“RATE OF FERMENTATION IN

DIFFERENT FOOD ITEMS”

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the

Class XII Board Practical in Senior Secondary Education Submitted
By
MITHRESH M

REGISTER NO:
Under the Guidance of
Mr. KAMACHIYAPPAN P M. Sc., B.Ed., PhD

SRI CHAITHANYA TECHNO SCHOOL

A Senior Secondary School Affiliated to Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE), New Delhi.
Affiliation No: 1931222
(2023-2024)
 Certificate

This is to certify that this report on “RATE OF FERMENTATION IN DIFFERENT

FOOD ITEMS” is the bonafide work of MITHRESH M (Register No: ) who

carried out the project under my supervision. Certified further, that to the best of my

knowledge the work reported herein does not form part of any other project report or

assertation on the basis of which a degree or award as conferred on an earlier occasion on this

or any other certificates.

Mr. KAMACHIYAPPAN P Mr. RAUVURI SANJEEVA REDDY

Subject Teacher Principal

Submitted for the Project Work and viva-voce Examination held on

………………………

INTERNAL EXAMINER PRINCIPAL EXTERNAL EXAMINER

i
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project entitled “RATE OF FERMENTATION IN DIFFERENT

FOOD ITEMS” submitted to Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Erode, in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the award of the class XII Board Practical’s in Senior Secondary Education, is a
record of original project work done by me under the supervision and guidance of Mr. P.
KAMACHIYAPPAN., Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Erode.

PLACE: ERODE SIGNATURE OF THE STUDENT

DATE: ………………

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 ACKNOWLWDGEMENT

It is new elevation in my schooling history to undertake this project entitled -

“RATE OF FERMENTATION IN DIFFERENT FOOD ITEMS” which helped our project team
to gain more knowledge.

I would like to express our deep gratitude and heartfelt thanks to our Principal Mrs. S. Mr.
RAUVURI SANJEEVA REDDY M.Sc., B.Ed., Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Erode, for providing
the facilities to complete this project work.

I would like to thank our Senior Lecturer Mr. GADDI ASHWINI KUMAR M.Sc., B.Ed.,
& Mr. GAJULA SATHISH KUMAR M.Sc., B.Ed., Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Erode for
his prolonged support, encouragement and motivation.

I owe my immense gratitude and highest respect with heartfelt and sincere thanks to our
project guide Mr. P. KAMACHIYAPPAN M.Sc., B.Ed., PhD and Mrs. C. Priya B. Tech, who
took keen interest on my project and guided me to complete my project work.

This project would not have completed without their enormous help and worthy experience.
Whenever I was in need, they were behind me.

Although, this report has been prepared with utmost care and deep routed interest.
Even then I accept respondent and imperfection.

I express my sincere thanks to my parents and friends who helped me to complete this
project successfully.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
S.NO TOPIC PAGE.NO

1. ABSTRACT 01

2. INTRODUCTION 02

3. AIM 03

4. MATERIALS REQUIRED 04

5. THEORY 05

6. PROCEDURE 06

7. OBSERVATION 07

8. USES OF FERMENTATION 08

DISADVANTAGES OF USING FERMENTED

9. 09
FOODS

10. HISTORY OF USE OF FERMENTATION 10

11. TYPES OF FERMENTATION 11

12. DIFFERENT STAGES OF FERMENTATION 12

13. CONCLUSION 12

14. BIBILIOGRAPHY 13

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 ABSTRACT
Wheat flour, gram flour, potato juice and carrot juice contain starch as the major
constituent. The starch present in these foods is responsible for the process of fermentation.
Fermentation is a metabolic process in which an organism converts the carbohydrate such as starch or
sugar into alcohol or an acid. So, we will be able to compare the different rate of fermentation in
wheat flour, gram flour, potato juice and carrot juice.

