[For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see Forum website.
Note, participants are assumed to be speaking on their own behalf, unless they state otherwise.]

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 07:00
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 18: Re: Traditional fermentation - India

My name is Joseph Hounhouigan, senior lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin.

I'd like to comment on Message 6 (June 17) from E.M. Muralidharan from India. The foods described there are quite similar to a traditional steamed-cooked bread well known in West Africa (Benin, Togo and Ghana) as ablo or aboloo. It is made from maize, sugar, salt and baker's yeast and the dough is fermented and steamed-cooked and the "bread" eaten with stew, soup, etc.. We cannot say historically when the baker's yeast has been introduced. Nowadays, it is common to replace maize totally or partially by rice because it generates softer and lighter ablo, which could be a consequence of the fact that the know-how for using maize (for ablo production) is being lost. [Joseph Hounhouigan a few days later gave some additional information, explaining that the transmission of knowledge in the traditional societies goes from mother to daughter. With schooling in the modern society, the children are no longer with the mother to learn these skills and they are not taught them at school. To paraphrase a popular African saying, the young no longer make a sauce like their grandmothers ("les jeunes ne savent plus préparer les sauces comme leurs grand-mères")...Moderator].

I agree with the comment from E.M. Muralidharam that "the selection of the strains of microorganisms, their genetic modification and standardization of the fermenting processes is a relevant option when there is a huge market potential within the country and also elsewhere in the world". Food processors need to be ensured that a neigbouring country is also a market for their product before investing. This is not evident in Africa as the same product can have different names in different villages, region or countries. There is a need to investigate which foods are "tastely" common at regional level: Ghanean aboloo is it as tasteful as Benin ablo and vice versa? How can scientists help?

Joseph Hounhouigan, PhD
Maitre de Conference
Sciences et technologies des aliments
Faculte des Sciences Agronomiques
Universite d'Abomey-Calavi
01 BP 526 Cotonou
Republique du Benin
Tel: + 229 91 39 84 / + 229 36 01 26
Fax : + 229 36 01 22
e mail: hounjos (at) bj.refer.org
hounjos (at) intnet.bj
hounjos (at) yahoo.fr
http://www.bj.refer.org/fsa

[1) E.M. Muralidharam had written in Message 6: "These are the days when the traditional food preparations are being marketed in ready-to-eat foil packaging or cook-and-serve packing. The selection of the strains of microorganisms, their genetic modification and standardization of the fermenting processes appear to be in the offing, particularly since there is a huge market potential within the country and also elsewhere in the world". 2) Chapter 2 (on "Cereal fermentations in African countries") in FAO's Agricultural Services Bulletin 138 (entitled "Fermented cereals: A global prespective" - http://www.fao.org/docrep/x2184e/x2184e00.htm), published in 1999, gives more details on ablo. It says that indigenous fermented foods prepared from major cereals are common in many parts of Africa. Some are used as beverages and breakfasts or snack foods while a few are consumed as staples and weaning foods. A range of foods are described under the heading "fermented gruels and non-alcoholic beverages". One of these is mawe, "a sour dough prepared from partially dehulled maize meal which has undergone natural fermentation for a one to three-day period. Studies on mawe production were conducted by Houhonigan (1994). An estimated 14-16% of total maize production in Cotonou, Benin is used for mawe production. Quantitatively mawe is less important than ogi [a porridge prepared from fermented maize, sorghum or millet in West Africa], but is suitable as a basis for the preparation of many dishes". One of these dishes is the steam-cooked bread ablo. Also, "mawe is produced using both a traditional (home) process and a commercial process. The commercial process for mawe production was developed to meet quality requirements of urban mawe consumers (Hounhouigan, 1994)." and "dominant microorganisms in mawe preparation include lactic acid bacteria (mainly Lactobacillus fermentum and its biotype L. cellobiosis, L. brevis) and yeasts (Candida krusei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae)...Moderator].

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 07:44
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 19: Fermentation - GMOs - Malolactic fermentation

This is John Nishio, I am an adjunct research professor at California State University, Chico, Biocompatible Plant Research Institute. I am not a fermentation biologist, but I am interested in agriculture. Thank you all for your interesting contributions. I'm just sitting on the sidelines.

I've really never considered fermentation beyond my everyday world. My use of fermented products is mainly limited to fermented products used in the United States (US), such as alcohol, cheese, yogurt, sour dough bread, and so forth. Being a USer of Japanese descent, I have been exposed to fermented products such as soy sauce, tempe, miso, and natto. I really never considered their historical development, but I can understand the significance of the need for preservation.

With regard to GMOs, not being a fermentation biologist, but being more of a biochemist, I can certainly see how recombinantly modified organisms might be useful in fermentation processes. For example, development of an organism more tolerant to a lower or higher pH than the "normal" process could allow more product to be produced. (pH could be replaced with temperature or the concentration of a specific metabolite that can become inhibitory during the process). For example, the production of hydrogen by algae could be enhanced if hydrogenases were less sensitive to oxygen. The environmental risk is another issue, but the use of GMOs in the cheese industry certainly provides a really long-term example of some of the risks.

For Nand Lal (Message 1, June 15), malolactic fermentation is the fermentation of malate to lactate, catalyzed by malolactate enzyme. In the reaction malate is decarboxylated to produce carbon dioxide and lactate. The process is often used in the wine making process, as the conversion of the dicarboxylic acid, malate, to the monocarboxylate, lactate, reduces the acidity of the wine. Lactate is in dairy products (lactate also causes pain in your muscles, when you go anaerobic, but in that case the lactate is formed from pyruvate).

