Fermented Milk and History|Beneficial & Therupatic effects of Fermented Products

History of Fermented milk Products

• The history of fermented foods is lost in antiquity. It may have been a mere accident when people first experienced the taste of fermented food.
• The first fermentation must have started with the storage of surplus milk, which resulted in a fermented product the next day.
• After drying, fermentation is the oldest food preservation method.
• Fermentation became popular with the dawn of civilization because it not only preserved food but also gave it a variety of tastes, forms, and other sensory sensations.
• Slowly, people over the ages have realized the nutritional and therapeutic value of fermented foods and drinks, and this has made fermented foods even more popular.
• It seems that the art of fermentation originated in the Indian subcontinent, in the settlements that predate the great Indus Valley civilization.
• During the Harappan spread or pre-Vedic times, there are indications of a highly developed system of agriculture and animal husbandry.
• Artefacts from Egypt and the Middle East also suggest that fermentation was known from ancient times in that region of the world.
• It is believed that the knowledge is written in the four Vedas (sacred Hindu writings) came from the experiences, wisdom, and foresightedness of sages, which had been preserved by verbal tradition.
• Both the biological and medical communities now recognise the significance of the role of fermented milk in both health and disease.
• The bacterial microflora of the human gut is widely accepted as an integral component of the functional food industry. A prebiotic is a non-viable component of the diet that reaches the colon in an intact form and is selectively fermented by colonic bacteria.
• The most recent definition regarding a prebiotic is ‘A selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora, that confer benefits on host well-being and health’. The selectivity is by commensal bacteria already resident in the gut that are thought to have beneficial properties to the host regarding the promotion of health.
• Examples of such colonies include Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterial, both of which are present in significant numbers. Health is improved by fortification of such selected bacteria. A schematic representation of the prebiotic concept is shown in Figure.

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KEY MILESTONES IN HISTORY OF FERMENTED FOODS

Mile stones	Development /Location
ca.10,000 B.C. to Middle Ages	Evolution of fermentation from salvaging the surplus, probably by pre-Aryans.
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
1980-1990	Development of DVC (Direct vat Cultures) cultures

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Origin of Some Important Fermented Milk Products │Health Benefits of Fermented Milk Products

Product	Characteristics and use	Culture used
Dahi/Curd India 6000 4000 BC	Coagulated sour milk eaten as a food item; an intermediate product for making country butter and ghee (clarified butter)	LACTIC CULTURES -Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus or Lc. lactis ssp.lactis, Lc. lactis ssp. cremoris, Lc. lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, and Leu. mesenteroides ssp. cremoris
Chhhach (Butter Milk) India 6000 -4000 BC	Diluted dahi or the butter milk left after churning of dahi into butter; used as beverage after or with meal	Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus or Lc. lactis ssp. lactis, Lc. lactis ssp. cremoris, Lc. lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, and Leu. mesenteroides ssp. cremoris
Laban zeer/Khad Egypt 5000-3000 BC	Sour milk, traditionally coagulated in earthenware vessels	Lactic cultures
Leben Iraq Ca.3000 BC	Traditional fermented milk containing yogurt bacteria; whey partially drained by hanging the curd	Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Str. thermophilus
Zabady Egypt 2000 Bc	Natural type yogurt; firm consistency and cooked flavor	Lactic Cultures
Cultured cream Mesopotamia 1300 BC	Naturally soured cream	Lactic cultures
Shrikhand /shrikhand wadi India 400 BC	Concentrated sour milk, sweetened and spiced; semisolid mass eaten with meals as sweet dish	Cultures used in Dahi/curd. Lactic cultures.
Kishk Egypt & Arab world	Dry fermented product made from Laban and par boiled wheat ,hard texture; highly nutritious with high amino acids and vitamin content
Kumys, Kumiss Central Asia (Mongol, Russia) 400 BC	Traditionally mares’ milk fermented by lactobacilli and yeast; sparkling beverage containing lactic acid, alcohol, and carbon dioxide	Lb. acidophilus, Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Sacchamyces lactis, Torula koumiss
Mast Iran	Natural type yogurt; firm consistency and cooked flavor
Villi Finland	High viscosity fermented milk with lactic acid bacteria and mold	Lc. lactis ssp. lactis, Lc. lactis ssp. cremoris, Lc. lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, Geotrichum candidum
Taette Norway	Viscous fermented milk also known as cellarmilk
Langfil, Tattemjolk Sweden	Milk fermented with slime-producing culture of lactococci	Lactococci cultures used.
Ymer Denmark	Protein fortified milk fermented by Leuconostocs and lactococci; whey is separated
Skyr Iceland 870 AD	Made from ewes’ milk by addition of rennet and starter; today concentrated by membrane technology
Prostokvasha Russia	Fermented milk made from ancient times by fermenting raw milk with mesophilic lactic bacteria
Kefir Caucasusian China	Milk fermented with kefir grains; foamy effervescent product with acid and alcoholic taste	Lc. lactis ssp. lactis, Lc. lactis ssp. cremoris, Lc. lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, and Leu. mesenteroides ssp. dextranicum, Str. thermophilus, Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lb. acidophilus, Lb. helveticus, Lb. kefir,
Yoghurt (Kisle Milako) Bulgria	Cow’s or ewe’s milk fermented by Str. thermophilus and Lb. bulgaricus
Yoghurt Turkey 800 AD	Custard like sour fermented milk	Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Str. thermophilus
Bulgrian Milk Bulgria 500 AD	Very sour milk fermented by Lb. bulgaricus alone or with Str. Thermophilus	Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus
Trahana Greece	Traditional Balkan fermented milk; fermented ewe’s milk mixed with wheat flour and then dried
Churpi Nepal	Fermented milk is churned and the buttermilk remaining is heated to form a solid curd; may be further dried
Airan Central Asia ,Bulgria 1235-1255 AD	Cow’s milk soured by Lb. bulgaricus, used as refreshing beverage
Yakult Japan 1935 AD	Highly heat treated milk fermented by Lb. casei strain Shirota; beverage and health supplement	Lb. paracasei ssp. casei

Nutritional and Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Beneficial Effect	Possible Causes and Mechanisms
Improved digestibility	Partial breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Improved nutritional value	Higher levels of B-vitamins and certain free amino acids, viz. methionine, lysine and tryptophan
Improved lactose utilization	Reduced lactose in product and further availability of lactase
Antagonistic action toward enteric pathogens	Disorders such as diarrhoea, mucous colitis, ulcerated colitis; prevention of adhesion of pathogens
Anticarcinogenic effect	Reduction of carcinogen-promoting enzymes; inhibitory action toward cancers of the gastrointestinal tract by degradation of precarcinogens; stimulation of the immune system
Hypocholesterolaemia action	Production of inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis; use of cholesterol by assimilation and precipitation with deconjugated bile salts
Immune modulation	Enhancement of macrophage formation; stimulation of production of suppressor cells and -interferon