Modern technologies for ensuring food quality and safety. Fermentation as a technology of the future

Abstract

Since ancient times, humans have faced a problem in their daily lives: food spoils faster than it can be eaten. Fresh produce—meat, milk, fish, vegetables, and fruit—loses its quality within a matter of hours or days and becomes unfit for consumption, and sometimes even life-threatening [1]. The cause is microorganisms: bacteria, yeast, and mould, for which food provides an ideal breeding ground. Some of these are relatively harmless, but pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, or botulism can cause severe food poisoning. The World Health Organization cites striking statistics: every year, around 600 million cases of food poisoning are recorded worldwide, of which almost half a million are fatal.