Microbes in the Food Industry |
Microorganisms | Biology
There are many useful application of microbes in the food industry.
They influence the quality, availability and quantity of food.
Microorganisms are used to change one substance to another which
is used as food, such as milk to yoghurt and cheese, sugar to wine
and bread.
Fermented Dairy Products:
Fermented milk is produced by inoculating pasteurised milk with
specific culture of microorganisms. The different fermented dairy
products include yoghurt and cheese.
Bacteria is used in Yoghurt Making:
Yoghurt is a dairy product which is produced by the bacterial
fermentation of milk. Most commonly, cow’s milk is used, though it
can be made from any kind of milk. It can be prepared from a
variety of milk including whole, skimmed, dried, evaporated or
semi-skimmed milk.
The milk sugar, i.e. lactose is fermented into lactic acid by the
friendly bacteria, Streptococcus salivarius, S. thermophilus and
Lactobacillus bulgaricus. These bacteria are collectively known as
lactic acid bacteria or LAB. The bacteria feed on the lactose and
release lactic acid as a waste product.
The acid cause the curdling of the milk protein, casein into a solid
mass called curd. The gel like texture and taste of yoghurt is due to
the fermentation of lactose to lactic acid. The increased acidity (pH
= 4-5) also prevents the proliferation of other potentially pathogenic
bacteria.
Both unpasteurised and pasteurized milk may be used for yoghurt
making. The use of unpasteurised milk maintains the healthy
balance of bacteria and enzymes of milk in its unprocessed state
under very carefully controlled temperature and environmental
conditions. To ensure complete fermentation two or more different
bacteria may be used together.
Yoghurt is often sold sweetened and flavoured, or with fruit added
at the bottom. The flavour varies in different countries.
a. Lassi is yoghurt-based beverage in India and is consumed either
salty or sweet. Salty lassi is usually flavoured with ground- roasted
cumin and black pepper powder, while the sweet variety is served
with lemon, mango or other fruit juice.
b. A lassi-like, salty drink called ayran is popular in Turkey and
Bulgaria and is prepared by mixing yoghurt with water and salt.
In India, Bulgaria and Turkey yogurt is prepared at home using a
small amount of plain active culture yogurt as the starter culture.
The milk is boiled to kill undesirable microbes. It is cooled to about
40°C. A tablespoon of starter culture is added and mixed
thoroughly. It is left undisturbed for about 6 hours.
Bacteria and Fungi are used in Cheese Making:
Cheese is prepared by inoculating milk with a starter culture
containing specific microorganisms. Cheese is a solid food made
from the milk of various animals, most commonly cows. Milk from
goat, sheep, reindeer and water buffalo may also be used. There are
several types of cheese.
Fermentation of milk leads to lactic acid production, which sours
the milk. This leads to coagulation of milk protein, casein. The solid
part of the milk produced by coagulation is known as curd and the
liquid is known as whey.
The curds can be separated and pressed into desired shape and
whey is used as food source for yeasts, which in turn can be
processed as cattle feed and is rich in protein and vitamins. The
cheese can be matured or ripened by the addition of bacteria or
fungi or both. The bacteria added reduce the pH, alters texture and
develops a flavour.
Coagulation can be controlled using rennet tablets, which contains
the enzyme rennin. Rennin is an enzyme present in the stomach of
Calves but now is also available in genetically engineered bacteria.
Coagulation can also be done using acids such as vinegar or lemon
juice.
Depending on the nature of the organism added, cheese is
of the following types:
a. Cheddar cheese is prepared by the addition of bacteria to enhance
its flavour and texture.
b. The use of mould fungi produces Roquefort cheese and blue
cheese
c. A combination of both bacteria and fungi produces camembert
cheese.
d. Swiss cheese is prepared by the addition of Propionibacterium
sharmanii. The big holes in the cheese is because of the production
of large amounts of CO2.
The natural colour of cheese ranges from off-white to yellow. Herbs
and spices may also be added to the cheese. Other factors that
contribute to a different flavours and styles of cheese are different
levels of milk fat, variations in length of aging, different processing
treatments and different breeds of cows, sheep or other mammals.
