Fermented and Oriental fermented Foods

Lecture: 14

Cheese
The initial application of biotechnology to cheese manufacturing undoubtedly occurred during the first accidental souring and clotting of milk to form a undeveloped curd. Cheese types: The exact numbers of cheese varieties would be impossible to determine and probably meaningless to ascertain. It is estimated that 2000 different varieties have been developed, 400 varieties have been described. There are many approaches to classify cheese but more systemic classification use composition, firmness and maturation agents as criteria as shown in the following:

Types of Cheese
1. Soft cheese (50 to 80% moisture) a. Unripened---low fat b. Unripenedhigh fat c. Unripened stretched curd or pasta filata cheese d. Ripened by external mold growth e. Ripened by bacterial fermentation f. Salt cured or pickled g. Surface ripened 2. Semi soft cheese (39 to 50% moisture) a. Ripened by internal mold growth b. Surface ripened by bacteria and yeast (surface smear) c. Ripened primarily by internal bacterial fermentation but may also have some surface growth d. Ripened internally by bacterial fermentation

Types of Cheese
3. Hard cheese (maximum 39% moisture)
a. b. c. Ripened internally by bacterial fermentation Ripened internally by bacterial fermentation + CO2 production resulting in holes or eyes Ripened internally by mold growth

4. Very hard cheese (maximum 34% moisture) 5. Whey cheese

a. b. Heat and acid denaturation of whey protein Condensing of whey by heat and water evaporation

6. Spiced cheese a. Carawaycaraway seeds b. KumionostCumin, caraway seeds c. PepperPeppers d. Noekkelostcumin, cloves, etc.

Steps involved in cheese manufacturing process

Milk analysis and quality control Milk pretreatments Milk culturing with lactic acid bacteria Milk clotting Whey expulsing Moisture and pH control Curd handling Ripening of cheese

Yogurt
Yogurt is a semisolid fermented product made from a heat treated standardized milk mix by the activity of a symbiotic blend of Streptococcus thermophilus (ST) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (LB) cultures. In many countries yogurt is product from milk with cultures additional to LB and ST. The adjunct cultures are primarily L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. Yogurt is produced from milk of various animals such as cows, buffaloes, goat, sheep etc in various parts of the world, of which cows milk is very common. In order to get custard-like semi solid consistency, the cows milk is fortified with dried or condensed milk.

Yogurt
Vitamin addition at a level of 2000 IU of vitamin A and 400 IU of vitamin D per quart (946 mL) is allowed. Permissible dairy ingredients are cream, milk, partially skimmed milk, skim milk alone or in combination. Other optional ingredients include: Concentrated skim milk, non-fat-dry milk, butter milk, whey, lactose, lactoalbumins, lactoglobulins, or whey modified by partial or complete removal of lactose and/or minerals, to increase the non fat solids content of the food, provided that the ratio of proteins to total nonfat solids of the food and the protein efficiency ratio of all protein present shall not be decreased as a result of adding such ingredients.

Yogurt
Nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, sugar (sucrose), beet or cane, invert sugar (in paste or syrup form), brown sugar, refiners syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, fructose syrup, maltose, maltose syrup, dried maltose syrup, malt extract, malt syrup, honey, maple sugar. Flavoring ingredients Color additives Stabilizers

Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is the food produced by freezing, while stirring, a mix containing safe and suitable ingredients including, but not limited to dairy ingredients.

The mix may be homogenized and all of the dairy ingredients shall be pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized. Then the homogenized and pasteurized content is inoculated with LB and ST and may with other lactic acid producing bacteria.
After culturing, the unflavored frozen yogurt mix shall have a titratable acidity of not less than 0.3%, calculated as lactic acid. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demonstrates that as a result of bacterial culture fermentation, there has been at least a 0.15% increase in the titratable acidity, calculated as lactic acid of the.

Frozen Yogurt
Sweetness, flavorings, color additives and other characterizing food ingredients may be added to the mix before or after pasteurizations or ultrapasteurizations. Any dairy ingredients added after pasteurization or ultrapasteurization shall have been pasteurized. Addition of flavorings or sweeteners in yogurt mix should have prior permission of FAD.

Live and active culture yogurt must satisfy each of three requirements
1. The yogurt mix must be fermented with LB and ST. 2. The cultures must be active at the end of the stated shelf life 3. The activity test should be carried out: 12% solid nonfat dry milk pasteurized at 92C for 7 mins, cooled at 43C, 3% inoculum was added and allowed for fermentation at 43C for 4 hours. Count total organisms before and after formation was determined.

Live and active culture yogurt must satisfy each of there requirements
a) In case of refrigerated cup yogurt, the total population of organisms in live and active culture yogurt must have at least 10 8 cfu/g at the time of manufacture. b) In case of frozen yogurt, the total population of organisms in live and active culture yogurt must be at least 107 cfu/g at the time of manufacture. The total organisms in both refrigerated cup and frozen yogurt live and active culture yogurt at the time of consumption will be at least 107 cfu/g.

