Why Can Fermentation Make Food Healthier? Let’s Take a Look through Microbiological Testing
If you're a fan of yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, or tempeh, you’re actually enjoying the benefits of fermentation technology. Fermentation is a process in which large organic molecules are broken down into simpler forms with the help of microorganisms.
During fermentation, these microorganisms work hard to create biochemical changes that make food tastier, more aromatic, and healthier. These biochemical reactions produce vitamins, amino acids, reduce anti-nutrients, and improve the protein quality of fermented foods.
For example, enzymes from yeast help convert sugars and starches into alcohol, and break down proteins into peptides or amino acids. Therefore, microbial activity plays a crucial role in fermentation because it causes both chemical and physical changes in food.
To make the discussion easier to follow, this article is complemented with a table of contents that allows you to navigate each section according to your needs:
- Types of Microorganisms Involved in the Fermentation Process
- How Microorganisms Improve Food Quality
- Benefits of the Fermentation Process
Types of Microorganisms Involved in the Fermentation Process
Fermented foods offer several benefits, such as removing harmful or unwanted compounds from raw materials. Fermentation also increases nutritional value thanks to the presence of microorganisms.
Fermented foods generally have a longer shelf life compared to their original ingredients. They also show higher antioxidant activity, such as in yogurt, which contains more antioxidants than regular milk due to the production of α-casein, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin during fermentation.
The final quality of fermented products is strongly influenced by the type of microorganisms involved, the processing methods, and the duration of fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most common and dominant microorganisms in fermented foods and beverages.
Other microbes involved include Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus, as well as yeasts and molds such as Debaryomyces, Kluyveromyces, Saccharomyces, Geotrichium, Mucor, Penicillium, and Rhizopus.
How Microorganisms Improve Food Quality
It is well known that fermented foods have higher nutritional value compared to non-fermented foods. This improvement comes from the activity of microorganisms through three main mechanisms:
- Microorganisms are both catabolic and anabolic, meaning they can break down complex compounds and also synthesize new vitamins or secondary metabolites. They help break down substances that are difficult to digest while producing beneficial compounds.
- Microorganisms help release nutrients that are “locked” within plant structures. They break down cell walls and tough outer layers, allowing trapped nutrients to become more accessible and easier for the body to absorb.
- Microorganisms break down plant polymers that humans cannot digest. Polymers such as cellulose and hemicellulose cannot be digested by humans. With the help of microbial enzymes, cellulose-rich foods can be hydrolyzed into simpler, more nutritious compounds that are suitable for human consumption.
These mechanisms highlight the importance of microbial enzymatic hydrolysis in fermented foods. The resulting breakdown products increase the availability of nutrients such as simple sugars or polysaccharides, proteins, free fatty acids, and essential minerals. This is why fermented foods are considered healthier than non-fermented foods.
Benefits of the Fermentation Process
Fermentation provides numerous advantages to food, not only by improving flavor but also by boosting its health benefits. Fermentation can reduce or eliminate harmful compounds that may pose health risks. For example, the toxic cyanide in cassava can be reduced through fermentation.
Likewise, fermentation of soybeans can remove compounds that cause bloating, making these foods safer and more comfortable to consume. As mentioned earlier, microorganisms living during fermentation can produce vitamins, bioactive peptides, essential amino acids, and act as probiotics that support digestive health.
Probiotics are known to help maintain a balanced gut microbiota and suppress the growth of harmful bacteria, contributing to a stronger immune system. Additionally, certain foods such as seeds and legumes contain anti-nutrients (like phytic acid) that inhibit the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc.
Fermentation helps break down these anti-nutrients, allowing the minerals to be absorbed more easily by the body. This is why fermented foods are highly beneficial for overall health.
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Behind the significant benefits of fermented foods, their quality and safety largely depend on the activity of microorganisms involved in the fermentation process. The type of microbes, their concentration, and uncontrolled fermentation conditions can affect the final product in terms of taste, nutritional value, and food safety.
Therefore, to ensure the fermentation process runs optimally and that products from your business are safe for consumption, laboratory testing is required to accurately identify and evaluate microbial activity. If products from your business include fermented food or beverages, ensure their quality and safety are supported by reliable laboratory testing data.
IML Testing and Research provides microbiological and food testing services to help ensure fermentation processes are controlled, safe, and compliant with applicable standards. Support the quality of products from your business with accurate and reliable laboratory test results from IML Testing and Research.
Author: Safira
Editor: Sabilla Reza
Reference:
Sharma R, Garg P, Kumar P, Bhatia SK, Kulshrestha S. Microbial Fermentation and Its Role in Quality Improvement of Fermented Foods. Fermentation. 2020; 6(4):106. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation6040106
