Fermentation: Basic principles, processes and gas control

Fermentation? The word probably makes most people think of brewing and alcohol -- maybe even food preservation. In fact, people have been using fermentation for thousands of years to make bread, cheese, yogurt and alcoholic beverages. Today, fermentation processes are used by many industries for research and production, including not only food and beverage producers, but also the pharmaceutical industry.

Here you will learn more about fermentation and gas control during fermentation.

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Where does the word "fermentation" come from and what does it mean?

The word "fermentation" comes from Latin and is closely related to "fermentation," which is the Latin name for sourdough. Biotechnology refers to fermentation when organic matter is transformed using bacteria, fungi or cultures or by adding enzymes. Gases, alcohols and acids are formed. The latter allows food to be kept longer. There are different fermentation processes and the main difference between them is that these processes can be either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (using oxygen).

Is fermentation the same as digestion?

Aren't fermentation and digestion the same thing? These terms are often taken to mean the same thing. But this is not entirely true because fermentation is only a form of digestion and digestion is only one step in the fermentation process. Digestion is primarily used to focus on the breakdown of substances of no interest in by-products, such as sewage digestion. On the other hand, when we talk about fermentation, the purpose is to harvest the by-products of the digestion process, such as gases and acids, for example for food preservation or beer brewing.

The six stages of fermentation

The fermentation process can be divided into six stages. For best results, the process should be stopped before the stationary phase begins.

• Fermentation begins by inoculating the growth medium with the desired microorganisms.

• During the lag or incubation period, microorganisms adapt to the new environment. Cell growth is still slow at this point.

• Then begins the exponential growth phase, in which the growth rate keeps rising.

• During the deceleration phase, the growth rate is reduced due to the decrease in nutrient concentration.

• This is followed by a stationary phase, in which biomass remains unchanged.

• The process ends with the death phase of the microorganism.

Fermentation applications

• Pharmaceutical production (e.g. insulin, vaccines, antibiotics)

• Food and beverages (bread, yogurt and alcoholic fermentation such as beer and wine)

• Biofuels

• Chemicals (such as cleaning agents)

• Amino acids (eg glutamic acid)

• Biological wastewater purification