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BOC Sciences provides researchers in the fields of food safety, life sciences and medicine with a diversity of metabolites fermented and separated from plants, microorganisms, fungi and other organisms. If you are trying to purchase metabolites that are not yet included in the current product catalog or obtain a great many metabolites, please contact us.

What is fermentation?

The microbial process known as fermentation can take place in either an aerobic (with oxygen present) or an anaerobic (without oxygen present) setting. The breakdown of various chemical components and the production of energy are all under its purview. In fermentation, organic substances take up electrons from the environment, a process known as REDOX (see images below).

Nutritional enhancement in fermented foods. (Sharma R, et al., 2020)

List of food with the bacteria during the fermentation. (Sharma R, et al., 2020)

Types of fermentation

The fermentation process is widely used in the food sector. There are four main types of fermentation based on the primary metabolic pathway: acidic, lactic, acetic, and alkaline. As a result of fermenting sugars in the substrate, alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced. It is via this fermentation process that bread, beer, and wine are all created. Yeast is the main bacterium that causes this kind of fermentation. You may make yoghurt, kimchi, and fermented grains with the help of lactic fermentation, which turns carbohydrates into lactic acid. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are mostly responsible for this fermentation process. Through acetic fermentation, bacteria, primarily those of the genus Acetobacter, transform organic components of substrates like sugars and alcohols into acetic acid. Many fermented drinks, including vinegar, water kefir, kombucha, chocolate, and acidic beer, go through this process. The presence of microorganisms that create organic acids during fermentation has a significant impact on the safety and quality of fermented beverages and meals. Lactic acid bacteria may be classified into two basic physiological categories: homofermentative and heterofermentative. These types are differentiated by the fermentation process. The fermentation of sugars in homofermentative organisms mostly results in lactic acid, but heterofermentative organisms have the ability to create ethanol, acetic acid, CO2, and/or lactic acid, among other chemicals. Hydrolysis of the substrate's proteins yields amino acids and peptides during alkaline fermentation. The pH is brought up to a range of 8-9 by the ammonia that is released during this process. Therefore, spoilage-related microbes are unable to proliferate(see image below).

Through the use of current fermentation engineering in the pharmaceutical business, a broad variety of medications, such as insulin, interferon, growth hormone, antibiotics, and vaccines, are made. The manufacturing of natural pesticides, bacterial fertilizers, microbial herbicides, and other agricultural means of production are also carried out by this technology. Another use of this technology is in the field of agriculture.

Within the chemical industry, it is utilized in the production of a wide variety of goods, including but not limited to amino acids, fragrances, biopolymer, enzymes, micronutrients, and single-cell proteins.

The major types of fermentation related to food production. (Mannaa M, et al., 2021)

Fermentation process

There are usually a handful of highly important phases in the fermentation process, however the exact sequence could change depending on the kind of fermentation being carried out.

(a) Adding a carbohydrate source to the substrate is a common practice that starts fermentation off. For beer, it may be glucose produced from malted grains; for wine, it could be crushed grapes; and for spirits, it could be starches. Complex carbohydrates can be reduced to simpler sugars by grinding, boiling, or enzyme processing of the raw ingredients.

(b) Ready-made substrate is then amended with a fermentation-friendly microbial culture.

(c) Anaerobic conditions, in which oxygen is not present, are the norm for fermentation. This environment is crucial for bacterial metabolism because it forces sugar breakdown without oxygen as the final electron acceptor, which generates energy.

(d) After fermentation is finished, remove and purify the end products.

Organisms absorb diverse nutrients from the outside world, and produce materials and energy required for life activities through catabolism and anabolism. This process is called primary metabolism. The products of this process are called primary metabolites. Primary metabolites are substances that are vital to the trophic growth of organisms.

Classification of Primary Metabolites

• Monomer

Monomers constitute various macromolecular polymers, such as proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, lipids and so on.

• Polymer

Various macromolecular polymers composed of monomers, such as proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, lipids and so on.

