ABSTRACT
Fermentation is one of the oldest food preservation processes known to mankind. It was originally used to extend the shelf-life of highly perishable foods. Fermentation is a dynamic process during which several catabolic and anabolic reactions proceed simultaneously, depending on several conditions. Legume-based fermented foods serve as an important source of protein, calories, and certain vitamins to the people of Southeast Asia, the Neareast, and parts of Africa. Most legume-based fermented foods are introduced to the western world by immigrants from the Orient. Some of fermented foods such as miso, soy sauce, and tempe are becoming popular in the Western Hemisphere as a result of: their nutritional and organoleptic characteristics, awareness of relationship between food and health, which favors the use of plant products and low-processed foods, and beneficial aspects of legume-based fermented foods. Improvement in cultures for fermentation, particularly with respect to selection of strain, would permit reduction in fermentation time.
