GLOBAL LEARNING SYSTEM

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY

MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF TRADITIONAL FERMENTED FOODS

Michelle Muliawidjaja / 1901502022 /LA46

Fermentation is defined as a desireable process of biochemical modification of primary food

products brought about by microorganisms and their enzymes (Steinkraus 1997).
Fermentation activities are highly combinable with a variety of other traditional and
domestic activities, and can make a particularly important contribution to the livelihoods of
women, the disabled and landless poor who, with appropriate training and access to inputs,
can increase their independence and self-esteem through income generation. In the world
there are a large variety of fermented foods and beverages with traditional and cultural value.
The diversity of such fermented products derives from the heterogeneity of traditions found
in the world, cultural preference, different geographical areas where they are produced and
the staple and/or by-products used for fermentation. In many instances it is highly likely that
the methods of production were unknown andcame about by chance, and passed down by
cultural and traditional values to subsequent generations. Some of the most popular
fermented products derive from grain, fruit and vegetables and are alcoholic based most
notably and popularly a variety of traditional beers and wines (Marshall and Meija 2011).

In traditional fermented food products, the process of fermentation is spontaneous

and uncontrolled (Liu et al. 2011). The most common groups of micro-organisms involved
in food fermentations are : (a) Bacteria. The most important bacteria in desirable food
fermentations are the lactobacillaceae which have the ability to produce lactic acid from
carbohydrates. Other important bacteria, especially in the fermentation of fruits and
vegetables, are the acetic acid producing acetobacter species. (b) Yeasts - Like bacteria and
moulds, yeasts can have beneficial and non-beneficial effects in foods, and the most
beneficial yeasts for desirable food fermentation are Saccharomyces, playing roles such as
the leavening of bread and the production of alcohol and invert sugar; (c) Moulds are also
involved in the food processing industry, both as spoilers and preservers. Nearly all food
fermentations are the result of more than one microorganism, either working together or in
a sequence, but growth is generally initiated by bacteria, followed by yeasts and then
moulds.

There are a variety of traditional fermented foods products from bacterial

fermentation, including pickled fruits and vegetables, including olives, beetroot, cabbage
and other leafy vegetables. Pickling, using lactic acid bacteria, is still carried out at a
domestic level but industrial scale processes have been developed for the production of most
types of pickles. Local pickling is undertaken by storing prepared vegetables in a weak brine
solution, by dry salting, or by allowing the vegetables to ferment without salt. For the
example is the lime pickles that produces in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and particularly
popular in India, Pakistan and North Africa. The pickle is made from pieces of lime packed
in a salty, spicy liquor, like a semi-solid gravy, and is brownish red in colour with yellow or
pale lime peels, which have a sour and salty taste. It is eaten as a condiment with curries or
other main meals, and if processed well, the product can be kept for several months
(Marshall and Meija 2011).

Oncom is one of traditional fermented food from Sunda tribe (West Java),
Indonesia. Oncom is a cake-like poduct made from by-product of the production of other
foods. There are two type of oncom : red oncom and black oncom. Red oncom is made from
soy oilcake (from tofu product) and fermented using Neurospora sp. Black oncom is made
from peanut oilcake that mixed with tapioca and cassava dregs. An important consideration
in oncom preparation is the sanitary and the hygenic condition under which it is produced.
In traditional processes, poor sanitation and hygenic problems are liable to lead to
contamination with toxigenic moulds and pathogenic bacteria. Alfatoxin-producing moulds
are often naturally present on peanut press cake and coconut press cake and when these
material are used as substrate for oncom production, a possible danger is the presense of a
aflatoxin in the raw materials. The presence of very high levels in some samples suggest
growth of aflatoxin-producing moulds in the oncom and emphasises the importance of good
sanitation and hygiene to avoid contamination with undesireable moulds. Certainly,
detoxification by microbes could be very importance since aflatoxin are relatively resistant
to common food processing treatment (Owens 2015).
 Reference
Liu S, Han Y, Zhou Z. 2011. Lactic Acid Bacteria in Traditional Fermented Chinese Foods. Food
Res Int 44:64351.
Marshall, Elaine and Danilo Meija. 2011. Traditional Fermented Food and Beverages for Improved
Livehoods. Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division, Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.
Owens, J. David. 2015. Indigenous Fermented Foods of Southeast Asia. Boca Raton : CRC Press.

Steinkraus, K.H. 1997. Classification of Fermented Foods : Worldwide Review of Household

Fermentation Techniques.