Secondary metabolism refers to the process in which an organism uses primary metabolites as precursors during a certain developmental period to synthesize substances that have no clear function for the life activities of the organism itself. Secondary metabolism is closely related to primary metabolism. The products of this process are called secondary metabolites. Most of the secondary metabolite molecules have complex structures, such as antibiotics, pigments, hormones, toxins, vitamins, alkaloids, and so on. Secondary metabolites are not essential for the survival and reproduction of organisms.

Classification of Secondary Metabolites

Secondary metabolites could be divided into the following categories

In addition, according to biological pathways, secondary metabolites could also be divided into:

• Phenolic compounds
• Terpenoids
• Nitrogen compounds

The basis of secondary metabolites is primary metabolites. The secondary metabolism can avoid the toxic effects on the body caused by the excessive accumulation of certain intermediates or products during the primary metabolism.

How does fermentation work? And Fermentation reaction

First, two molecules of pyruvate, a compound with three carbon atoms, are formed when the enzyme glucose, a sugar with six carbon atoms, is converted into one. The cytoplasm is where these cellular activities take place in an oxygen-free environment. Glycolysis is a low-energy metabolic process that yields ATP. In glycolysis, glucose is reduced to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) by transferring electrons from glucose to this oxidized form of NAD.

Under aerobic conditions, pyruvate may be transported into the mitochondria and further oxidized by oxidative phosphorylation and the citric acid cycle, resulting in the production of a substantial quantity of ATP. There is no way to access this mechanism in anaerobic settings, such as fermentation. Following a number of species- and environment-dependent fermentation mechanisms, pyruvate continues to degrade in the cytoplasm. Glycolysis may continue producing ATP as this step facilitates the conversion of NADH into NAD+ (see images below).

Common fermentations are used to produce lactic acid and ethanol. (Sharma R, et al., 2020)

Several advantages of fermented foods

(a)Fermented foods have a far longer shelf life than the original foods.

(b)Improvement of organoleptic qualities; for example, compared to its raw substrate, milk, cheese's added taste is more pronounced.

(c)Decontaminating raw materials by removing any potentially dangerous or undesirable components. Fermentation eliminates the gas in soybeans and lowers the lethal cyanide concentration of cassava, for example, during the production of garri.

d)The beneficial nutrients in the product are enhanced by the presence of microbes that ferment it. For example, bread's nutritional content comes from yeast, garri's nutritional worth comes from lactic acid bacteria and yeast together.

(e)Reducing boiling time is one of the many benefits of fermentation. Some examples of West African cuisine include fermented maize items and ogi (a meal derived from soybeans).

(f)In vitro results show that fermented products have a greater antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant properties of fermented milk and yogurt are greater than those of milk. One reason for this is that biopeptides, such as α-casein, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin, are produced when milk proteins undergo proteolysis. Included in yogurt are these biopeptides.

Where does fermentation occur in the cell?

It is the cytoplasm of the cell that is responsible for fermentation. Anaerobic respiration is a subset of cellular respiration that differs from aerobic respiration in that it does not include the mitochondria and does not make use of oxygen. This characteristic distinguishes anaerobic respiration from aerobic respiration.

Does fermentation produce ATP?

Yes. In terms of biology, fermentation is an anaerobic process, which means that it does not require oxygen to take place. Other compounds are employed as electron acceptors in place of oxygen to facilitate the breakdown of glucose and other nutrients, which ultimately results in the release of energy. In addition to the generation of ATP, which is a source of energy for cells, this process also results in the production of byproducts such as ethanol in the case of alcoholic fermentation and lactic acid in the case of lactic acid fermentation.

References

1. Sharma R, et al., Microbial fermentation and its role in quality improvement of fermented foods, Fermentation, 2020, 6(4): 106.
2. Mannaa M, et al., Evolution of food fermentation processes and the use of multi-omics in deciphering the roles of the microbiota, Foods, 2021, 10(11): 2861.