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Fermentation starters (called simply
starters within the corresponding context) are preparations to assist the beginning of the
fermentationFermentation is the process of deriving energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound. This is in contrast to cellular respiration, where electrons are donated to an exogenous electron acceptor,...
process in preparation of various foods and fermented drinks. A
starter culture is a
microbiological cultureA microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are used to determine the type of organism, its abundance in the sample being tested,...
which actually performs fermentation. These starters usually consist of a cultivation medium, such grains, seeds, or nutrient liquids that has been well colonized by the microorganisms used for the fermentation.
In descriptions of national cuisines, fermentation starters may be referred to by their national names:
- Bulgarian yoghurt (traditional: Kiselo mliako) (Bulgaria and Macedonia)
- Qū (simplified: 曲; traditional: 麴, also romanized as chu) (China
China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
)
- Nuruk (누룩
Hangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logographic Sino-Korean hanja system...
), mejuMeju, also known as maljang , is a brick of dried fermented soybeans in Korean cuisine. While not consumed on its own, it serves as the basis of several Korean condiments, such as doenjang, soy sauce, or gochujang. Meju is produced by boiling soybeans, then crushing them in a mortar. Frequently,...
(메주Hangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logographic Sino-Korean hanja system...
) (KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
)
- Koji
Aspergillus oryzae is a filamentous fungus . It is used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as huangjiu, sake, and shōchū...
(麹) (Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
)
- Ragi (Southeast Asia
Manila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
)
- Bakhar, ranu, marchaar (murcha) (India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
)
- Bubod (Philippines
The Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
)
- Loopang (look pang ) (Thailand
The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
)
- Levain
Levain is a bread leavening agent used traditionally in France and today by artisan bakeries and hobbyists around the world. It produces breads with rich aroma, pleasant structure and excellent keeping properties. Levain is a type of pre-ferment which is made in two fermentation steps from an...
(FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
)
- Zakvaska (Закваска) (Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
)
Each of these starters are formed using a specific cultivation medium and a specific mix of fungal and bacterial strains
Typical microorganisms used in starters include various
bacteriaThe bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and fungi (
yeastYeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. Most reproduce asexually by budding, although a few do so by binary fission...
s and
moldMolds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae. In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts...
s):
RhizopusRhizopus is a genus of molds that includes cosmopolitan filamentous fungi found in soil, decaying fruit and vegetables, animal faeces, and old bread....
,
Aspergillus,
MucorMucor is a genus of about 40 species of molds commonly found in soil and on plant surfaces, as well as in rotten vegetable matter.-Description:...
,
Amylomyces,
Endomycopsis,
SaccharomycesSaccharomyces is a genus in the kingdom of fungi that includes many species of yeast. Saccharomyces is from Latin meaning sugar fungi. Many members of this genus are considered very important in food production. One example is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is used in making wine, bread, and beer...
,
Hansenula anomala,,
LactobacillusLactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic bacteria. They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid. They are common and usually benign...
,
AcetobacterAcetobacter is a genus of acetic acid bacteria characterized by the ability to convert alcohol to acetic acid in the presence of oxygen...
etc. Various national cultures have various active ingredients in starters, and often involve mixed microflora.
Industrial starters include various
enzymeEnzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at...
s, in addition to microflora.