N°64 - Ingrédients / Innovation Fermented foods: from yesterday Beer, sauerkraut, yoghurt and bread are well known in Europe. They have been known for centuries and today they are coming back on the agenda. Simply because they undergo very little processing and therefore are synonyms for naturalness, while providing health bene ts that consumers have (re)rediscovered via Asian foods. 118 Fermentation has been used for thou- increased by 60% (Innova Market Insights). sands of years for food processing A new small entrant on the Western market, and even their preservation. It can or rather a new small beverage is kom- be an alternative to raw and cooked food. Itbucha. This beverage of Asian origin has is a biological process triggered by microor-been associated with many health bene- ganisms - yeasts, moulds, fungi, bacteria fits (a source of probiotics and benefits - found in foodstuffs, in the atmosphere or provided by tea). Kombucha is a beve- intentionally added by humans. The type rage consisting of black tea and sugar, of fermentation depends on the microor- acetic acid bacteria and yeasts. These two ganism used and substrate thereof: alco- microorganisms work in symbiosis (SCOBY holic, malolactic, acetic, propionic, butyric,or Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) synapic. This latter fermentation category and form a viscous layer on the surface (that does not have an appealing designa- of the beverage. The yeasts transform tion) allows for the production of fine-qualitythe sugar into alcohol while the bacteria liqueur wines (Tokay, Monbazillac) thanks totransform the alcohol into acids. This highly its “noble rot”, the Botrytis cinerea fungus,acid environment (pH level decreased from which grows on grapes and feeds on their 5 to 2) inhibits the development of unde- water content, which results in a higher sirable microorganisms in the liquid. As percentage of sugar. for its nutritional composition, kombucha The category of fermented foodstuffs is rich in acetic and gluconic acids. The covers different product categories: beve- polyphenolic content (including flavonoids) rages, dishes, sauces and condiments. increases during fermentation: this may be Seaweed yoghurt due to the SCOBY-induced degradation of Ker Ronan: whole milk,Let us start with beverages. the polyphenol and flavanoid complexes in preparation based on the tea used (Chakravorty, 2016). As for wakame seaweeds (Undariapinnati da)andBetween 2011 and 2016, the category of the sugar content, it decreases during fer- lactic ferments. drinkable yoghurts and fermented drinks mentation as it is employed by the yeasts. ■ / Juillet - Août - Septembre 2018 / N°64 / L’Actualité des Ingrédients Fonctionnels & Santé