Tofu
Tofu is known for its extraordinary nutritional benefits, as well as its versatility. Tofu, also known as soya curd, is a soft cheese-like food made by curdling soya milk with a coagulant. Tofu is a rather bland tasting product that easily absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients. Tofu is sold in water-filled packs or in aseptic cartons. Fresh tofu is usually packaged in water and should be refrigerated and kept in water until used. If the water is drained and changed daily, the tofu should last for one week. Tofu can be frozen for up to three months. Freezing will change its texture however, it will make the tofu slightly chewier.

Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented food made by the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus mold (tempeh starter). The tempeh fermentation by the Rhizopus mold binds the soybeans into a compact white cake. Tempeh has been a favorite food and staple source of protein in Indonesia for several hundred years. But tempeh is now rapidly becoming more popular all over the world as people look for ways to increase their intake of soybeans. Tempeh get versatility and delicious taste. Tempeh has a firm texture and a nutty mushroom flavour. Tempeh can be used in different ways. Normally tempeh is sliced and fried until the surface is crisp and golden brown or tempeh can be used as ingredient in soups, spreads, salads and sandwiches.

Miso
Miso is made from fermented soybeans, it is a thick pastelike substance. Miso is brownish in color and tastes extremely salty and tangy on its own. While the most common use of miso is in Japanese-style miso soup recipes, miso also adds a unique burst of flavor to salad dressings, sauces and marinades, baked tofu, or vegetable dishes. Besides soy, miso can also be made from barley, rice, or other grains. These types of miso will vary slightly in color and taste. In general, the darker the color of the miso, the stronger the taste.

Natto
Natto is fermented soybeans. Natto has long been recognized as one of Japan's most unique traditional health foods. Highly nutritious and rich in protein, it is often eaten with cooked rice. For centuries, natto has been made using a specialized fermentation process by adding beneficial bacteria, Bacillus natto to soybeans. Fermentation enhances the nutrition of soybeans and develops a unique flavor and texture. Its physical texture is sticky and is a natural result of the fermentation process.

Table: Examples of some oriental fermented foods

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FERMENTED MILKS

Probiotics Although fermented foods such as yogurt contain viable organisms at the time of ingestion, their presence is not the reason why most individuals consume this product. Probiotics refers to the consumption of products that contain live organisms that are or are believed to be beneficial to the consumer. The objective here is the ingestion of the organisms, and they consist generally of various lactic acid bacteria and/or bifidobacteria.

Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance (lactose malabsorption, intestinal hypolactemia) is the normal state for adult mammals, including most adult humans, and many more groups are intolerant to lactose than are tolerant. Among the relatively few groups that have a majority of adults who tolerate lactose are northern Europeans, white Americans, and members of two nomadic pastoral tribes in Africa. When lactose malabsorbers consume certain quantities of milk or ice cream, they immediately experience flatulence and diarrhea. The condition is due to the absence or reduced amounts of intestinal lactase, and this allows the bacteria in the colon to utilize lactose with the production of gases. The breath hydrogen test for lactose intolerance is based on the increased levels of H2 produced by anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria utilizing the nonabsorbed lactose.

Lactose intolerance
A large number of investigators have found that lactose malabsorbers can consume certain fermented dairy products without harmful effects; other studies found no beneficial effects. When beneficial effects are found, they are attributed to the reduced level of lactose in the fermented product and to the production of -galactosidase by the fermenting organisms following ingestion of the product

Cholesterol
The discovery of effect of fermented milks on cholesterol came from a study of Masai tribesmen in Africa who, in spite of consuming substantial amounts of meat, have low serum cholesterol and a very low incidence of coronary diseases. This was associated with their common consumption of 4-5 L/d of fermented whole milk. Subsequent studies by a large number of groups leave unanswered the true effect of organisms of fermentation on serum cholesterol levels in humans, although the weight of evidence tends to support a positive effect. Large dietary intakes of yogurt were found to lower cholesterolemia, and the findings suggested that yogurt contains a factor that inhibits the synthesis of cholesterol from acetate.

Anticancer Activity
Apparently, the first observation of anticancer activity of lactic acid bacteria was shown against a sarcoma and a carcinoma. Anticancer activities have been demonstrated in animal models by a large number of investigators who variously employed yogurt and yogurt extracts, L. acidophilus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and L. casei in addition to extracts of these organisms.

 Although the beneficial aspects of the lactic acid bacteria to human and animal health are unquestioned, some of these bacteria are associated with human illness. One research found the involvement of lactobacilli in human clinical illness made over about a 50-year period. Several species of the Leuconostocs were implicated in about 27 reports in 7 years, the pediococci in 18 reports over 3 years, and the enterococci in numerous reports. The enterococci are the third leading cause of nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections, with E. faecalis and E. faecium being the two most common species. It appears that lactic acid bacteria are opportunists that are not capable of initiating infection in normal healthy individuals.

DISEASES CAUSED BY LACTIC ACID BACTERIA