Humans have used microbes for the preservation and production of food for centuries

Humans have used microbes for the preservation and production of food for centuries. The production of acid by bacteria acts as a preservative in many foods, like yogurt and pickles.

Humans have used microbes for the preservation and production of food for centuries

Humans have used microbes for the preservation and production of food for centuries. The production of acid by bacteria acts as a preservative in many foods, like yogurt and pickles. The production of alcohol by yeasts is used in the making beer and spirits. The carbon dioxide produced during alcohol fermentation also adds fizz to beverages like beer and sparkling wine.
In order to practice culturing microbes at home, you are tasked with preparing a food item that requires the culture of microbes!

There are many options, but the easiest options would be yogurt using store bought yogurt as starter culture, bread using store bought yeast, or sourdough bread using a native yeast culture.

More challenging options might be pickles, kombucha, or beer. Please consider the time constraints of the semester when choosing what food item you will prepare. This a full lab report. Your write up must have full sentences that make up paragraphs. The bulleted list below is a detailed outline to help you organize your paper. Writing one-word answers for each bullet point or a sentence for each bullet point will result in a failing grade.

The project must include the following:

·         Introduction (20 points):

Identify the kind of food being prepare and the historic function
Preservation, portability, profit, edibility, health benefits
Provide information the organism or organisms used for fermentation
Domain, genus and species
Metabolic pathway utilized
Reactants and Products
Preferred habitat
Thermopylae, mesophile, halophile, osmophile, etc
What role does the microbe play in food production
leavening, acid, fizz, etc
How do you expect your end product to come out?
For this item, there is no right or wrong answer. This could be your first foray into baking or you could be a seasoned chef. You might be choosing a simple recipe and making no changes, or you could be altering a recipe to make it your own to see how it turns out.

·         Methods (15 points)

The full recipe in your own words with a citation
Indication of any modifications made to the recipe
What tools you will be using?
How will you incubate your culture?
For yogurt or yeast bread, I recommend incubating in an oven that is turned off with the oven light on to provide some warmth.
Photograph of reactants (the ingredients).