NB40503.

FOOD FERMENTATION

W-14. Safety Issue Related to Fermented

Food

Naturally occuringtoxins / antinutritional factors

Toxic substances produced during fermentation

What is Food Safety?

Assurance that food will not cause harm when
prepared and/or eaten according to its intended
use.
Most food safety attributes can not be directly
observed, but instead require laboratory
procedures for their measurement.
Definition of Food Safety Hazard
A biological, chemical or physical agent in, or
condition of, food with the potential to cause an
adverse health effect.
In food safety management systems, hazards
refer to conditions or contaminants in foods that
can cause illness or injury.

Practical Food Microbiology

Microorganisms are small, living unicellular or
multicellular organisms.
They include bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds, and
parasites.
They can be.
The good,
The bad, and
The ugly!

Kinds of Microorganisms
The Good (or helpful):
Add them to foods or
they are there
naturally.
They ferment foods to
preserve them and/or
create unique flavors
and textures.
Examples: cheese,
yogurt, sour cream,
bread, sauerkraut and
pickles.

Kinds of
Microorganisms..contd
The Bad (or spoilage)
Change foods and
cause them to go
bad or spoil.
Affect the quality of the
food product, not
necessarily the safety
of the food.
Examples: Discolored,
mushy, or fuzzy
vegetables; sour milk;
and slimy, putrid meat.

Kinds of
Microorganisms..contd
The Ugly (diseasecausing, pathogenic):
Cause illnesses that
can range from mild to
life-threatening.
Examples include foods
contaminated with
Salmonella or E. coli
O157:H7. Common
signs and symptoms
include nausea,
vomiting, and diarrhea.

Bacteria

Viruses

Parasites

Fermented Food Safety

Fermented foods industry are small scale or even
back yard operations, family owner business using
traditional methods
The development of appropriate technologies aimed
at upgrading the quality of indigenous Indonesian
foods will be indispensable for the growth and
survival of the food industry
The basic aspects of microbiological safety of the
indigenous fermented foods by the result of
properties and the activity of potential microbes
during the fermentation, will support the safety of
products and their impact to the potential pathogens
and toxinogenic microorganisms.

Factors on Fermented Foods

Inadequate raw material grading and cleaning,
presence of foreign matter
Crude handling and processing techniques employed
Lack of durability (shelf life)
Unattractive appearance

Fermentation and Food Safety Problem

Natural fermentation indigenous fermented foods
(contamination problem)
Backslopping fermentation taking batter from previous
batch to be introduced to new batch (contamination
problem)
Fermentation using starter cultures is most safest method

Example of Traditional
Foods and Microorganisms
Local name Raw materials Utilization

microorganisms

Legumes
tempe

soybean
wingbean,
velvet bean.

main dish or
snack

mold, LAB

kecap

black / yellow
soy bean

condiment

mold, yeast, LAB

oncom

peanut &
coconut press
cake

main dish or
snack

mold and LAB

tauco

soybean,
glutinous rice

condiment

mold, yeast and

LAB

cabuk

Sesame press
cake

Main dish

bacteria /Bacillus

Example of Traditional
Foods and
Microorganisms.contd
Cereals
Tape ketan

Glutinous
rice

snack

Mold, and
yeast

Brem solid

Glutinous
rice

snack

Mold and
yeast

Brem liquid

Glutinous
rice

beverage

Mold and
yeast

apem

Rice flour

snack

Yeast and LAB

Tape ketela

cassava

snack

Mold and
yeast

growol

cassava

Main dish

LAB

gatot

Dried
cassava

snack

LAB

Cassava

Example of Traditional
Foods and
Microorganisms.contd
milk
dadih

milk

refreshment

LAB

kefir

milk

refreshment

LAB

peda

fish

Main dish

LAB

bekasang

fish

Main dish

LAB

Terasi/petis

Shrimp/smal
fish

condiment

LAB,

Kecap ikan /fish

sauce

Many kind of
fish

condiment

LAB

tempoyak

durian

condiment

LAB

acar

Cucumber,
fruits

condiment

AAB, LAB

Fish

Fruits/vegetable

Research Activity Related to Safety of

Fermented Foods
Safety of fermented foods could lead to an
improvement in the overall quality and nutritional
value of the food supply, reduction of nutritional
diseases and greater resistance to intestinal and other
diseases in infants
The safety of food fermentation processes is related to
several principles

