138
for the production of cider from apple juices and perry from the juices of pears. The
most common food and beverages obtained using fungi are listed in Table 8.2.
Beer is one of the widely used alcoholic beverages made from malted barley and
flavoured with hops (female flowers of Humulus lupulus). In the beer industry, malting is used to achieve the degradation of starchy materials into simple sugars.
Malting is done before fermentation by adding warm water to the coarse flour of
malt for the initiation of barley enzymes to break the starch and proteins in the malt
followed by boiling to stop enzymatic activities and the hop is mixed to add flavour.
Beers are basically of two main types: ale and lager. In the traditional fermenter at
room temperature, ale is produced by the top yeast followed by its mixing with gas
accumulated as foam at the top of the vat during ale production and is restricted to
British Isles. On the other hand, the bottom yeast is used for the production of lager
which remains at the bottom because of their more hydrophilic cell walls which
tend them to sediment and is served well-chilled throughout the world. The lager
yeast is S. carlsbergensis and the ale yeast is S. cerevisiae in the brewing industry.
After maturation, fining is done for the clarification of beer to get the final product
(Ghorai et al. 2009). In Japan, rice is used as a starting material for the production
of ‘sake’. Rice is rich in starch and thus not utilizable by the yeast. Therefore, a
fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, is allowed to grow on the surface of the rice. The fungus
converts the starch into simpler sugars, which then can be used by the yeast for the
production of sake. ‘Sake’ is inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae to produce ‘koji’.
Various bacterial species were also used along with fungi for the production of
non-alcoholic beverages like ‘coco’ (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Candida sp.) and
coffee (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Saccharomyces marscianus, Flavobacterium
spp., Fusarium spp.) (Soccol et al. 2008; Pasha and Reddy 2005).
8.7 Production of Other Food Products/Condiments/
Additives
Besides being used directly as food, fungi are also used in the processing of various
food products. Research has been carried out on some of the fermented food products using the microorganisms (including bacteria). But majority of the microorganisms involved in the fermented foods (approximately 500 in numbers) are unknown.
Some of the more familiar ones include ‘miso’, ‘shoyu’, ‘tofu’ and ‘tempeh’. In
these applications the fungus is primarily responsible for the production of some
characteristic flavour, odour or texture and may or may not become part of the final
edible product. Fungal enzymes of the host are released into the respective substrates by the concerned fungi and result in the production of fermented foods
(Cowan 1996; Knoss et al. 1998).
A. Singh et al.
for the production of cider from apple juices and perry from the juices of pears. The
most common food and beverages obtained using fungi are listed in Table 8.2.
Beer is one of the widely used alcoholic beverages made from malted barley and
flavoured with hops (female flowers of Humulus lupulus). In the beer industry, malting is used to achieve the degradation of starchy materials into simple sugars.
Malting is done before fermentation by adding warm water to the coarse flour of
malt for the initiation of barley enzymes to break the starch and proteins in the malt
followed by boiling to stop enzymatic activities and the hop is mixed to add flavour.
Beers are basically of two main types: ale and lager. In the traditional fermenter at
room temperature, ale is produced by the top yeast followed by its mixing with gas
accumulated as foam at the top of the vat during ale production and is restricted to
British Isles. On the other hand, the bottom yeast is used for the production of lager
which remains at the bottom because of their more hydrophilic cell walls which
tend them to sediment and is served well-chilled throughout the world. The lager
yeast is S. carlsbergensis and the ale yeast is S. cerevisiae in the brewing industry.
After maturation, fining is done for the clarification of beer to get the final product
(Ghorai et al. 2009). In Japan, rice is used as a starting material for the production
of ‘sake’. Rice is rich in starch and thus not utilizable by the yeast. Therefore, a
fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, is allowed to grow on the surface of the rice. The fungus
converts the starch into simpler sugars, which then can be used by the yeast for the
production of sake. ‘Sake’ is inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae to produce ‘koji’.
Various bacterial species were also used along with fungi for the production of
non-alcoholic beverages like ‘coco’ (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Candida sp.) and
coffee (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Saccharomyces marscianus, Flavobacterium
spp., Fusarium spp.) (Soccol et al. 2008; Pasha and Reddy 2005).
8.7 Production of Other Food Products/Condiments/
Additives
Besides being used directly as food, fungi are also used in the processing of various
food products. Research has been carried out on some of the fermented food products using the microorganisms (including bacteria). But majority of the microorganisms involved in the fermented foods (approximately 500 in numbers) are unknown.
Some of the more familiar ones include ‘miso’, ‘shoyu’, ‘tofu’ and ‘tempeh’. In
these applications the fungus is primarily responsible for the production of some
characteristic flavour, odour or texture and may or may not become part of the final
edible product. Fungal enzymes of the host are released into the respective substrates by the concerned fungi and result in the production of fermented foods
(Cowan 1996; Knoss et al. 1998).
A. Singh et al.