Abstract: Consumer interest in naturally produced ingredients, foods and sustainable production has led to re-examining the age-old fermentation process. This presentation, titled Fermentation Processing: Advances & Benefits, focuses on how this technology is becoming an increasingly sophisticated tool to create desirable organoleptic, nutritional and functional food product attributes. Examples include flavor creation, from specific molecules to compound flavor blocks such as “sweet-and-sour” and sugar reduction by converting sugars into low-calorie sweeteners or food proteins into sweet peptides. Fermentation also will help drive the transition from animal to alternative protein sources in several ways. Other uses include extending the storage of fresh crops and food processing side streams and the natural vitamin enrichment of plant-based protein products. Attendees will discover the status of this technology in various applications and the major challenges for development and implementation. As one example of advances with this technology, a new fast and efficient screening approach enabling the development of plant-based foods by using a miniaturized version of the product will be touched on.
Paulo de Boer, Ph.D., Scientist/Project Manager, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Powering the Evolution of Fermentation Processing
Extract from Summary of this Presentation titled: Powering the Evolution of Fermentation Processing
One way to remove off-flavor is to convert the aldehydes to alcohols. Soy yogurt base can be fermented to lower hexanal levels and to convert beany flavor to fruity flavor.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that is lacking in plant-based foods. Tempeh is produced by fermenting chickpeas with a fungus. Specific bacterial strains can be added to the fermentation to produce B12 at similar levels to meat products.
Stevia low caloric sweeteners are derived from the plant Stevia rebaudiana. Various stevia glycosides [NOTE: In the U.S. FDA GRAS petition, the term “steviol glycosides” is used] are produced via precision fermentation using a modified yeast. The resulting sweetener is free of the production organisms, so GMO-free and can be labeled as steviol glycosides.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with close to zero calories, which does not affect blood glucose or cause tooth decay. It has 60 to 70% of the sweetness of sucrose. The fermentation from glucose to erythritol may be done by Moniliella pollinis or Yarrowia lipolytica in highly osmotic media.
