Fermentation Processes Engineering in the Food Industry

With the advent of modern tools of molecular biology and genetic engineering and new skills in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, fermentation technology for industrial applications has developed enormously in recent years. Reflecting these advances, Fermentation Processes Engineering in the Food Industry explores the state of the art of the engineering technology aspects of fermentation processes in diverse food sectors.

The book describes the benefits of fermented foods in human health in both dairy and non-dairy products and beverages. It examines applications of microalgae in the food industry and explains the application of metabolic engineering in the production of fermented food ingredients. Exploring a host of important topics in engineering fermentation processes, the book covers topics such as:

• Methods and techniques for the isolation, improvement, and preservation of the microbial cultures used in the food fermentation industry
• The fundamentals of fermentation processes, modes of fermentation, and the principles of upstream operation
• Physical and chemicals factors that affect fermentation processes
• Different types of fermenters employed in submerged and solid-state fermentation
• Unitary operations for solid-liquid separation, concentration, and drying of fermented foods
• Instrumentation and control of industrial fermentation processes

The final chapter discusses the potential application of a biorefinery concept to add value to food industry wastes and presents a case study describing an integrated project in which the concept was applied.

An essential reference for all food sector professionals, this volume surveys critical trends in the food, beverage, and additive industry and explores the sustainability of these processes.

Carlos Ricardo Soccol is the research group leader of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology (DEBB) at the Federal University of Parana, Brazil. He has 20 years of experience in biotechnological research and development of bioprocesses with industrial application. His research interests are in science and food technology, with emphasis on agroindustrial and agroalimentary biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, solid-state fermentation, submerged fermentation, bioseparations, industrial bioprocesses, enzyme technology, tissue culture, bioindustrial projects, and bioproduction.

Ashok Pandey is deputy director and head of the Center for Biofuels and Biotechnology Division the National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, India. Professor Pandey’s current research areas are in bioprocesses and product development, mainly focused on agro-industrial solid waste utilization for the production of biofuels, biopolymers, and industrial enzymes.

Christian Larroche is the director of Polytech Clermont-Ferrand, Graduate School of Engineering of University Blaise Pascal. His research interests are in the areas of applied microbiology and biochemical engineering, focusing on the study and development of special processes for the use of microorganisms. This includes fungal spores produced by solid-state cultivation and their use as protein (enzyme) reservoirs in biotransformations.