Fermentation of non‐dairy foods

Abstract

The high standard of starter technology in the dairy field affects the development of the fermentation technology in various other fields. For the production of fermented sausages, acid reduced wine or sour dough the use of starters is on the way to become an accepted part of the process. However, the special nature of the various substrates, the high initial load with the competitive microflora and special technological requirements cause problems which are unique for each single product. Starter organisms are in use which are either of limited competitiveness but are effective by virtue of their high initial inoculum, or are highly competitive and adapted to the special substrate. Examples for the latter groups of organisms applied in the respective fields are Lactobacillus sake (and L. curvatus), Leuconostoc oenos and Lactobacillus sanfrancisco. For economical reasons and safe performance of the fermentation process, these organisms appear to be candidates for optimum starter cultures and also for improving their properties by genetic engineering. In this regard some progress has been obtained, whereby the methods developed for lactococci have been helpful but often required substantial modifications.