Tempe
Fermented soybean in which Rhizopus oligosporus or/and
R. microsporus var oligosporus play an essential role
Compact and sliceable mass of hydrated precooked
bean cotyledons bound together by mold mycellium
The major desirable aspect of tempe are attractive flavor,
texture and nutritional properties.
In Indonesia and Malaysia is consumed as a protein-rich
meat substitute by all economic groups.
Yellow soybean is commonly used as the best quality of
tempe
Can be prepared by other bean or waste product such as
pigeon peas, wing bean, velvet bean, soy curd solid
waste, coconut and peanut press cake.

oybean tempe (tempe kedele)

elvetbean tempe (tempe benguk)

Wingbean tempe (tempe kecipir)

Tempe koro (Phaseolus sp)

Research on Safety of Tempe

Tempe is easy digestible, contain antiinfective
hypolipidic substances
Prevent growth of Salmonella typii and Shigella
flexneri
Reduction in anti-nutritional factors bound the
trypsin inhibitor
Inhibit the the E. coli infection.
R. oligosporus inhibit the production of aflatoxin
by A. parasiticus and A. flavus

Tempe from solid wastes :

a) Soycurd solid waste (tempe gembus

b) Coconut press cake (tempe bongkrek)

(b)

(a)

Present Status of Tempe Industry

More than 85,000 tempe producers
Simple technology, economic efficiency is low,
lack of quality standardization, less of sanitation
and hygiene (small scale)
Fast growing industry, potential to develop
The mode of industry is cooperative
The Indonesian Tempe Centre (ITC) was
established for assisting the local producers to lift
up their capabilities in producing standard quality,
and information service

Production and Consumption of Tempe

Indonesia is the largest producers and consumer of
tempe in the world (20,000 tons per week) with an
annual increase of about 3.5 4.0%.
Tempe consumption as one of the instruments in
improving the nutritional status of the people
About 64 % of soybean for tempe production
Classification of scale of production : 50 kg, 100 kg,
above 100 kg of soybean per day, only three
industries has capacity more than 500 kg.

Beneficial Changes During Tempe Fermentation

Increasing of nutritional value especially of soluble
protein
Increasing of vitamins content : thiamine(B-1),
riboflavin (B-2), Niacin(B-3), pantothenic acid,
pyridoxine (B-6), biotin, folacine, cyanocobalamine
(B-12) and vitamin A
Producing active substances either from soybean
and synthesis during the fermentation by mold,
and bacteria
There are several variety of Rhizopus oligosporus
potential of producing active substances and
vitamins, and some bacteria producing vitamins.

Potential Strain Selected for

Improvement of Active Substances in
Tempe Fermentation
No

Microorganisms

Potency

Reference

Transformation
daidzein/ glycitein to
factor- II

Barz, et (1993

Micrococcus luteus,
Micro-bacterium
arborescens and
Brevibacterium
epidermis

R. oligosporus MSS and Vitamin B-2

Pur
(riboflavin) ,
Vitamin B-6
(pyridoxine)

Keuth and
Bisping (1994)

Klebsiella pneumoniae
and
Citrobacter freundii

Vitamin B-12
(cyanocobalAmine)

Denter and
Bisping (1994)

R. oligosporus MSS

- carotene (provitamin A)

Bisping et.al.
(1993)

R. oligosporus MS1,
MSS, and R. arrhizus
EN

Ergosterol (provitamin D)

Bisping et.al.
(1993)

Contribution Tempe to Health

Source of good protein

Source of essential fatty acids
Contain vitamin B (B2, B6 and B12) and minerals (Fe)
Contain antibacterial, antioxidan, SOD
Have a number of active substances such as
isoflavon, unsaturated fatty acids, ergosterol,
carotene, vitamin

Factors which Enhance Functional Properties

Processing of tempe making
Microbes involved (Rhizopus oligosporus, bacteria and
yeast)
Raw materials including packaging materials
Environment of fermentation (Rh, temperature, pH)

