ABSTRACT
Microbes and microbial biomass are typically not considered as food although they significantly contribute to food properties and food quality. Traditional spontaneous or controlled fermentations by lactic and acetic acid bacteria of vegetables as well as milk strongly modify the taste, texture, and consistency of such food raw materials, but foremost are preservation measures: removal of fermentable sugars and concomitant acidification are the preferred technological methods for natural conservation of noncooked foodstuff with high water content. Similarily alcoholic fermentation of beverages improves both organoleptic properties as well as shelf life of sugar containing fruit juices and starch containing crop mashes. In any case food processing is the underlying reason for such microbial fermentation processes, and not the nutritional or dietary value of the food bacteria and metabolites that inevitably remain in the final product.
