Biotechnology for improved food fermentation

What is it about?

Africa and a rich cultural heritage of fermented food products. Traditionally fermented African foods include fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts and oil seeds, roots, and tubers as well as animal products. The fermented foods are consumed as beverages, breakfast foods and staples. Most of the traditional fermentations are still spontaneous and uncontrolled. They lead to inconsistent and poor-quality fermented food products. Industrialization of fermented food products is still at the rudimentary stage in Africa. Bacillus and Lactobacillus species are often involved in the traditional fermentation of African foods. Areas of need for biotechnological development of African fermented foods include In depth identification of useful organisms using molecular techniques, Genetic improvement of useful microbial strains, development of probiotic foods, use of immobilized microbes and enzymes for substrate transformations, studies on substrate transformations that lead to the formation of desired end products,

Featured Image

Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash

Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Food fermentation is a means of improving food security. Africa will benefit and enhance its food security situation through biotechnological developments in food fermentation

Perspectives