DIVERSITY OF FERMENTATION PRODUCTS

PICTURE TAKEN FROM WWW/BACT.WISC.EDU
One of the hallmarks of fermentation industries is the rich diversity of fermentation products produced. The rich variety of fermented foods and drinks are often the pride of many countries and civilizations throughout history of mankind. If the Japanese are proud of their sake, and the Indonesians with their tempeh and the Thais with their fish sauce or Malaysians with their pungent belacan, the British are proud of their beers and the Irish with their stouts.



The rich diversity of fermentation products are attributed to two main factors:
1 Rich diversity of fermenting microorganisms and their varied metabolism
2 Rich diversity of substrates used in the various fermentation process

We will discuss in detail the two factors.