Background

Overview of Food-grade Strains Fermentation

In the fermentation process, the most critical is the selection of microbial strains. Traditionally, food fermentation relies on naturally occurring microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria, yeast and mold, which have an important impact on the flavor, texture and shelf life of food. With the development of science and technology, the modern food industry uses specific microbial strains to control the fermentation process and improve the quality and consistency of products.

There are more than 5,000 fermented foods and beverages worldwide, including wine, beer, vinegar, cheese, yogurt, sourdough bread, olives, sausages, pickles and miso. The fermentation process of these foods involves the biochemical transformation of the microbial community, which converts sugars into simple acids, alcohols and carbon dioxide, improving the taste, texture and aroma of the food, extending its shelf life, and increasing its nutritional value and health benefits.

In addition, the food-grade strains fermentation service also focuses on the development of new functional foods, such as edible mushroom fermented foods. By using the mycelium fermentation of edible fungi, this kind of food not only improves the nutritional value, but also increases the unique health care effect. The research progress shows that fermented food with edible fungi has potential in the production of composite rice, bread, noodles, steamed bread, biscuits, multi-grain powder, tea, wine, milk, functional drinks, soy sauce, vinegar and other products.

Fig. 1. The strains used for fruit fermentation. (Yuan, et al., 2024)

Creative BioMart Microbe focuses on using these carefully selected and identified microbial strains to ensure the safety and efficiency of the fermentation process. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Service Procedure

Services Details

Strain Screening and Community Construction

Traditional fermentation relies on spontaneous fermentation or the addition of previously successful fermentation products as a starter for new fermentation. We optimize production and quality by screening strains and building microbial communities that have similar functions to natural communities, while solving problems that are difficult to predict in traditional fermentation processes.

Precision Fermentation Technology

This technique uses microorganisms with specific gene insertions to ferment to produce target food ingredients, such as proteins and fats. We have mature strains improvement services, including random mutagenesis, genetic recombination, gene editing and so on. In this way, the improved strains can maximize your needs for fermentation projects.

Fermentation Process Optimization

The fermentation environment is very important for the growth and material conversion of microorganisms, and some physical factors including temperature, moisture, oxygen, organic acids can be adjusted to obtain the best fermentation conditions. At the same time, microbial fermentation substrates can also increase biological production at the lowest cost. Based on sophisticated fermentation equipment and systematic fermentation process, we set up multiple parallel experiments to explore the best fermentation conditions, which can achieve the lowest cost and maximum production.

Customized Fermented Food Production

Based on our sufficient number of fermentation strains, we can provide customized fermentation services. Food-grade strain fermentation can produce a variety of products, including but not limited to fermented beverages (e.g., yogurt, beer), condiments (e.g., soy sauce, vinegar), food additives (e.g., enzymes, acids), and functional food ingredients (e.g., probiotics, prebiotics), or animal feed.

Our Advantages

• A Rich Library of Strains

Capable of effectively improving various types of strains covering the bacterial and eukaryotic system which are over 20,000 strains in microbial library and a significant number of food-grade strains.

• A Variety of Expression Systems

We have a variety of expression systems, including E. coli expression system, Bacillus subtilis expression system, Pichia pastoris expression system, Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression system, etc.

• Food-grade Certification

We can provide single cultures of food-grade microbes that we have grown at food-grade facilities and our main facility is Safe Feed/Safe Food certified. In some aspects, we also have a specific GMP/food-grade certification.

Case Study

Case Study 1: The growth of Rhizopus oligosporus was provided by fermentation of soybean cake.

Soybean cake as a kind of oil cake meal, rich in protein and other nutrients, can be used as a solid fermentation substrate. This solid fermentation technology can synthesize a variety of high value-added microbial metabolites through microbial metabolic activities, such as enzymes, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polypeptides, etc. During the fermentation process, protease and amylase secreted by Rhizopus oligosporus can decompose protein and carbohydrate in soybean, improve the taste and nutritional value of food, and produce special flavor substances.

Fig. 2. The Rhizopus oligosporus are overgrown on the fermented bean cake.

Case Study 2: Wheat germ cake fermented with Rhizopus strains improves nutritional value and antioxidant properties.

The 96-hour solid-state fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus and R. oryzae increased peptides by 42%, enhanced antioxidant activity, and doubled the soluble phenolic acids, mainly protocatechuic acid. The product is a rich source of high-quality protein and dietary fiber, with a balanced insoluble to soluble fiber ratio.

Fig. 3. Wheat germ cake fermented for 96 h with Rhizopus strains. (Starzyńska-Janiszewska, et al., 2021)

Case Study 3: Sequential inoculation of T. halophilus and W. anomalus for enhanced Moromi flavor and quality at lower temperatures.

Inoculating moromi with Tetragenococcus halophilus and Wickerhamomyces anomalus significantly impacts the development of soy sauce's taste and aroma. This study focused on the effects of these microorganisms on early-stage, low-temperature (22°C) moromi fermentation over 30 days. It revealed that individual inoculations of yeast or lactic acid bacteria (LAB) boosted levels of amino nitrogen, lactic acid, acetic acid, free amino acids, and key flavor compounds. Notably, sequential inoculation enhanced production of free amino acids and aromatics, suggesting a synergistic interaction. This method led to the detection of distinctive soy sauce aroma compounds like benzaldehyde, HEMF, guaiacol, and methyl maltol, and resulted in a more pronounced umami, roasted, and caramel flavor profile.

Fig. 4. Sensory scores of different aroma intensities of the 30-day fermented moromi filtered samples. (Li, et al., 2023)

FAQs

References:

1. Yuan X.; et al. Recent advances of fermented fruits: A review on strains, fermentation strategies, and functional activities. Food Chem X. 2024;22:101482.
2. Jiang X.; et al. Starting with screening strains to construct synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) for traditional food fermentation. Food Res Int. 2024;190:114557.
3. Starzyńska-Janiszewska, A.; et al. Fermentation with edible Rhizopus strains as a beneficial alternative method in wheat germ cake processing. J. Cereal Sci. 2021;102:103309
4. Li X.; et al. Effect of Sequential Inoculation of Tetragenococcus halophilus and Wickerhamomyces anomalus on the Flavour Formation of Early-Stage Moromi Fermented at a Lower Temperature. Foods. 2023;12(18):3509.