INTRODUCTION

Fermented foods are those foods which are subjected

 Preserves food
 Adds microbes (good) to the gut
 Increase micronutrients
 Makes food more digestible
 Add flavor
 Destruction or detoxification of certain undesirable
compounds
Indian fermented foods
 There are many different fermented products available
in India such as Dosa , Dhokla , dahi, Grundruk ,
Sinki, etc.
 Indian traditional fermented foods are generally
fermented by LAB ( Lactic acid bacteria) , L.pentosus,
L .brevis, L.fermentum, etc.
Classification
 Fermented foods are classified on the basis of
substrate used:
1. Fermented milk products
2. Fermented cereal products
3. Fermented vegetable and fruit products
4. Fermented meat and fish products
Fermented milk products in
India
Curd
 Curd is a traditional yogurt or fermented milk
product, originating from the Indian subcontinent
prepared by naturally fermenting cow or buffalo’s
milk.
 Curd is made by bacterial fermentation of milk. In this
process lactose in milk is converted into lactic acid by
several probiotic microorganisms.
 Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus
diacetylactis, and Streptococcus thermophilus.
 Fermentation depends on the temperature and
humidity of the environment.
Health benefits
 It is used in daily diet as a potential source of B-
complex vitamins, folic acid, and riboflavin.
 Curd is rich in lactic acid bacteria and demonstrates
the probiotic effect, which helps in intestinal health as
it helps in controlling diarrhea in children.
Shrikhand
 Popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
 It is a semi solid, sweetish-sour fermented milk
product prepared from curd. It has a distinctive rich
flavor and fairly long shelf life.
 To prepare shrikhand, curd is suspended in a muslin
cloth until all the free water has drained off. The
semisolid mass is then blended with additives like
sugar, color, flavour and fruits to obtain a desired
composition and consistency.
Buttermilk
 Buttermilk is the liquid that is left over when butter is
churned out of cream or dahi, consumed with or
without added salt and spices.
 Soured by using Streptococcus cremoris or S.lactics
for the production of lactic acid.
 Buttermilk is as rich a source of calcium and protein
like milk.
Sour cream
 Sour cream is the product resulting from the addition
of lactic acid-producing bacteria to pasteurized cream
containing not less than 18 percent milk fat. This type
of sour cream is called “cultured sour cream.”
Yogurt
 Yogurt is cultured milk. The bacteria used most
commonly are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Strepto-
coccus thermophilus. This is what gives yogurt its gel-
like consistency and semisour, tangy taste.
 Yogurt is generally well tolerated by lactose intolerant
people because of the presence of beta- galactosidase
by yogurt cultures.
 Natural or plain yoghurt – traditional type with sharp,
acidic taste
 Fruit yoghurt- addition of fruits & sweetening agents
to plain yoghurt
 Flavored yoghurt -in which synthetic flavoring &
colouring agents are added
Fermentation
 Takes place about 4th day of addition of starter
culture. Starter bacteria ferment lactose to lactic acid.
 The lactic acid solubilises and denature whey protein
and solubilise calcium and potassium.
 Streptococcus in turn produce fermentation acid,
pyruvate that flavours the growth of Lactobacillus to
produce purines in it.
 Yield: Yoghurt with clean flavour, 2-3 % fat, slightly
sour acid in 0.9 % can go up to 1.1%.
Cereal and pulse based
fermented food in india
Bread
 Leavened breads are made by adding baker’s yeast to dough
made from flour, water and salts. Yeast ferment sugar in dough
to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
 A pre-ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making
process have several benefits: there is more time for yeast,
enzyme and, if sourdough, bacterial actions on the starch and
proteins in the dough; this in turn improves the keeping time of
the baked bread, and it creates greater complexities of flavor.
 Though pre-ferments have declined in popularity as direct
additions of yeast in bread recipes have streamlined the process
on a commercial level, pre-ferments of various forms are widely
used in bread recipes and formulas.
 Most of the bakery foods consumed throughout the world are
bread and rolls made from yeast-leavened doughs.
Vinegar
 Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow
fermentation processes. In general, slow methods are used
with traditional vinegars, and fermentation proceeds
slowly over the course of months or a year.
 Vinegar is now mainly used as a cooking ingredient, but
historically, as the most easily available mild acid, it had a
great variety of industrial, medical, and domestic uses,
some of which (such as a general household cleanser) are
still promoted today.
 Vinegar is a liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid
(CH3COOH) and water. The acetic acid is produced by the
fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria.
Vinegar production process
 In fast production processes, vinegar may be produced
in a period ranging from 20 hours to three days.
 Fast methods add mother of vinegar (i.e., bacterial
culture) to the source liquid before adding air using a
venturi pump system or a turbine to promote
oxygenation to obtain the fastest fermentation.
 The longer fermentation period allows for the
accumulation of a nontoxic slime composed of acetic
acid bacteria.
