Enterococcus faecium

The History of Fermented Foods 3
TABLE 1.1
Milestones in the History of Fermented Foods
Milestone
Development/Location
ca.10,000 B.C. to Evolution of fermentation from salvaging the surplus, probably by pre-Aryans.
Middle Ages
ca. 7000 B.C. Cheese and bread making practiced
ca. 6000 B.C. Wine making in the Near East
ca. 5000 B.C. Nutritional and health value of fermented milk and beverages described
ca. 3500 B.C. Bread making in Egypt
ca. 1500 B.C. Preparation of meat sausages by ancient Babylonians
2000 B.C.–1200 A.D. Different types of fermented milks from different regions
ca. 300 B.C. Preservation of vegetables by fermentation by the Chinese
500–1000 A.D. Development of cereal-legume based fermented foods
1881 Published literature on koji and sake brewing
1907 Publication of book Prolongation of Life by Eli Metchnikoff describing
therapeutic benefits of fermented milks
1900–1930 Application of microbiology to fermentation, use of defined cultures
1970–present Development of products containing probiotic cultures or friendly intestinal bacteria
Source: Data compiled from Joshi, V.K. and Pandey, A., Biotechnology: Food Fermentations, Vol. 1, Educational
Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi, 1999, 1–24; Pederson, C.S., Microbiology of Food Fermentations,
AVI, Westport, CT, 1971, 1–274; IDF, Fermented Milks, IDF Bull., No. 179, 16–32, 1984;
Metchnikoff, E., The Prolongation of Life, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1908; Steinkraus, K.H., Handbook
of Indigenous Fermented Foods, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1983; Padmaja, G. and George, M.,
in Biotechnology: Food Fermentations, Vol. II, Joshi V.K. and Pandey, A., Eds., Educational Publishers
and Distributors, New Delhi, 1999, 523–582.
of the phenomenon of fermentation; he established the role of microbes in fermentation
and also proved that there are many different kinds of fermentations. Since the
time of Pasteur, there have been manifold increases in the knowledge of the microbiology,
biochemistry, technology, and food engineering aspects of food fermentations.
At present, we have a number of fermented foods and drinks including fermented
milks, fermented cereals, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and many other mixed products,
which emerged in very early times.
1.2 Fermented Milks
Rock drawings discovered in the Libyan Desert, believed to have been made about
9000 B.C., depict cow worship and cows being milked. 4 Some of the oldest records
suggest development of dairying in ancient India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. It is
apparent from writings, drawings, and friezes dating back to 6000 B.C. from the
Sumerians of Mesopotamia, that dairying was highly developed. A sculptured relief
dating back to 2900–2460 B.C., found at Teil Ubaid in the Middle East in the territory
of ancient Babylonia, shows development of a system for processing milk. It
could be deduced from all these pieces of evidence that the souring of milk was used
to produce butter, and probably milk was also consumed in a soured form. 5 A great