PRESERVATION AND

FERMENTATION

By Natasha T Kalira
 Historical perspective

 Effective method for extending shelf-life

for millennium.
 It utilizes biological activity of
microorganisms for production of
metabolites.
 Contribute to the quality of the product
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)

 Responsible microbial transformations

found in fermented food products
 Generally produces lactic acid as their
major end product.
 Number of genera including;
Food Fermentation By LAB
 Involves the oxidation of carbohydrates to
generate a range of products.
 Preservative effect through limiting the
growth of spoilage and/or pathogenic flora
in the food product.
 The other products give flavor and positive
health implications.
Antimicrobial Compounds
Produced By LAB
 Antimicrobial metabolites are produced
during the fermentation process.
 Organic acids such as lactic, acetic and
propionic acids produced as end
products
 Provide an acidic environment
unfavorable for the growth of many
pathogenic and spoilage
microorganisms.
 Cont’d
 Acids are generally thought to exert
their antimicrobial effect by interfering
with;
 the maintenance of cell membrane
potential,
inhibiting active transport,
 reducing intracellular pH and
 inhibiting a variety of metabolic
functions
 One good example is propionic acid
produced by propionic acid bacteria,
 It has formed the basis for some bio
preservative products,
 given its antimicrobial action against
microorganisms including yeast and
mold.
 Cont’d
 Starter strains can produce a range of other
antimicrobial metabolites
 ethanol from the heterofermentative pathway.
 H2O2 produced during aerobic growth and
diacetyl which is generated from excess
pyruvate coming from citrate
 Bacteriocins produced by LAB

 LAB produce proteinaceous inhibitors

referred to collectively as bacteriocins.
 Inhibitors act through depolarization of
the target cell membrane or of cell wall
synthesis
 Bacteriocins can be divided into three
main group:
the lantibiotic family, small non-modified
peptides and large heat-labile proteins.
Cont’d
 Nisin, the lantibiotic which has found
application as a shelf-life extender.
 Inhibiting spoilage bacteria during beer and
wine fermentations.
 Lacticin 3147 as a bio preservative inhibits
Listeria on the surface of a mould-ripened
cheese.
CONCLUSION
 Exploitation of bacteria for food
production, from metabolic engineering of
microorganisms to produce antimicrobials
or nutritionals, to the molecular mining of
activities.
 New possibilities for the design of novel
antimicrobials which target essential
functions of these problematic bacteria
THE END