Problem in the Tempe Industry

Need for education and promotional work
The difficulty of changing traditional food patterns,
the experience consuming mold-fermented foods
Teaching uneducated people how prevent
contaminated tempe (Pseudomonas cocovenenans
from tempe bongkrek)
Developing sources of methods for making starter
(prevent contamination)
Finding distribution system for extended shelf life (not
refrigerated)
Define the standard method for tempe making for
small industry

Kicap ( Soy Sauce )

Kicap is a condiment used to add flavor and color to other
foods such as soybean curd (tofu), rice, meat, and
vegetable
There are several grades or levels of quality by society
levels in cities as well as in rural areas
Two types of kicap : kicap manis (sweet kicap) and kicap
asin (salty)
The sweetened kicap more popular, which is more thick
and dark brown liquid because of more addition of palm
sugar.
The dominant flavor comes from spices such as Alpinia
galanga, Carum roxburghianum, Citrus hystrix leaves,
Andropogen ceriferus, Coriander sativum, garlic, and
Polianthes tuberosa.

Safety Aspects of Soy Sauce

Aspergillus oryzae and A. sojae never produce
aflatoxin under any condition
Those mold are able to produce extracellular
enzymes for degrading of aflatoxin (isolated
A.oryzae K-1A )
The mechanisms of aflatoxin B1 bioreduction were
through mycellium binding and enzyme degradation
The condiment flavor of kecap is come from Alpinia
galangal, Carum roxburghianum. Leaves of Citrus
hystrix, Eugena polyantha, Foeniculum volgare or
aniseed, Andropogon cerferus, Coriandrum sativum,
garlic and Polianthes tuberose are potential inhibit
the pathogens

Research on Safety Aspects of Soy Sauce

A. oryzae

A. sojae

A. flavus

2-5

K-1A

mutant

AF
producer

K-1

origin

A.
parasiticu
s

Tauco
Yellow-colored saline paste with a meatlike
flavor and the consistency of porridge.
The product of mold, bacteria and yeast
fermentation of soybean
The molds are Rhizopus oligosporus, R. oryzae,
Aspergillus oryzae for first stage of
fermentation
Second stage is in the brine fermentation,
without inoculation
There are two types : moist, slurried tauco and
dry or paste

Microbiological Safety of Tauco

Microorganisms involved in the fermentation has
synergistic and antagonistic effect :
- Soaking of the bean : LAB
- Mold fermentation : effect of R. oligosporus/R.
oryzae, A. oryzae/A. sojae prevent bacterial
contamination, inhibit producing of aflatoxin
- Brine fermentation : LAB (bacteriocin/probiotic),
Yeast (probiotic effect)

Tauco

Tapai
There are two kinds of tapai :
- tapai ubi kayu (cassava tapai)
- tapai pulut (glutinous rice tapai)
Tapai is sweet/sour alcoholic taste in which
amylolytic mold Amylomyces rouxii and at least
one yeast of Endomycopsis (Saccharomycopsis)
fibuligera and burtonii , some has amylolytic
bacteria
By the fermentation steamed rice or cassava is
hydrolyse to maltose and glucose and continue to
alcohol and organic acids to provide an attractive
flavor and aroma
The cyanide content of cassava was lost during
fermentation, and protein was raised.

Left: Ragi in the plastic bag, tapai pulut hitam

(black glutinous rice) and Tapai Ubi Kayu
Right: tapai pulut (green) and tapai cassava (yellow

Microbiological Safety of Tapai

Amylomyces rouxii and Endomycopsis
(Saccharomycopsis) burtonii ferment starch to
produce maltose, glucose and ethanol, organic
acids decrease cyanide and phytates
Saccharomyces has ability to suppress the bacterial
growth especially pathogen probiotic effect.

(3)

(1)
(2)

) Ragi kicap or koji (2) Aspergillus oryzae (3) Ragi tap

Conclusion
Traditional fermentation are likely to remain important
part of global food supply
Further research should be directed towards identifying
the benefits and risks associated with specific
indigenous products; elucidating the contributions of
microorganisms, enzymes from the microbes and
materials in the fermentation process. Developing
starter cultures, unique microbial strain for nutritive
improvement and detoxication
The safety aspect of food fermentation is depend on the
potential microorganisms that protect the undesirable
microbes.
Lactic acid bacteria can be consider as probiotic and has
grown in almost all of the indigenous fermented foods

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