John N. Nishio
Biocompatible Plant Research Institute
College of Natural Sciences
California State University
Chico, CA   95929--0555
United States
Phone:  530.898.4589
Fax:  530.898.4363
e-mail:  jnishio (at) csuchico.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 07:52
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 20: Re: Starter culture vs natural organisms in fermentation

Responding to E.M. Muralidharan (Message 17, June 21): Starter cultures can be made simply by putting the batter out in the air to "collect" the wild yeast. I once had a starter culture for sourdough (commonly used in the US by European settlers in the 1800's). The starter was "wild", in that no "commercial" yeast was added, and I just stored it in the refrigerator until I needed it (feeding it every two weeks or so). If I had kept it out of the refrigerator, it would have been more active, and the feeding rate would be increased. Wild starters do not require aseptic kitchens. If you are a commercial bread maker, however, you would want to protect your culture from infection with other yeasts, as it might alter the flavor and characteristics of your product. I guess the same would apply to other fermentation processes used for all the other foods that have been mentioned (Yes, thanks to Olusola Oyewole. I've eaten gari, and I didn't know it was a fermented product. Thanks for the information.) [Gari, a fermented product from cassava, is included in Table 1 of Olusola Oyewole's message 4, June 17. More details on gari were also given in Message 3, June 17...Moderator].

Referring to Message 6 (June 17) by E.M. Muralidharan, I'm not certain why the reference to Ajinomoto was made, but monosodium glutamate is a common component of many foods, as glutamate is an important metabolite in plants.

John N. Nishio
Biocompatible Plant Research Institute
College of Natural Sciences
California State University
Chico, CA   95929--0555
United States
Phone:  530.898.4589
Fax:  530.898.4363
e-mail:  jnishio (at) csuchico.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 09:06
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 21: Re: Single cell proteins (SCP)

This is P S Janaki Krishna, India, responding to Nand Lal (Message 15, June 21):

The questions you asked with regard to single cell proteins (SCPs) are very pertinent. I wish some professionals in food biotechnology would answer them for the benefit of the participants. With regard to the methods used to reduce toxic factors in SCP production, these are:
(i) Solvent extraction
(ii) Molecular sieving to remove polycyclics and
(iii) Storing in food formulations instead of in powdered form.

With regard to safety evaluation, tests for total viable count and other control checks will be carried out at every state of the process to ensure that the end product is considerably of high quality. Safety during the production process to the people who are exposed to it and also to the environment around the production plant besides safety in consumption is very important. In principle, no adverse effect should result from the consumption.

Food grade chemicals and materials are used in the process. The biomass, spent culture medium and spent gas leaving the fermenter are seperated by a continuous cyclone into a gas stream and slurry stream. The latter is passed directly to an aseptic RNA reduction stage and spent gas stream passes through the back pressure value and then through a steam heated pipe which prevents contaminating microorganisms into the cyclone separator.

P S Janaki Krishna,
Consultant,
Biotechnology Unit, Institute of Public Enterprise,
Hyderabad - 500 007,
India
Email: jankrisp (at) yahoo.com
Phone: 040 - 27097018/27098148

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 13:17
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 22: Monosodium glutamate

E.M. Muralidharan from India again. This is a digression from the main topic but may be of interest to the participants.

John Nishio (Message 20, June 22, 2004), in response to my Message 6 (June 17, 2004), says "I'm not certain why the reference to Ajinomoto was made, but monosodium glutamate is a common component of many foods, as glutamate is an important metabolite in plants".

I want to ask if Ajinomoto is indeed a natural product and safe at all levels. The impression I had was that it is not a very good thing, since products containing the substance usually carry a warning that it is not recommended for young children. Or is it only that glutamate is to be avoided in larger amounts? I am aware that ajinomoto is a common ingredient of food in many parts of Asia. In any case my reference to it was only to highlight that traditional food in India is undergoing a change and that has partly to do with commercialization.

Dr. E.M. Muralidharan
Scientist E1, Biotechnology
Kerala Forest Research Institute
Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala State
680653,
India
Email: emmurali (at) kfri.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod3
Sent: 22 June 2004 14:15
To: biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org
Subject: 23: Appropriate biotechnology? - Sri Lanka

I am Asitha Punchihewa and I am the research and documentation officer for a network of Non Profit Institutions that are in the field of Community Development. I was born and was brought up in a village background in Sri Lanka and did my higher studies in Australia.

From a community and a villager's point of view, biotechnology in food processing has been used in these parts of the globe since the ancient past, mainly in alcohol manufacture and in dairy, and sustainability was the concerned factor where the economic or the commercial value was hardly in the picture.

Since the colonial era and due to the population explosion, biotechnology usage was considered in order to meet the food requirement. But still, we have to consider the modern biotechnology as a young science even though it shows tremendous potential. In order to use biotechnology for commercial purposes, we have to think more from an environmentalist's point of view because there should not be any consequences of it to the environment or to the people. Who is going to decide on the definition of appropriate biotechnology?

From a short-term commercial point of view it is amazingly good. Biotechnology usage in food production is a short-term solution to the food security crisis in some poor countries.

But where is it going to end?

Asitha Punchihewa
9A, 3Rd Lane,
Subhadrarama Road, Gangodawila
Nugegoda,
Sri Lanka
Tel:+94 (0)11 2809091/+94 (0)114309356
Fax:+94 (0)11 2827200
Email: nfporc (at) dacafe.com ; infosource (at) nfpo.org
Web: www.nfpo.org

[Note, regarding the last sentence, this conference covers biotechnology in "food processing" and not the much wider area of biotechnology in "food production"...Moderator].