Fermentation in Food Chemistry

Topics in Biochemistry: Fermentation Fermentation Paper

Step 1: Choose a Topic

You will write a research paper explaining the production of a fermented product not discussed in class or expanding on a covered topic. There must be significant chemistry/biochemistry in your paper. Additionally, there will be a comparison of the use or production in the US vs another country.

Potential Topics for Review Article on Fermentation:

• Meat preservation

• Bletting of fruit (beyond ripening)

• Olive Fermentation (effects on oleuropein)

• Kimchee

• Tempeh

• Shalgam juice, hardaliye, or boza (Turkish fermented vegetable and grain beverages)

• Injera (organisms, fermentation, and carbohydrates in t’eff)

• Miso and Soy

• Distilled alcoholic beverages

• Impacts of Nitrogen/nutrients on fermentation in a specific product

• Impacts of pH on fermentation in beer or wine

• Effect of local water chemistry on brewing or distilling

• Tannin and polyphenolics in beer production

• Megasphaera cerevisiae effects on beer production (H2S formation)

• Hop content on flavor profiles

• Sulfur compounds in beers (production, regulation, flavor profiles)

• ‘Head’ or foam on beers

• Wheat ales

• Barley wines

• Cask conditioning of beers

• Production of two short branched-chain fatty acids, 2-methylbutanoic acid and 3- methylbutanoic acid, imparting the “cheesy/sweaty” notes in many cheeses.

• Propionic acid fermentation and the distinctive flavor of Swiss cheese

• Mold Fermentations (e.g. roquefort cheese)

• Buttermilk

• Microbe variability in flavors for a specific fermented product

• Lactic Acid Bacteria and the undesirable flavor products in cider such as ‘piqûre acroléique’

• Phenolic variation in wine varietals and flavor profiles

• Impact of oxygen on wine (what happens to chemical profile after you open the bottle?)

• Effects of chemical aging on wine

• Champagne and sparkling wines

• Wine (broad topic — will need a narrower focus)

• Tej: ethiopian honey wine

• Sulfur compounds in wine (production, regulation, flavor profiles)

• Champagne and sparkling wines

• Malolactic fermentation in wine. This secondary fermentation process is standard for most red wine production and common for some white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, where it can impart a “buttery” flavor from diacetyl, a byproduct of the reaction.

• Use of additives in wine. Ascorbic Acid, lysozyme, fumaric acid, sorbic acid, DMDC, tannins, gum arabic, colors. How do these impact chemistry and flavor?

• Biological aging of wines. Sherry. Use of ‘flor’. Chemical byproducts and pathways involved.

• Astringency. Astringency is an important factor in the sensory perception of beers, ciders, and wines. What compounds are responsible for this sensation and how do they interact with tastebuds on a molecular level?