Exploitation of microorganisms by the food and beverage industry

The food and beverage industry exploits non-pathogenic microorganisms for the production of fermented foods. These foods are prepared from raw or headed raw materials and acquire their characteristic properties by a process that involves microorganisms. In certain cases the endogenous enzymes of the wild microflora of the raw material may play a decisive role. 3It is believed that fermented foods originated from the Orient and date back to the prehistoric times. Originally, these were fermented "spontaneously" by autochthonous strains found in the raw materials or the environment; this was the start of traditional biotechnology. Historical reports show that long established artisanal and religious practices utilized cultures, which were very similar to the starter cultures applied today. The most important were cheese, yoghurt, wine, vinegar, beer, bread and the traditional fungal fermentation used in Asia and Africa, for the production of food. In general, all kinds of microorganisms are used for fermentations, but in Europe bacteria and yeasts are more commonly used than moulds. Through the ages, people gained more and more experience to control these processes and fermented foods became an independent class of foodstuffs. As regards taste, aroma, visual appearance, texture, consistency, shelf-life and safety, these different products possess characteristic properties compared to the raw materials or to other similar products. The use of fermented milks and cheese dates back many centuries, although there is no precise record of the date when they were first made. In the Bible there are various references to fermented foods. When the Patriach Abraham entertained three angels, he put before them soured and sweet milk (Genesis VIII, 8). Also, Moses having considered the food given by Jehovah to his people mentions the soured milk of cows and goats (Deuteronomy, XXXII 14), (Davis, 1952). Homer in Odysseus mentioned the production of cheese from the first cheesemaker of the world Polyfemus. From this period until today, cheese has become one of the most important fermented products of the world. The art of producing beers and wines has developed over 5000-8000 years. There must have been several independent discoveries on how fermented beverages arose from exposing fruit juice or cereal extracts to the air. The explanations for the fermentations were available during the nineteenth century but such did not promote a steady improvement in manufacturing techniques, but only in volume. During the height of the Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations some 4300 years ago, the details of brewing were well-illustrated. During Greek and later Roman domination, wine became an important item of international commerce. The beverages were attractive, particularly for those individuals who enjoyed few pleasures, in that they produced alcoholic euphoria (Hough et al., 1982).