抽象的

Enhanced shelf life with improved food quality from fermentation processes

Rajesh K Srivastava

Currently our consumers prefer good quality food products with extended shelf life which can be achieved by natural fermentation process. And fermentation process has helped the food products to develop the enhanced shelf-life with best nutritional or organoleptic properties and is attracted by world level people. Finished fermented foods have shown the improved microbial stability and safety with some capability to keep at ambient temperature and it has enhanced the nutritional or digestibility value to food with increased palatability for consumers. Natural food fermentation processes are done by diversity of fermenting microbial communities and shown their properties to make energetics process via improving product quality. It is a metabolic process for deriving energy from organic compounds without any oxygen molecules involvement. It has preserved the food materials via formation of organic acid (as inhibitory metabolites to avoid contamination) as reported in lactic acid fermented food as diet of developing nations. Bread, cheese, and sausages are example for fermented foods. Traditional fermented foods in recent times have shown many health benefits as vehicles of probiotic organisms and health-promoting metabolites. Fermented foods are promoted to prevent or cure a range of diseases from obesity to cancer. Kimchi have anticancer, antiobesity, antiaging and anticonstipation effects where as kefir can reduce lactose intolerance symptoms or cholesterol level with stimulation of the immune system and antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties. Bionade, flavored malt-based beverages are now available in market which is utilized by most of world level people. Other fermented food with starter culture of kombucha and Rythem, coconut milk-based and fruit juice-based beverages also found with kefir grains. Several soy- and cereal-based probiotic products are also available in the market in response to growing prevalence of allergies to dairy proteins, lactose and gluten intolerances and life style choices.