Uses
 Vinegar is commonly used in food preparation, in
particular in pickling processes, vinaigrettes, and other
salad dressings
 Blood glucose control and diabetic management •
Prior to hypoglycemic agents, diabetics used vinegar
teas to control their symptoms. Small amounts of
vinegar (approximately 25g of domestic vinegar)
added to food, or taken along with a meal, have been
shown by a number of medical trials to reduce the
glycemic index of carbohydrate food for people with
and without diabetes
 Diet control
 Multiple trials indicate that taking vinegar with food
increases satiety (the feeling of fullness) and, so,
reduces the amount of food consumed. Daily intake of
15 mL of vinegar (750 mg acetic acid) might be useful
in the prevention of metabolic syndrome by reducing
obesity.
Idli
 Idli is traditional breakfast in south indian
households, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka ,
Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
 Prepared from milled rice and dehulled black gram
batter by steam cooking. Idli is a white colored, small,
round, and spongy product.
 Fermentation microorganism- Leuconostoc
mesenteroides , Lactobacillus fermentum,
Lactobacillus lactis.
Idli fermentation process
 Preparation of Batter
 Idli is made by a natural fermentation process. It is
prepared by steaming fermented batter prepared from
soaked rice and black gram dal.
 The proportion of rice to black gram dal is 1:4 to 4:1 the best
results are obtained in2:1 proportion.
 Black gram dal and rice are soaked separately in water for 3
to 10 hours before grinding into paste. After grinding both
paste are mixed with each other with salt as per taste and
enough water.
 The batter is then allowed to ferment for 18 to 30 hours by
means of natural microflora.
 Microflora associated with fermentation
 The micro-organism developing during the initial soaking
of ingredients are sufficient to carry out fermentation.
 Both bacteria and yeast play important role in
fermentation. Bacteria are responsible for acid and gas
production where as yeast is responsible for organoleptic
quality .
 Gram dal is effective substrate for maximum number of
fermentation organism and it has high number of nutrients
that support growth of lactic acid bacteria.
 Bacteria associated are Leuconostoc mesenteroides,
Lactobacillus coryniformis, Lactobacillus delbrueckii,
Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus lactis.
 Yeast associated with fermentation are Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, Torulopsis candida, Trichosporon pullulans,
Debaryomyces tamarii.
 The role of lactic acid bacteria is to reduce pH of batter
to level 4.4 to 4.5 and this pH is optimum for yeast
activity.
 Biochemical changes
 There are two major changes and that are Leavening and
acidification. In the process of leavening during
fermentation the volume of batter increases from 1 to 3
times of original. In acidification of this process the lactic
acid is produced.
 During the fermentation the volume of idli batter
increases. The idli batter increase to 1.6 to 3.1 than original
volume.
 The pH value decreases from 6 to 4.3 – 5.3. Their is a slight
increase in level of soluble salts and non-protein nitrogen.
 The level of soluble nitrogen and free amino – acid gets
increased. The essential amino-acids increase like choline,
methionine, cystine, vitamin C
Health benefits
 It is easy to digest.
 Fermented idli is rich in protein, vitamin and
carbohydrates.
Dosa
 Dosa is a fermented dish like idli, but the batter is
thinner mainly found in the south Indian region .It
contains milled rice and dehulled black gram as
primary ingredients.
 The Batter is in form of suspension, it is prepared by
grinding wet rice and black gram separately with
water. The two suspensions are then mixed and
allowed to undergo natural fermentation, usually for
8–20 h.
 Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus faecalis,
Lactobacillus fermentum and Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens were the predominant bacteria
responsible for souring and leavening of dosa batter.
Dhokla
 Dhokla is indigenous fermented food found mainly in
Gujarat and Maharashtra state.
 lactic acid fermented steamed cake having a soft and
spongy texture
 It is prepared by fermentation of bengal gram and rice.
 During fermentation, lactic acid bacteria contribute to
sour taste due to increase in the acidity of the product
and improve the flavor. While the yeast produce folic
acid, raise the batter volume and give sponginess to the
product.
Health benefits
 The antioxidant property of Dhokla helps in curing age
related diseases and oxidative stress- induced
degenerative diseases. So, dhokla can be a good food
item in diet of diabetic patients and also others.
Ambali
 It is a finger millet-based fermented semi-liquid
product of south India. It prepared by mixing of finger
millet flour with water to make thick batter and
followed by cooking and fermentation.
 Ambali contains high amount of calcium and low
resistance starch .
Kinema
 It is a soybean based fermented food and consumed in
eastern Himalayan regions of Darjeeling hills and
Sikkim.
 The microflora of Kinema is Bacillus subtilis,
Enterococcus faecium, Candida parapsilosis.
 It is a good and cheap source of protein.
 Soybean seeds are soaked overnight and then cracked
slightly in a mortar and pestle. Grits are placed in a
bamboo basket left to ferment naturally at ambient
temperatures (25°-40°C) for 2-3 days. Fermented
soybean is salted, deep fat fried and consumed as soup
along with rice and vegetables.
Fermented vegetable and fruits
products
Pickles
 Pickling is widely used method of preservation for fruits
and vegetables, by anaerobic fermentation in brine or
vinegar, by salting and fermentation for short period of
time. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste.
 The resulting food is called a pickle. Pickle is popular
worldwide.
