ABSTRACT
Campbell-Platt (1994) de™ned fermented foods as those foods that have been subjectedtotheactionofmicroorganismsorenzymessothatdesirablebiochemical changescausesigni™cantmodi™cationstothefood.However,tothemicrobiologist, theterm“fermentation”describesaformofenergy-yieldingmicrobialmetabolism inwhichanorganicsubstrate,usuallyacarbohydrate,isincompletelyoxidized,and anorganiccarbohydrateactsastheelectronacceptor(Adams1990).Thisde™nitionmeansthatprocessesinvolvingethanolproductionbyyeastsororganicacids bylacticacidbacteriaareconsideredasfermentations.Theyalsoincludethedirect consumptionoffungalfruitbodiesormushrooms.Fermentedfoodshaveimmense
15.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 391 15.2Protection from Hypertension ..................................................................... 393 15.3Cancer Prevention ........................................................................................ 393 15.4Lowering Blood Cholesterol ........................................................................ 394 15.5Protection from Osteoporosis ...................................................................... 395 15.6Protection from Spoilage and Toxic Pathogens ........................................... 395 15.7Protection from Altered Vascular Reactivity .............................................. 396 15.8Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease ......................................................... 396 15.9Source of Antioxidants ................................................................................ 397 15.10Nutrient Synthesis and Bioavailability ........................................................ 398 15.11Protection from Allergic Reactions ............................................................. 398 15.12Protection from Diabetes ............................................................................. 399 15.13Protection from Obesity............................................................................... 399 15.14Increased Immunity .....................................................................................400 15.15Alleviation of Lactose Intolerance ..............................................................400 15.16Hepatic Disease Prevention ......................................................................... 401 15.17Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders ..................................................... 401 15.18Prevention against Diarrhea and In•ammatory Bowel Disease .................. 401 15.19Degradation of Undesirable Compounds.....................................................404 15.20Therapeutic Values ......................................................................................404 15.21Conclusion....................................................................................................404 References ................................................................................................................405
functionalandtherapeuticvaluespossessingantioxidant,antimicrobial,probiotic, low-cholesterol,essentialaminoacid,bionutrient,andsomeimportantbioactiveor health-bene™tcompounds;someoftheseareconsideredaspotentialsourcesofmedicaltherapyforhumans(Tamang2007).Fermentedfoodsassistin(1)thepreservation ofmilkbythegenerationoflacticacidandpossiblyantimicrobialcompounds;(2)the productionof•avorcompounds(e.g.,acetaldehydeinyoghurtandcheese)andother metabolites(e.g.,extracellularpolysaccharides)thatwillprovideaproductwiththe organolepticpropertiesdesiredbytheconsumer;(3)theimprovementofthenutritionalvalueoffood,asin,forexample,thereleaseoffreeaminoacidsorthesynthesis ofvitamins;and(4)theprovisionofspecialtherapeuticorprophylacticproperties againstcancerandcontrolofserumcholesterollevels(Parvezetal.2006).Fermented probioticfoodsareaimedtoimproveguthealth,andtheycurrentlyrepresentthelargestsegmentofthefunctionalfoodsmarketinEurope,Japan,andAustralia(Saarela etal.2002).Thischapteroutlinesthehealthbene™tsoffermentedfoodsduetoeither increasedactivityofbene™cialculturesorincreasedbioactivityofcertaincompounds duringfermentationandtheoveralleffecttoprovidephysiologicalbene™ts(Figure 15.1) over and above their potential to provide basic nutrition.
