Flemings, 1982)
Fermented Salt concentration used during
Vegetable
Fermentation Storage
Cabbage 2-3% 2-3%
(dry salt) (dry salt)

Cucumber, Olives, 5-8% 8-1 6°/o

Chilli peppers (salt solution) (salt solution)

Bell pepper, onion, 16-26°/o 16-26%

cauliflower (salt solution) (salt solution)
 Sauerkraut
Saue rkra ut {Pronuncialion ,
saw·uh·kravvtJ is a Ge rman wo rd t hat r
sim ply mea ns sour white cabbage. It
is the traditio nal fe rme nted product
pre pa red with s hredded cabbage
(Brassica oleracea). The fe rn1enta tio n is
d one by va rious lactic acid bacte ri a,
includin g Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus
and Pediococcus.
Cabbage used fo r saue rkraut p re pa ratio n mus t be so und, ripe
a nd well-leafed w ith a total s uga r level of about 24°k. s ta rts.
Optimum te mpe ra ture for fe rme nta tio n is about l 8°C with a
fina l acidity of 1.0- 1.8% with pH va lue 4.1 or lowe r. The
1n ax it11um acidity of about 1.5% lactic acid maybe obtain ed in
4-6 weeks.