Basics of Biology

Fermentation

What bacteria are essential in the production of various food products?

Numerous bacteria are essential not only to our health, but in the production of many food products. The following lists familiar foods and the microorganisms that are responsible for their respective characteristics (for more about some of these fermented foods, see the chapter “Biology and You”):

Food

Microorganism

Buttermilk and sour cream

Streptococcus cremoris, Leuconostoc citrovorum

Pickles

Enterobacter aerogenes, Leuconostoc spp.*, Lactobacillus brevis

Sauerkraut

Leuconostoc spp., Lactobacillus brevis

Swiss cheese

Lactobacillus spp., Propionibacterium spp.

Vinegar

Acetobacter aceti

Yogurt

Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus

*spp. = unspecified species


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