Question

Briefly describe the role of microbes in household food processing.

Hint:

LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) not only converts milk to curd but also improves its nutritional quality by increasing Vitamin $B_{12}$.

Answer 1

Step 1: Curd formation - Microorganisms like Lactobacillus and others commonly called Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) grow in milk and convert it into curd by producing acids that coagulate and partially digest milk proteins.
Step 2: Fermentation in Dough - The dough used for making foods like dosa and idli is fermented by bacteria. Similarly, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s yeast) is used to ferment dough for making bread, giving it a puffed-up appearance due to $CO_2$ production.
Step 3: Other uses - Microbes are used to ferment fish, soybean, and bamboo shoots to make tasty foods. Different varieties of cheese, like Swiss cheese, are formed due to the production of large amounts of $CO_2$ by bacteria like Propionibacterium sharmanii.