Knowra Food fermentation Food fermentation Food fermentation is the controlled transformation of ingredients by microorganisms or their enzymes, producing desired changes in flavor, texture, preservation, or nutrition.
Lactic acid fermentation : A microbial pathway that converts sugars into lactic acid, often alongside other products. Lactic acid bacteria acidify foods, shaping flavor and suppressing many spoilage organisms.
Sourdough : Bread leavened by a community of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria in fermented dough. Its mixed culture produces both gas for rising and acids for distinctive flavor.
Lactic acid bacteria : A group of bacteria that produce lactic acid from carbohydrate metabolism. These bacteria drive many vegetable, dairy, and meat fermentations.
Food preservation : Methods that slow spoilage and keep food usable for longer. Fermentation preserves foods through acidity, alcohol, and competition with spoilage microbes.
Alcoholic fermentation : A metabolic process in which yeasts convert sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Yeast activity drives fermentation in beverages and helps leaven bread.
Yogurt : A cultured dairy food made when bacteria ferment lactose and coagulate milk proteins. Yogurt demonstrates how acid production transforms milk into a thick, tart food.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae : A yeast species used in baking, brewing, and other sugar fermentations. Its metabolism produces the carbon dioxide and ethanol central to many food processes.
Food microbiology : The study of microorganisms that affect food production, safety, and spoilage. Fermentation is one way food microbiology explains deliberate microbial activity in foods.
Acetic acid fermentation : An aerobic process in which acetic acid bacteria oxidize ethanol into acetic acid. This process gives vinegar its acidity and characteristic aroma.
Sauerkraut : Shredded cabbage preserved by lactic acid fermentation. Salt and cabbage juices create conditions for lactic acid bacteria to dominate.
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