Home＞Basic knowledge＞2.World of microbe
Section2.The world of microbe
〜Main character of fermentation, ”microbe”〜
Microbe is very important factor of fermentation. We will show about them.
How many and where microbe live?
Microbe live in anywhere in the earth.
Some microbe can live in atmosphere, the Arctic, volcano and the place which has toxic gases.
It said that there are 5~30million kinds of animals in the earth, and there are 3million kinds of microbes in the earth.
Also, there are 10million microbes in 1g dirt. There many microbes in the world.
However, people find their kinds a few, and it seems there are 100million times larger kinds of them lives in the earth.
The kind is too many, so many mysteries of them are remaining.
What microbes do?
They decompose, dead plants and animals and excreta, and produce carbon dioxide and water.
The animal which do this is called” Decomposer”.
Object include in foods decomposed by them, and they made new nutrition.
Finally fermented food produced.
Who found microbe first?
In 1672, Lewen Hook had invented microscope, and he observed protozoa and microbes at first in the world.
After that, he discovered yeast and mold.
What kinds of microbe contribute to fermentation?
“Bacteria”, “Yeast” and “Mold” contribute to fermentation.
These microbes called “Fermentation bacteria”.
Bacteria
(Below graph left)・・・Smaller than 1μm(micro meter, 1/1000 of 1mm). They increase their number
by cell division. Lactic acid microbe, acetic acid microbe, Natto microbe is this
kind microbe.
Yeast
(Below graph middle)・・Various shapes are available, including spheres, eggs, lemons, and triangles.
Buds emerge from the parent cells and separate and proliferate as they grow.
Mold
(Below graph right)・・・It grows by growing filamentous cells called mycelium, and becomes mycelium.
When the mycelium matures, it forms spores, and the released spores
germinate to form hypha.
It depends to kinds what microbe make fermentation food. We will show what microbe make each foods at ”Fermented food”.
※Plankton is also kinds of microbes. Some kinds of microbe don’t relate to fermentation.
What is antagonism?
Microbe has antagonism which is special ability. It means that just one kind of microbe increase killing other kinds of microbe. By explaining graph.
This word is important, so don’t forget.
Summary
・Microbes live in various environment, and their kind are huge.
So many mysteries of them are remaining.
・Microbes decompose other things.
・”Bacteria”, ”Yeast”, and “mold” relate to fermentation.
・Microbe has special ability which called antagonism.
Column
Japanese country’s fungus
There is country’s fungus as country’s flower or country’s bird in each country. (Some countries don’t decide it.) Japanese country’s fungus is “Koji mold”. Japanese have many kinds of fermented food which fermented by it. For example, there are soy past, soy sauce and sake. Those are important to make Japanese foods, and influence to Japanese tradition. By this reason, Japanese brewing association decided “Koji mold” to Japanese country’s fungus.
