Foods from bacteria

Today’s industrial fermented foods have their origins in much older processes. Foods that use bacteria in their production include soy sauce (Pediococcus species), cheese, yogurt (Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Bifidobacterium species as well as many others), sauerkraut (Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc species), and the traditional manufacture of vinegar (Acinetobacter species). In general, prokaryotes are used to acidify foodstuff to allow storage, and a table of foods made by microorganisms is shown in Table 1.

                                                                   Table 1.  Microbes  in the food industry

Bacterial food fermentations are generally complex and involve a succession of different organisms to render the final product palatable. The process rarely involves bacteria alone, but the production of fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) uses bacteria with progressively higher tolerance to acid. Streptococcus faecalis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides initiate the conversion of plant sugars into organic acids, and are succeeded by Lacto­ bacillus brevis and finally Lactobacillus plantarum. A similar process is used to preserve cucumbers (gherkins) and olives.