Solid-state fermentation — are there any biotechnological advantages?

Background Chinese liquor, a very popular fermented alcoholic beverage with thousands of years’ history in China, though its flavour formation and microbial process have only been partly explored, is facing the industrial challenge of modernisation and standardisation for food quality and safety as well as sustainability. Meanwhile, the hidden knowledge behind the complicated and somehow empirical solid-state fermentation process of Chinese liquor can enrich the food sector to improve our quality of life, and benefit other industrial sectors in the modern biomass-based technology, economy and society. Scope and approach This review reveals the traditional fermentation process and characteristics of Chinese liquor, summarises the current study progress of flavour chemistry and responsible microbial process, and addresses future improvement and research needs. We provide here a detailed, systematic and critical review on Chinese liquor to improve the current industrial practice and serve the modern society with yet incompletely explored but useful principles. Key findings and conclusions The hidden knowledge behind the traditional Chinese liquor production is rich in useful principles including flavour chemistry, microbial growth, solid-state fermentation, enzyme production, biocatalysis, microbial community metabolism and process engineering. Studies in a more in-depth, systematic and practical way on this look-like empirical process to explore the scientific principles behind will definitely benefit the liquor industry in particular, and the (food) biotechnology sector in general.

Mystery behind Chinese liquor fermentation

Comparative evaluation of neutral protease production by Aspergillus oryzae in submerged and solid-state fermentation

Developing Aspergillus as a host for heterologous expression

Enzyme production by solid-state fermentation: Application to animal nutrition

We report the progress of a multi-disciplinary research project on solid-state fermentation (SSF) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. The molecular and physiological aspects of the fungus in submerged fermentation (SmF) and SSF are compared and we observe a number of differences correlated with the different growth conditions. First, the aerial hyphae which occur only in SSFs are mainly responsible for oxygen uptake. Second, SSF is characterised by gradients in temperature, water activity and nutrient concentration, and inside the hyphae different polyols are accumulating. Third, pelleted growth in SmF and mycelial growth in SSF show different gene expression and protein secretion patterns. With this approach we aim to expand our knowledge of mechanisms of fungal growth on solid substrates and to exploit the biotechnological applications.

Aspergillus oryzae in solid-state and submerged fermentations Progress report on a multi-disciplinary project

Talaromyces macrosporus forms ascospores that survive pasteurization treatments. Ascospores were dense (1.3 g ml(-1)), relatively dry [0.6 g H(2)O (g dry weight)(-1)] and packed with trehalose (9-17% fresh weight). Trehalose was degraded to glucose monomers between 30 and 100 min after heat activation of the spores. The maximal activity of trehalase was calculated as 400-520 nmol glucose formed min(-1) (mg protein)(-1) as judged by measurements of the trehalose content of spores during germination. During early germination, glucose was released from the cell (10% of the cell weight or more). The intracellular concentration of glucose only peaked briefly. After 160-200 min, the protoplast encompassed by the inner cell wall was ejected through the outer cell wall in a very quick process. Subsequently, respiration of spores increased strongly. The data suggested that trehalose is primarily present for the protection of cell components as glucose is released from the cell. Then, an impenetrable outer cell wall is shed before metabolic activity increases.

Kenneth G A van Driel

Papers

Aspergillus oryzae in solid-state and submerged fermentations Progress report on a multi-disciplinary project

Trehalose degradation and glucose efflux precede cell ejection during germination of heat-resistant ascospores of Talaromyces macrosporus.