IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF TRADITIONAL FERMENTATION INDUSTRIES

(PICTURE TAKEN FROM WWW.LSL.COM.MY)Most of the traditional food fermentation industries could be considered as small household or backyard industries with small capacity production and inefficient in the application of the fermentation technology process and know how. It is not that difficult to improve or upgrade the traditional fermentation industries with little capital input and application of GMP

The characteristics of traditional fermentation industries in Malaysia are:
1 They are small scale or small volume industries
2 There are a diversity of fermentation products produced mre towards the geographical location and the type of food substrate available in the area. Coastal areas may produce fermentation products from cincaluk, belacan, budu. Other more inland areas might be producing tempe, tapai and kicap fermentation
3 Level of technology utilized is very low and do not really changed with time and regarded as passive fermentation. Use of automation and mechanization is low
4 GMP is rarely applied. Lack of quality control and sanitary standards
5 Very low level of research or scientific input
6 Government industries supposed to support and upgrade these small and scattered industries are quite passive and do not really enter the playground to participate
7 Shelf life for some of the fermentation products are really short in case of tempe and tapai
8 Marketting of the traditional fermentation products considered poor
9 These industries do not really have professional consultants in fermentation who can advise them how to improve and standardize the quality of fermentations
10 Most of the traditional fermentations are Batch or fed batch fermentations
11 Operators of the traditional fermentation have poor or lack of understanding of the science of fermentation that be applied to their process
12 The fermentation industry is a mix of Solid substrate and liquid fermentation

In this blog we will only try to discuss one or two aspects of the traditional fermentation industries

1 Increasing the volume of fermentation production
2 Improving the efficiency of the traditional fermentation industries with simple cheaper and alternative modes of fermentation

INCREASING THE VOLUME OF FERMENTATION
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One of the most common characteristics of traditional fermentation here is that the fermentation process are often carried out in a large number of small fermentation vats ( or earthen jars). This limiting step can be avoided by carrying the fermentation process in a large fermentation vessel. The most ideal container for the fermentation now would be adapting or modifying the new stainless steel water tanks. These tanks are easily available from hardwate shops. These tanks are sanitary and are easily cleaned and sterilize

Adding a simple motor to the top of the fermentor or stainless steel water tank will help improve the mixings and the fermentation process

INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
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Improvement of the traditional fermentation process has always been the rate limiting steps in the fermentation process. To improve the fermentation process must be carried out in terms of time, quality and volume of the fermentation process.

When we talk about shortening the fermentation time by optimizing the various physical, chemical and microbiological as well as the engineering aspects of the fermentor operation. This initially requires some laboratory scale fermentation studies to optimize the various parameters

The product of the fermentation should be of the highest quality and consistency. Standard operating procedures and good GMP or the basics of GMP should be adapted or modified for use at the level of cottage industries fermentation. The HAACP procedures should also be adapted in its essence to be applied at the small scale fermentation

The main problem of traditional fermentation industries in this country it has always been so successful in maintaining the traditional way of thinking and making fermentations. There is lack of tendency to understand the process, to increase the input of science and technology to the fermentation production system. Days of fermenting in plastic pails and porcelain vats are numbered.......

Imn my observations the fermentation entrepreneurs still practise the art of fermentation handed down from the fathers and refusing to optimise or even experiment to improve their fermentation process. There is poor monitoring of the fermentation process in terms of temperature, ph , sugar in the traditional fermentation industries. This has led to inconsistency in the fermentation products produced. A little investment in these instruments would increase the efficiency of their fermentation