1
 INTRODUCTION
Fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food preservation technology in the world.
Indigenous fermented foods such as bread, cheese and wine have been prepared and consumed for
thousands of years are strongly linked to culture and tradition, especially in rural household and
village communities.
Fermentation is the slow decomposition process of organic substances included by
microorganisms or by complex nitrogenous substances (enzymes) of plant or animal origin.
Fermented foods use microbes to convert the original food into fermented product by the use of
specific microbes.
Some of the microbes used in food fermentation are:
 Lactococcus latis – used for diary fermentation
 Streptococcus thermophilus – used for diary fermentation
 Pediococcus sp – meat fermentation, vegetable fermentation, ripening of some cheese
 Lactobacillus sp – meat fermentation, vegetable fermentation, diary fermentation,
sourdough bread
 Propinibacterium sp – swiss cheese
 Yeast – bread, beer, wine, liquors
 Moulds – ripening cheese, soy sauce
 Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus – making od yogurt

The science of fermentation is known as zymology which is a study of biochemical process of

fermentation and its application.
It is also known as alcohol fermentation, is the break down of sugars by bacteria and yeast using a
method of respiration without the need of oxygen (anaerobic process).
Reactions involving in fermentation
General Equation: C6H12O6 2C2H5OH +2CO2
STEPS INVOLVED IN FERMENTATION
Steps 1. GLYCOLYSIS
C6H12O6 C3H3O3 +H2
(Glucose)

(Pyruvate) Steps 2.
FERMENTATION
C3H3O3 CH3COH + CO2
(Acetaldehyde)
CH3COH + NADH +H+ C2H5OH+NAD-
(Ethanol)
2
 AIM
The purpose of the experiment is - to compare the rate of fermentation of the given samples of

wheat flour, gram flour, carrot and potatoes.

I became interested in this idea when I saw some experiments on fermentation and wanted to

find out some scientific facts about fermentation. The primary benefit of fermentation is the

conversion of sugars and other carbohydrates, example, converting juice into wine, grains into beer,

carbohydrates into carbon dioxide to leaven bread, and sugars in vegetables into preservative organic

acids.

3
 MATERIALS REQUIRED
 Conical flask
 Test tube
 Funnel
 Filter paper
 Water bath
 1 % Iodine solution
 Yeast
 Wheat flour
 Gram flour
 Carrot juice
 Potato juice
 Aqueous NaCl solution

4
 THEORY

Wheat flour, gram flour, carrot and potatoes contain starch as the major constituent.

Starch present in these food materials is first brought into solution in the enzyme diastase, starch

undergo fermentation to give maltose.

Starch gives blue-violet colour with iodine whereas product of fermentation starch does not

give any characteristic colour. When the fermentation is complete the reaction mixture stops

giving blue-violet colour with iodine solution.

By comparing the time required for completion of fermentation of equal amounts of

different substances containing starch the rates of fermentation can be compared.

The enzyme diastase is obtained by germination of moist barley seeds in dark at 15 degrees

Celsius. When the germination is complete the temperature is raised to 60 degree Celsius to stop

further growth. The seeds are crushed into water and filtered. The filtrate contains enzyme diastase

and is called malt extract.

5
 PROCEDURE

 Take 5 g of wheat flour in 100 ml conical flask and add 30 ml of distilled water.

 Boil the contents of the flask for about 5 minutes

 Filter the above contents after cooling, the filtrate obtained is wheat flour extract.

 To the wheat flour extract. taken in a conical flask. Add 5 ml of 1% aq. NaCl solution.

 Keep this flask in a water bath maintained at a temperature of 50-60 degree Celsius. Add 2 ml

of malt extract.

 After 2 hours take 2 drops of the reaction mixture and add to diluted iodine solution.

 Repeat step 6 after every 2 hours. When no bluish colour is produced the fermentation is

complete.

 Record the total time taken for completion of fermentation.

 Repeat the experiment with gram flour extract, carrot extract, potato extract and record the

observation.

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OBSERVATION
Time required for the fermentation

 Wheat flour – 10 hours

 Gram flour – 12.5 hours

 Potato juice – 13 hours

 Carrot juice – Long time (7 days)

SAMPLE B/
A/ WHEAT

POTATO

CARROT
SAMPLE

SAMPLE
FLOUR

JUICE

JUICE
(35-45OC)

SAMPLE
TIME
AKEN IN

S.NO
D
FLOUR
GRAM

C/
HRS

1 2 POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE

2 4 POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
3 6 POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
4 8 POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
5 10 NEGATIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
6 12 - POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE
7 14 - NEGATIVE NEGATIVE POSITIVE
8 16 - - - POSITIVE

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 USES OF FERMENTATION

 Fermentation is widely used for the production of alcoholic beverages, for instance, wine

from fruit juices and beer from grains. Potatoes, rich in starch, can also be fermented and

distilled to make gin and vodka.

