Food Microbiology

Biography

Biography: Ahlam Badreldin El Shikieri

Abstract

One of the oldest forms of food preservation methods in the world is fermentation. Many countries use microorganisms to ferment indigenous foods for many reasons including increasing the shelf-life and enhancing the taste and texture thus enriching the human diet, avoiding losing raw materials, reducing cooking time, improving protein quality and carbohydrate digestibility as well as eliminating toxic and anti-nutritional factors such as cyanogenic glycosides. In the Asian continent, taking Indonesia as an example, fruit and vegetables, soybean, rice and cassava, pork, buffalo and mare milk are all being fermented using lactic, mould or alcoholic fermentation. Moreover, the African region is considered having the richest varieties of lactic acid fermented foods including cereals, legumes, tuber roots, milk, fish and meat. Sudan, one of these countries has around 60 fermented foods items. Long time ago and until now, special concentration is being put on the benefits of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to human health; one of which is probiotics. The latter has important roles to play including lowering blood cholesterol levels, preventing and treating diarrhea and altering the immune system. It has been shown that LAB is associated with vitamins’ enrichment and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The last properties are being associated with the protection against various diseases including hypertension, altered mood, depression and other chronic conditions. Several factors might contribute to the safety of fermented foods thus affecting the human health and need not be neglected. In this presentation, selected types of fermentation, fermented food products in selected countries and the health implication of the intake of fermented foods will be presented.