Fermented Foods

Fermented Foods

• Foods that have been subjected to the action of micro-organisms or enzymes, in order to bring about a desirable change.
• Numerous food products owe their production and characteristics to the fermentative activities of microorganisms.
• Fermented foods originated many thousands of years ago when presumably micro-organism contaminated local foods.

Fermented Foods

• Micro-organisms cause changes in the foods which:
• Help to preserve the food,
• Extend shelf-life considerably over that of the raw materials from which they are made,
• Improve aroma and flavour characteristics,
• Increase its vitamin content or its digestibility compared to the raw materials.

• Table 1 History and origins of some fermented foods

• Food

• Approximate year
• of introduction

• Region

• Mushrooms
• Soy sauce
• Wine
• Fermented milk
• Cheese
• Beer
• Bread
• Fermented Meats
• Sourdough bread
• Fish sauce
• Pickled vegetables
• Tea

• 4000 BC
• 3000 BC
• 3000 BC
• 3000 BC
• 2000 BC
• 2000 BC
• 1500 BC
• 1500 BC
• 1000 BC
• 1000 BC
• 1000 BC
• 200 BC

• China
• China, Korea, Japan
• North Africa, Europe
• Middle East
• Middle East
• North Africa, China
• Egypt, Europe
• Middle East
• Europe
• Southeast Asia, North Africa
• China, Europe
• China