 Fermentation is also extensively used in bread making. When sugar, yeast, flour and water

are combined to form dough, yeast breaks down the sugar and gives off carbon dioxide,

which causes the bread to rise. Specialty bread such as sourdough uses both yeast and

lactobacilli. This combination gives the dough its stretchy texture and distinctive sour taste.

 Lactic acid fermentation is used to flavour or preserve dairy products and vegetables, for

example yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles and kimchi.

 Acetic acid fermentation can also be used to turn starches and sugars from grains and fruit

into sour tasting vinegar and condiments including apple cider vinegar and kombucha.

 Fermentation is used in industry to generate ethanol for the production of biofuel. It is an

attractive renewable resource because it originates from feedstocks including grains and

crops such as corn, sugar cane, sugar beets and cassava.

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 DISADVANTAGES OF CONSUMING FERMENTED FOOD
1. Bloating

The most common reaction to fermented foods is a temporary increase in gas and bloating.
This is the result of excess gas being produced after probiotics kill harmful gut bacteria and fungi.
Probiotics secrete antimicrobial peptides that kill harmful pathogenic organisms. Drinking too much
kombucha can also lead to excess sugar and calorie intake, which may also lead to bloating and gas.

2. Headaches and migraines

Fermented foods rich in probiotics – including yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi – naturally
contain biogenic amines produced [during fermentation]. Amines are created by certain bacteria
to break down the amino acids in fermented foods. The most common ones found in probiotic-rich
foods include histamine and tyramine. Some people are sensitive to histamine and other amines,
and may experience headaches after eating fermented foods.

3. Food-borne illness

While most fermented foods are safe, it’s still possible for them to get contaminated with
bacteria that can cause illness. In 2012, there was an outbreak of 89 cases of Salmonella in the US
because of unpasteurised tempeh.
Two large outbreaks of Escherichia coli, were reported in South Korean schools in 2013 and 2014.
They were associated with eating contaminated fermented vegetable kimchi.

4. Infection from probiotics

Probiotics are generally safe for the vast majority of people. However, in rare cases, they
can cause infection – especially in people who have a compromised immune system. A London study
reported the first case of a 65-year-old diabetic patient whose liver abscess had been caused by
probiotic consumption. Susceptible patients, such as those with compromised immunity, should be
advised against consuming too many probiotics.

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 HISTORY OF USE OF FERMENTATION
The use of fermentation, particularly for beverages, has existed since the Neolithic and has
been documented dating from 7000 to 6600 BCE in Jiahu, China, 5000 BCE in India, Ayurveda
mentions many Medicated Wines, 6000 BCE in Georgia, 3150 BCE in ancient Egypt, 3000 BCE
in Babylon, 2000 BCE in pre-Hispanic Mexico and 1500 BC in Sudan. Fermented foods have a
religious significance in Judaism and Christianity. The Baltic god Rugutis was worshiped as the
agent of fermentation

In 1837, Charles Cagniard de la Tour, Theodor Schwann and Friedrich Traugott

Kützing independently published papers concluding, as a result of microscopic investigations, that
yeast is a living organism that reproduces by budding. Schwann boiled grape juice to kill the yeast
and found that no fermentation would occur until new yeast was added. However, a lot of chemists,
including Antoine Lavoisier, continued to view fermentation as a simple chemical reaction and
rejected the notion that living organisms could be involved. This was seen as a reversion to vitalism
and was lampooned in an anonymous publication by Justus von Liebig and Friedrich Wöhler.

The turning point came when Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), during the 1850s and 1860s,
repeated Schwann's experiments and showed fermentation is initiated by living organisms in a series
of investigations. In 1857, Pasteur showed lactic acid fermentation is caused by living organisms. In
1860, he demonstrated how bacteria cause souring in milk, a process formerly thought to be merely a
chemical change. His work in identifying the role of microorganisms in food spoilage led to the
process of pasteurization.