Cheese is sold in the form as slices or in blocks or as a thick fluid. In
addition, there is a class of cheese known as processed cheese or
cheese food. Processed cheese is similar to cheese, but contains
emulsifying salts acting as stabilisers. Heat treatment during the
manufacturing process gives processed cheese a mild flavour.
Other Fermented Foods:
Some important food produced in whole or in part by microbial
fermentation are pickles, sausages, etc. Different microorganisms
are added to specific stages of food production to produce the
desired effect. Moulds are used for the fermentation of rice to
produce a variety of oriental foods.
Yeast is used for Making Bread:
Yeast is a fungus that feeds saprotrophically. The enzymes secreted
by the yeast cell, digest food that contains sugar and minerals. Yeast
is used to make bread. When yeast is added to raising flour and
water, carbon dioxide is produced which gets trapped in the dough
prepared from the flour.
The dough rises and bread is made. The flour is usually made from
wheat and contains starch. Starch is the energy source for the yeast.
The flour also contains a protein called gluten, which forms sticky
stretchy threads as the yeast works on the sugar. The threads trap
the carbon dioxide and make the dough rise well.
Some commercial uses of yeast
Baker’s Yeast:
Yeast is used as leavening agent in baking since earlier times. The
most commonly used species is Saccharomyces cerevisiae because
of its ability to ferment sugar in the dough vigorously and to grow
rapidly. The carbon dioxide used during the fermentation is
responsible for the leavening or the rising of the dough. The
procedure of mass production of Baker’s yeast is elaborate under
controlled conditions of pH, temperature conditions.
Microorganisms as Food – Single Cell Protein:
Algae, yeasts and bacteria can be grown in large quantities to yield a
cell crop which is rich in protein known as single cell protein. The
protein may be used for human consumption or as animal feed. It
may be a useful source of minerals, vitamins, fat and carbohydrates.
The composition of the different SCP depends upon the organism
and the substrate on which it grows.
The advantages of using microorganisms as a food source
are:
a. They grow very fast and do not need much space as conventional
crops.
b. They grow on a wide range of cheap, waste products of
agriculture and industry such as petroleum products, methanol,
ethanol, sugar, molasses, waste from paper mills etc. The secondary
advantage is that they help in recycling the materials and thereby
clean up the wastes.
c. They are high yielding. In a growth medium of 1000 lb of yeast in
one day, many tonnes of protein is produced. This is about 10-15
times greater than soyabean and about 25-50 times greater than
corn.
d. The protein content of the cells is very high. Yeast cells have a
protein content as high as 40-50%; for algae the range is 20- 40%.
e. The proteins of the microorganism contain all the essential amino
acids.
f. Some microorganisms, particularly yeasts, have high vitamin
content.
g. Factors, such as climate do not affect them, since they do not
occupy large areas of land.
Pruteen was the first major SCP to be produced. It was produced by
a bacterium, Methylophilus methylotrophus. Methanol was used as
a source of energy and the temperature was maintained at 30-40°C
and pH at 6.7.
Pruteen was rich in essential amino acids and has high vitamin
content. It is twice as nutritious as soyabean meal and was used as
an animal feed.
Some disadvantages of using SCP:
a. The high nucleic acid content causes intestinal disturbances. It
can also lead to an increase in the uric acid in the blood that will
eventually lead to gout. Additional processing can be done to reduce
the nucleic acid content, but this would increase the cost.
b. Bacterial cells have small size and low density, which makes
harvesting from the fermented medium difficult and costly.
c. The taste is not acceptable for many persons. Individual taste and
customs make microorganism unattractive as a food to some
individuals.
Chocolate Making:
Chocolate is prepared with the help of microbes. Chocolate comes
from the seeds of cacao trees. These seeds are found in a white
fleshy pod. To remove the seeds out of the pod, the pod is allowed to
ferment with naturally occurring microbes that include yeasts and
bacteria such as Lactobacilli and Acetobacter.
