The History of Fermented Foods

Author(s):  
Baboo Nair ◽  
Jashbhai Prajapati
Keyword(s):  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
thomas greene

This article considers the history of lacto-fermented vegetables such as pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi, and the simple health advantages they have provided for many centuries. It notes that the only advantage so far proved—the preservation of vitamin C—is duplicated by most modern foods, even junk foods. It questions the vague evidence suggesting that lacto-fermented foods provide additional health advantages such as preventing heart disease and cancer, or aiding digestion and nutrition. It proposes that the centuries during which a vitamin C boost would have yielded a substantial health and mortality advantage have left us susceptible to a placebo effect worth billions to the nutritional industry. It concludes that, in the absence of any real evidence of miraculous effects, there remain good reasons to eat brined vegetables, not the least of which is simple pleasure. Two instructional recipes are included, one for sauerkraut and one for kimchi.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2390
Author(s):  
César Ojeda-Linares ◽  
Gonzalo D. Álvarez-Ríos ◽  
Carmen Julia Figueredo-Urbina ◽  
Luis Alfredo Islas ◽  
Patricia Lappe-Oliveras ◽  
...  

Mexico is one of the main regions of the world where the domestication of numerous edible plant species originated. Its cuisine is considered an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and ferments are important components but have been poorly studied. Traditional fermented foods are still diverse, but some are endangered, requiring actions to promote their preservation. Our study aimed to (1) systematize information on the diversity and cultural history of traditional Mexican fermented beverages (TMFB), (2) document their spatial distribution, and (3) identify the main research trends and topics needed for their conservation and recovery. We reviewed information and constructed a database with biocultural information about TMFB prepared and consumed in Mexico, and we analyzed the information through network approaches and mapped it. We identified 16 TMFB and 143 plant species involved in their production, species of Cactaceae, Asparagaceae, and Poaceae being the most common substrates. Microbiological research has been directed to the potential biotechnological applications of Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Saccharomyces. We identified a major gap of research on uncommon beverages and poor attention on the cultural and technological aspects. TMFB are dynamic and heterogenous foodscapes that are valuable biocultural reservoirs. Policies should include their promotion for conservation. The main needs of research and policies are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tridjoko Wisnu Murti

Fermented milk has been developing alongside the history of human civilization. It is observed having positive effect on gastrointestinal health. It has reaches at the steps of explaining what happens in the process, despite some information is still unclear. Fermentation involves many organisms, technique, biochemical reactions, tool and apparatus as well as cultural diversity among people and regions due to differences and changes in climate. Fermented milks, using milk as the raw material from bovine and non-bovine dairy species, and in some regions, especially in Asia and Africa, they also use materials from vegetable extracts. Some progress in Fermented Milk Science, has explained the role of such fermented foods for human health. These benefits have been more and more progressing to select specific microbes, known as probiotic cultures, which combined with specific substances from vegetable extract (prebiotic) could improve lactose digestion, role anti-cancer, anti-hypercholesteremic and anti-pathogenic bacteria as well as anti-virus were discussed in this article.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Holzapfel ◽  
A. Arini ◽  
M. Aeschbacher ◽  
R. Coppolecchia ◽  
B. Pot

As normal inhabitants of diverse ecosystems, including the human gastrointestinal tract, the enterococci, and especially the two species Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, can be considered ubiquitous with regard to our natural environment. E. faecium has gained special importance thanks to beneficial strains marketed as probiotics, and because of its beneficial role in traditional fermented foods such as artisanal cheeses in some Southern European countries. Yet, following reports on the increasing association of some enterococcal strains with nosocomial infections such as endocarditis and bacteraemia, it became evident that strains from clinical origin are frequently highly resistant to ‘last-defence-line’ antibiotics such as the glycopeptide derivatives. For this reason enterococci have been classified in risk group 2 in the European Directive 93/88. With this paper it is intended to clarify the uncertain situation around the safety of the species E. faecium, also with referring to intra-species heterogeneity. In fact, well established scientific and surveillance data support the safety of some probiotic E. faecium strains for both human and animal applications. As a model, summarising yet extensive information is provided on the efficacy and safety of E. faecium SF68®, a pharmaceutical probiotic with a long history of safe use. We propose the approach presented in this review as a model for the evaluation of safety of probiotic strains of this species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiapeng Wu ◽  
Yongping Xin ◽  
Jian Kong ◽  
Tingting Guo

AbstractLactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a phylogenetically diverse group with the ability to convert soluble carbohydrates into lactic acid. Many LAB have a long history of safe use in fermented foods and are recognized as food-grade microorganisms. LAB are also natural inhabitants of the human intestinal tract and have beneficial effects on health. Considering these properties, LAB have potential applications as biotherapeutic vehicles to delivery cytokines, antigens and other medicinal molecules. In this review, we summarize the development of, and advances in, genome manipulation techniques for engineering LAB and the expected future development of such genetic tools. These methods are crucial for us to maximize the value of LAB. We also discuss applications of the genome-editing tools in enhancing probiotic characteristics and therapeutic functionalities of LAB.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da-Yong Han ◽  
Pei-Jie Han ◽  
Karl Rumbold ◽  
Anbessa Dabassa Koricha ◽  
Shou-Fu Duan ◽  
...  

Recent studies on population genomics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have substantially improved our understanding of the genetic diversity and domestication history of the yeast. However, the origin of the domesticated population of S. cerevisiae and the genomic changes responsible for ecological adaption of different populations and lineages remain to be fully revealed. Here we sequenced 64 African strains from various indigenous fermented foods and forests in different African countries and performed a population genomic analysis on them combined with a set of previously sequenced worldwide S. cerevisiae strains representing the maximum genetic diversity of the species documented so far. The result supports the previous observations that the wild and domesticated populations of S. cerevisiae are clearly separated and that the domesticated population diverges into two distinct groups associated with solid- and liquid-state fermentations from a single ancestor. African strains are mostly located in basal lineages of the two domesticated groups, implying a long domestication history of yeast in Africa. We identified genes that mainly or exclusively occur in specific groups or lineages and genes that exhibit evident group or lineage specific allele distribution patterns. Notably, we show that the homing endonuclease VDE is generally absent in the wild but commonly present in the domesticated lineages of S. cerevisiae. The genes with group specific allele distribution patterns are mostly enriched in functionally similar or related fundamental metabolism processes, including the evolutionary conserved TOR signaling pathway.


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