In 1877, working to improve the French brewing industry, Pasteur published his famous
paper on fermentation, "Etudes sur la Bière", which was translated into English in 1879 as "Studies
on fermentation". He defined fermentation (incorrectly) as "Life without air", yet he correctly showed
how specific types of microorganisms cause specific types of fermentations and specific end-product.

Although showing fermentation resulted from the action of living microorganisms was a
breakthrough, it did not explain the basic nature of fermentation; nor, prove it is caused by
microorganisms which appear to be always present. Many scientists, including Pasteur, had
unsuccessfully attempted to extract the fermentation enzyme from yeast.

Success came in 1897 when the German chemist Eduard Buechner ground up yeast,
extracted a juice from them, then found to his amazement this "dead" liquid would ferment a sugar
solution, forming carbon dioxide and alcohol much like living yeasts.

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 Buechner's results are considered to mark the birth of biochemistry. The "unorganized
ferments" behaved just like the organized ones. From that time on, the term enzyme came to be
applied to all ferments. It was then understood fermentation is caused by enzymes produced by
microorganisms. In 1907, Buechner won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work.

Advances in microbiology and fermentation technology have continued steadily up until

the present. For example, in the 1930s, it was discovered microorganisms could be mutated with
physical and chemical treatments to be higher-yielding, faster-growing, tolerant of less oxygen, and
able to use a more concentrated medium. Strain selection and hybridization developed as well,
affecting most modern food fermentations

TYPES OF FERMENTATION
Microbes specialized at converting certain substances into others can produce a variety of
foodstuffs and beverages. These are three distinct types of fermentation that people use.

1. Lactic acid fermentation.

Yeast strains and bacteria convert starches or sugars into lactic acid, requiring no heat
in preparation. These anaerobic chemical reactions, pyruvic acid uses nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide + hydrogen (NADH) to form lactic acid and NAD+. (Lactic acid fermentation
also occurs in human muscle cells. During strenuous activity, muscles can expend adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) faster than oxygen can be supplied to muscle cells, resulting in lactic
acid buildup and sore muscles.

In this scenario, glycolysis, which breaks down a glucose molecule into two pyruvate
molecules and doesn’t use oxygen, produces ATP.) Lactic acid bacteria are vital to producing
and preserving inexpensive, wholesome foods, which is especially important in feeding
impoverished populations. This method makes sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, yogurt,
and sourdough bread.

2. Ethanol fermentation/alcohol fermentation.

Yeasts break pyruvate molecules the output of the metabolism of glucose (C6H12O6) known
as glycolysis—in starches or sugars down into alcohol and carbon dioxide molecules. Alcoholic
fermentation produces wine and beer.

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 3. Acetic acid fermentation.

Starches and sugars from grains and fruit ferment into sour tasting vinegar and condiments.
Examples include apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, and kombucha

DIFFERENT STAGES OF FERMENTATION

Depending upon what you’re fermenting, the process can have several stages.

 Primary fermentation. In this brief phase, microbes begin rapidly working on raw
ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, or dairy. The microbes present or in the surrounding
liquid (such as brine for fermented vegetables) prevent putrefying bacteria from colonizing
the food instead. Yeasts or other microbes convert carbohydrates (sugars) into other
substances such as alcohols and acids.
 Secondary fermentation. In this longer stage of fermentation, which lasts several days or
even weeks, alcohol levels rise and yeasts and microbes die off and their available food
source (the carbohydrates) becomes scarcer. Winemakers and brewers use secondary
fermentation to create their alcoholic beverages. The pH of the ferment can differ
significantly from when it started out, which affects the chemical reactions taking place
between the microbes and their environment. Once alcohol is between 12–15% and it kills
the yeast, preventing further fermentation, distillation is needed to remove water, condensing
alcohol content to create a higher percentage of alcohol.

CONCLUSION
 By comparing the rate of fermentation in wheat flour, gram flour, potato juice, carrot juice

we can conclude that rate of fermentation in potato juice takes maximum time and wheat

takes minimum time.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://www.masterclass.com

 https://theconversation.com

 https://sciencing.com

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