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The wonderful world of solid-state fermentation: Why does it allow microorganisms to thrive on solid substrates?
With the advancement of biotechnology, solid-state fermentation (SSF) has gradually shown its potential in various industries, from food production to pharmaceutical manufacturing, and even plays an important role in the cosmetics and fuel industries. This technology uses the growth process of microorganisms on solid substrates to produce various biomolecules that can be used to meet the current society's growing demand for functional foods and environmentally friendly products.
Solid-state fermentation is a process that uses solid culture substrates to grow microorganisms to produce various biomolecules, which mainly come from selective solid supports.
Compared with liquid fermentation, the biggest feature of solid-state fermentation lies in its growth environment. Traditional liquid fermentation is usually carried out in large containers and requires constant stirring to promote the supply of oxygen. In contrast, solid-state fermentation utilizes a low water activity environment, which is ideal for fungi that prefer low humidity. In this environment, fungal hyphae can stretch freely on the surface of solid matter and obtain the oxygen they need from the air flow.
This approach is best suited for recreating fungi's natural habitats, allowing tiny biological systems to thrive in near-natural conditions.
In the process of solid-state fermentation, choosing the right substrate is crucial to the quality of the final product. For example, rice, wheat husks or other plant byproducts can be used as solid substrates to promote the growth of microorganisms. Microorganisms use these complex organic substances as nutrient sources and transform them into valuable metabolites through biochemical reactions. This not only improves resource utilization, but also further promotes industrial sustainability.
Solid-state fermentation is widely used in the food industry, especially in Asian countries, to produce traditional products such as sake and soy sauce. In Western countries, the production process of many foods is also closely related to solid-state fermentation, including the ripening process of bread and cheese. The flavor and texture of these foods often come from the fermentation of microorganisms on a solid substrate.
Solid-state fermentation not only shows excellent application value in food production, but can also effectively produce various enzymes. These enzymes are capable of breaking down complex biomolecules and are used in a variety of industries, including processing fruits and vegetables, improving animal feed, and even creating biofuels.
With the advancement of industrialization, solid-state fermentation has gradually shown its advantages in economy and environmental protection. Its advantages include less water consumption, reduced wastewater treatment costs and lower energy consumption. In addition, the implementation of solid-state fermentation does not necessarily require a completely sterile environment. It only requires preliminary disinfection of the matrix to limit the growth of harmful bacteria under rapid microbial reproduction and ensure the safety of the product.
Future Outlook
With economic changes and increasing environmental awareness, the prospects for solid-state fermentation are becoming increasingly bright. Many engineering companies from Asia have developed a new generation of equipment, making SSF technology more widely applicable. Fujiwara's equipment is capable of processing substrate areas of up to 400 square meters, promoting the production of traditional soy sauce or sake. Since 1980, Lyven has focused on producing pectinase and hemicellulase from beet pulp and wheat bran and has participated in global SSF technology research programs.
As the world continues to seek sustainable development and regenerative economy, solid-state fermentation has given new vitality to traditional manufacturing. In the future, will this technology be able to unleash its potential in more fields and solve the various challenges brought about by globalization?
