ABSTRACT
The availability of fermented foods has a long history among the different cultures of the world. Acceptability of fermented foods also varies among cultures: A product highly acceptable in one may not be so regarded by consumers in another. Fermented food products are numerous. Manufacturing processes of fermented products vary considerably due to variables such as food groups, form and characteristics of final products, kind of ingredients used, and cultural diversity. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to address all the manufacturing processes used for fermented foods. Instead, this chapter is organized to address fermented food products based on food groups such as dairy, meat, cereal, soy, and vegetables. Within each food group, manufacturing processes of typical products are addressed. This chapter can be viewed as an introduction to manufacturing processes used in selected fermented food products. Readers should consult the appropriate chapters in this handbook and the references below for detailed information.