 Microorganism involved : Lactobacillus sp. , Pediococcus ,
Streptococcus. At acidic pH some yeast may grow and
produce alcohol from acid. Color and texture may be
changed during fermentation.
 Composition depends on the type of pickle.
 The cucumbers are submerged in brine.
 The fermentation of cucumbers is very similar to the
sauerkraut fermentation; only brine (salt solution) is
used instead of dry salt.
 The washed cucumbers are placed in large tanks and
chlorinated brine with 15 to 20% sodium chloride is
added.
 Natural fermentation at room temperature, by lactic acid
bacteria, produces the required acidity.
 Other pickles are made by placing vegetables in vinegar.
Unlike the canning process, pickling (which includes
fermentation) does not require that the food be completely
sterile before it is sealed.
 If the food contains sufficient moisture, a pickling brine
may be produced simply by adding dry salt.
 Another distinguishing characteristic is a pH less than 4.6,
which is sufficient to kill most bacteria.
 Pickling can preserve perishable foods for months.
Antimicrobial herbs and spices, such as mustard seed,
garlic, cinnamon or cloves, are often added. They float on
the surface, prevent spoilage of pickle.
 When both salt concentration and temperature are
low, Leuconostoc mesenteroides dominates, producing
a mix of acids, alcohol, and aroma compounds.
 At higher temperatures Lactobacillus plantarum
dominates, which produces primarily lactic acid.
 Many pickles start with Leuconostoc, and change to
Lactobacillus with higher acidity.
 The acidity or salinity of the solution, the temperature
of fermentation, and the exclusion of oxygen
determine which microorganisms dominate, and
determine the flavor of the end product.
Sauerkraut
 The words sauerkraut are german terms for sour cabbage.
 Sauerkraut is a product of natural lactic acid fermentation
of fresh cabbage in the presence of a small amount of salt
involving lactic acid bacteria, Leuconostoc mesenteroides
and Lactobacillus plantarum.
 Sauerkraut is rich in vitamin C and has a mild laxative
action due to dextran content of the product.
 Nutritional value per (100 g)(3.5 oZ)
 Energy - 78KJ (19 Kcal)
 carbohydrate - 4.3 g sugar - 1.8 g
 dietary fibre - 2.9 g
 It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor,
both of which result from the lactic acid that forms
when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage.
Sauerkraut is also used as a condiment upon various
foods, such as meat dishes and hot dogs.
 Fat - 0.14 g Water - 92 g Vitamin B - 0.13 mg (10%)
Vitamin C - 15 mg (18%) Iron - 1.5 mg (12%) Sodium -
661 mg (44%)
Gundruk
 Gundruk is a fermented food prepared from leaves of
rayo-saag, mustard, or cauliflower.
 Popular food in Nepal.
 Leaves are wilted and shredded, crushed mildly and
kept for natural fermentation in earthened jars/
container, made air tight for about 7-10 days and sun
dried for 3-4days after completion of fermentation.
 The predominant microorganisms found as Lactic acid
bacteria comprising Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and
Pediococcus. Lactobacillus fermentum, L. plantarum.
Health benefits
 Gundruk has a good amount of ascorbic acid,
carotene, and lactic acid, and acts as an
anticarcinogen. It is consumed as soup or pickle. It has
high concentrations of calcium and magnesium.
Sinki
 similar to gundruk but it is prepared from radish tap
roots.
 Region or state: Nepal, Darjeeling district, Sikkim,
Bhutan.
 Traditionally prepared by “pit fermentation”.
 Microorganisms observed as Lactobacillus fermentum,
L. brevis and L. plantarum.
 It is an effective appetizer, cures diarrhea, stomach
pain and consumed mostly during the lean period.
Fermented meat and fish
products
Ngari
 The fermented fish product ngari forms an intrinsic
part of the diet of people in Manipur.
 Sun dried, non-salted dry form of a fish species
Puntius sophoreis used for the preparation of ngari
dish.
 The microflora predominately occurred as
Lactococcus plantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum,
Bacillus subtilis, and Enterococcus faecium.
 It is eaten as a side dish with cooked rice. It is a rich
source of proteins.
 Ngari are good source of protein, amino acids and
minerals. The product has potential probiotic
properties, antioxidant and antihypertensive
characteristics and can find wide application in
functional food and pharmaceutical formulation.
Hentak
 Hentak is an ethnic fermented fish paste prepared by
fermentation of a mixture of sun- dried fish powder
and petioles of aroid plants.
 The small Indian flying barb fish are sun dried
on bamboo trays and crushed to powder. The aroid
petioles are cut into pieces and left in the sun for one
day, then in equal parts with the fish powder the
mixture is sealed in an earthen pot and fermented for
around one week.
 Hentak is a standard ingredient in Manipuri households,
where it is consumed as a condiment with boiled rice
or curry. Some preparations may include other plant
ingredients like Colocasia esculenta. The standard
ingredient of aroid petioles enhances flavor and also serves
the purpose of aiding the fermentation process. In
Manipur, hentak is a homemade preparation that is not
produced for commercial markets. It is custom to serve this
to expecting mothers and patients in convalescent.

 The microflora of Hentek is as Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis,
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium.