Control of the Fermentation of Foods to Produce the Desired

Question

Control of the fermentation of foods to produce the desired product commonly involves
A) careful choice of foodstuffs.
B) pretreating the food by boiling.
C) adding required nutrients for microbial growth.
D) use of a starter culture.
E) both pretreating the food by boiling and adding required nutrients for microbial growth.

Accepted Answer

The use of a starter culture allows for specific microbial populations to be added to the fermentation process, controlling the fermentation and resulting in the desired product. A and B may be helpful in some cases, but do not directly control the fermentation process. C may be necessary, but is not sufficient for controlling the fermentation. E is not necessary, as boiling may not be required and adding nutrients can be done separately from pretreatment.