My name is Keshawnna Moore and i'm a 3rd year student enrolled at Alverno College. I am currently taking a Microbiology class that requires me to write a blog explaining a particular topic that relates to microbiology. I will be focusing on the use of microorganisms in food production here in the Untied States.
How long have Microorganisms been around?
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(Totora,2011, p. 8). These two discoveries deal with microorganisms colonizing in certain things on their own. However, I want to discuss the Microorganisms that are PURPOSELY used and required to make certain foods using practices such as fermentation. Microbes being used in foods sold to the general public requires certain monitoring and research being done on the safety of using microbes to produce foods. The International Dairy Federation (IDF) published a list of the microbial species used to produce dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese (Bourdichon et al., 2012). This organization among others offers a detailed list of microorganisms used in food production beyond dairy products that the IDF focuses primarily on.
Most common process for Microbial Food Production: Fermentation
Fermentation is a process that involves a microorganism (yeast or bacteria) that converts sugars to alcohol without the use of oxygen (Tortora, 2011, p. 8). Some examples of fermented foods are bread, cheese, yogurt, ketchup, sour cream, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, pickles, The process of fermentation has many benefits such as preserving foods, preventing food from spoiling, and also help foods retain nutrients. I will go more in depth with a very common food product that uses the process of fermentation to produce yogurt.
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Fermentation of Yogurt Step by Step (Using Live & Active Cultures)
(Katz, 2012) Chapter 3
(Katz, 2012) Chapter 3
- Allow a starter culture of bacteria such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus to warm at room temperature.
- Heat milk, gradually stirring, to kill bacteria found in the milk so that it won't interfere with the Lactobacillus that will be added later.
- Allow milk to cool before adding the Lactobacillus.
- Slowly introduce the Lactobacillus into the cooled milk and stir.
- Allow milk and Lactobacillus mixture to incubate and begin to curdle. This is the process of fermentation.
As the Lactobacillus colonize in the milk it forms this thick creamy texture and tangy taste that we associate with plain yogurt. Yogurt companies normally add sweeteners and fruit and this becomes the yogurt that consumers purchase at their local grocery stores. I used this example of yogurt fermentation to show the important role that microorganisms play in producing this simple food product such as yogurt. Here is also a video to demonstrate these steps....
Society's view on Microorganisms in Food!
Pickle everything! Microorganisms make life better! “@knbaughman: More pickles in '14? Yes, please! #NC food trends. http://t.co/bxhfr1Vrru”
— Jay Pierce (@L32SK) January 3, 2014
We're all aware of ads for probiotic drinks but these benign microbes play a wider role in food production and health http://t.co/kpf0ChLLys
— h2g2 Guide Editors (@h2g2_Guide) June 25, 2013
Microbes have such a bad reputation with the human population when it comes to diseases, viruses, and other pathogenic strains. However, microbes also play a beneficial role in the health and well being of our society. Not all microorganisms cause negative affects when introduced into the human body, and certain microorganisms (bacteria) are needed in our body to maintain our normal flora. These are considered good bacteria. When a person doesn't have enough of the good bacteria because of taking things like antibiotics, which aim to kill both good and bad bacteria, they need a way to recolonize the growth of the good bacteria that they've lost. This leads to the use of probiotics or foods produced using these kind of bacteria to be eaten in order for the body to regain its normal flora. I believe society does value and respect the role that certain microorganisms play in making certain food products better. However, everyone is not properly educated or aware of the good bacteria and yeast that are essential to making foods and therefore may not value them as much as someone who has been educated on this topic. |
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What Microorganisms are used in foods?
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The International Journal of Food Microbiology offers a list of microbes beneficial to humans that include some bacteria used in food production. To view this click HERE
An article about starter cultures (used in fermentation) and probiotics that explains how each are important to humans. It can be accessed HERE
References
Bourdichon, F., Casaregola, S., Farrokh, C., Frisvad, J., Gerds,
M., & Hammes, W. (2012). Food fermentations: Microorganisms with
technological beneficial use. International
Journal of Food Microbiology, 154(3),
87-97.
Katz, S. E. (2012). The art
of fermentation: An in-depth exploration of essential concepts and processes
from around the world. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green.
Tortora, G. J. (2011). Microbiology
: An Introduction (11th ed.). Pearson.
Picture References
http:4.bp.blogspot.com/_ld3aY6QXFfY/TI0JQUtbwmI/AAAAAAAAFzI/RWNTGmCD0SQ/s1600/Bread+inside+Plastic+Bag.jpghttp://academic.pgcc.edu/~kroberts/Lecture/Chapter%205/05-23_ProductsOfFerment_L.jpg
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/r-giro/eng/common/images/projects/food/main-microorganisms.jpg
