Thursday, November 19, 2020

MICROORGANISMS - making our food delicious - Lots of our food and drink are produced with the help of microorganisms! These bacteria and fungi break down sugars in food and drink and convert them to acids, gases, or alcohols. This process is called fermentation. Different species of bacteria and fungi are involved in fermentation depending on what sugars are being broken down. Bread, beer, and cheese are all products of fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria break down sugars in milk to give us yoghurt and cheese. Yeast, which is a fungus, is used to make bread and many alcoholic drinks. Cocoa is fermented by lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria, breaking down the pulp surrounding the beans, so that we can access the cocoa bean inside to make delicious chocolate. Fermentation is a traditional process of food preservation. Before we had fridges, we needed to find a way to keep food for a long time, and fermentation was a great way to do this. Pickling vegetables and drying meats allow bacteria to begin breaking down the food but in a way that accents the flavour and stops the food rotting. Bacteria tend to get a bad reputation. At the first sign of being ill many people will rush off to get antibiotics, but this is hugely damaging to the good bacteria in our bodies. 9 out of every 10 cells in your body does not belong to you, it belongs to the microbes that live in and on your body. These microbes are not harmful to us, in fact they help us to digest food and stay healthy in many ways. Fermentation of food and drink products uses bacteria that are not harmful to us. The good bacteria are used to preserve the food and colonise the food enough so that the bad bacteria causing rot and decay do not have a chance to take control!

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Microorganisms

making our food delicious!

By Becca Smithers


 

Lots of our food and drink are produced with the help of microorganisms!

These bacteria and fungi break down sugars in food and drink and convert them to acids, gases, or alcohols.

This process is called fermentation.

Fermented Favourites

Do you enjoy the odd chocolate bar?

Maybe a cheese sandwich?

A lovely yoghurt?

How about a cup of coffee, beer, or wine?

These foods are all made through the process of fermentation.

Different species of bacteria and fungi are involved in fermentation depending on what sugars are being broken down.

Bread, beer, and cheese are all products of fermentation.

Lactic acid bacteria break down sugars in milk to give us yoghurt and cheese.

Yeast, which is a fungus, is used to make bread and many alcoholic drinks.

Cocoa is fermented by lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria, breaking down the pulp surrounding the beans, so that we can access the cocoa bean inside to make delicious chocolate.

Fermentation is a traditional process of food preservation.

Before we had fridges, we needed to find a way to keep food for a long time, and fermentation was a great way to do this.

Pickling vegetables and drying meats allow bacteria to begin breaking down the food but in a way that accents the flavour and stops the food rotting.

Yeast cells under a microscope. Each dash on the scale is one micrometre. 10 micrometres = 0.1 millimetres.

Beneficial Bacteria

Bacteria tend to get a bad reputation.

At the first sign of being ill many people will rush off to get antibiotics, but this is hugely damaging to the good bacteria in our bodies.

9 out of every 10 cells in your body does not belong to you, it belongs to the microbes that live in and on your body.

These microbes are not harmful to us, in fact they help us to digest food and stay healthy in many ways.

Fermentation of food and drink products uses bacteria that are not harmful to us.

The good bacteria are used to preserve the food and colonise the food enough so that the bad bacteria causing rot and decay do not have a chance to take control!

Eating fermented foods can help keep a balanced gut microbiome, which means that you have more good bacteria in your gut than bad.

Fermented foods are sometimes marketed as “probiotics”, meaning good bacteria!

How does fermentation happen?

C6H12O6  2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2

Glucose       ethanol   +   carbon dioxide

The above is a basic equation for fermentation.

A sugar breaks down into an alcohol and a gas. Depending on the species of bacteria, different gases can be produced such as hydrogen.

Fermentation needs cells to in order for the process to work.

Bacteria and fungi are perfect as they feed on glucose and sugar molecules and get rid of the alcohols, gases, and acids.

There are a couple of stages in the process of fermenting glucose.

The first stage is a process called glycolysis, which literally means glucose degradation.

The glucose molecules are broken down into smaller molecules called pyruvate.

If there is no oxygen present, which means the conditions are anaerobic, the pyruvate molecules will ferment in cells, releasing carbon dioxide and producing alcohol.

Pyruvate can also be fermented to lactic acid, which is what happens in the human body when muscles are working hard but do not have enough oxygen supply.

Glucose is broken down into pyruvate for energy for the muscles, but the lack of oxygen means our cells ferment pyruvate into lactic acid.

A build-up of lactic acid in muscles results in cramps and muscle fatigue.

This is why athletes do high intensity activity for short periods of time, to make sure their muscles do not get too tired or damaged from long periods of anaerobic exercise.

Fermentation is a natural process and has been part of human culture for a very long time.

Next time you enjoy a fermented food or drink, don’t forget about the marvellous microorganisms that helped make it. 

Becca is a biologist by nature (and by Bachelor’s degree!) but loves to explore and communicate all aspects of science. In 2014 she completed her Master’s degree in Science, Media and Communication where she developed her skills as a science presenter and her understanding of science communication.

It is so important for people of all abilities and backgrounds to feel involved in science, and understand how it affects them as individuals. Becca’s aim as a science communicator is to get people thinking about science and for them to realise that it can be a hobby and interest, not just a subject at school.

Becca’s favourite part about performing STEM shows is the reaction from the audience. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing a room full of people light up when you demonstrate a fun experiment or teach them something they didn’t previously know. Becca loves to share her enthusiasm for science, which she can do every day by working for science made simple.

You can find out more about what we do, check out our excitingrange of shows, or sign up to our newsletter to keep updated on what we are up to! 

Science Made Simple has a passion for all things science. We aim to share our enthusiasm by offering inspirational and educational experiences that are tailor-made for schools, festivals, family and adult audiences.

Our mission is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, to engage the wider public with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) as part of popular culture, and to help build bridges between researchers and the public. We do this by training professional science communicators for high quality science shows, through a variety of formats. These include live presentations, demonstrations and street theatre. We also develop educational materials and create accessible science media for a public audience

http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/curriculum-blogs/biology-blogs/microorganisms-making-our-food-delicious

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