Preface Incredible advances are occurring in the field of Industrial Microbiology at a dizzying pace, and modern technology such as biotechnological tools has made an impact on various aspects in day today life. Fish Fermentation: Traditional to Modern Approach is the first of its kind as this book has introduced both the traditional and modern methodologies of an important food commodity i.e. fish. The contents of the book are aimed at a diverse group of students ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate. Furthermore, it will help research students in the discipline of fermentation, in particular, solid substrate fermentation in understanding the traditional fermentation along with the microbial processes involved in such fermented products. It goes without saying that there are a good many number of books on Food Microbiology but the unique feature in this book is that students will get a chance to know the gathered information on fish fermentation in a single volume that we feel a need of the hour for the students. Chapter 1 to Chapter 4 will act as basic guideline for the student by proving more important facts about the traditional process of fermentation of fish, different fermented fish products in different parts of the World, their microbial diversity and nutritional chemistry. Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 includes the modern, cutting-edge, emerging technologies that has been introduced in fermenting fish with experimental detail and contain basic and advances in the field of probiotics research. The strategy in selecting starter culture for fish fermentation will no doubt help the research students in designing their work with modified novel technique in this discipline. Further, have been gratified to hear from instructors and students for making it more suitable and for any unknown mistakes.

Fermented foods are food substrates that are produced due to the cumulative activity, usually of edible microorganisms, whose enzymes, particularly amylases, proteases and lipases hydrolyze the polysaccharides, proteins and lipids to non-toxic products with flavours, aromas and textures pleasant and attractive to the human consumer. The role played by fermentation during food processing helps in – enrichment of human dietary through development of wide diversity of flavours, aromas and textures in food; preservation of substantial amounts of food through lactic acid, alcoholic, acetic acid, alkaline fermentation and high salt fermentations; enrichment of food substrates biologically with vitamins, protein, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and antibiotics; detoxification during food fermentation processing and reducing the cooking times and fuel requirements.

It is an old practice that during the flourishing period, the fishes specially trash fishes are caught from their natural habitat and a bulk of them are preserved to make available for further use. Traditional fish preservation techniques are mainly based on combination of salting, drying and smoking. These techniques have allowed more widespread consumption of fish. Sun drying is most ancient method of fish preservation. Drying removes moisture from tissues and help to arrest bacterial and enzymatic putrefaction. Fermented fish have, for many years, been considered as a Southeast Asian product. These products are highly salted and fermented until the flesh is transformed into simpler components. Fermentation of fish is a product in which the identity of the fish is maintained to large extent. Fermented fish products as fish sauces, fish paste, or salted fish have been consumed since ancient times. Because of poor roads and other methods of transport, the provision of fresh fish to potential inland consumers was impossible, and this encouraged fermentation as a preservation technique. In Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Kampuchea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, the use of fermentation as a preservation method for fish has been of great value since earliest times. In the countries of northern Europe, fermented fish products are used mainly as condiments, whereas in Southeast Asia, various fish products are regarded as staples. In India and Sri Lanka, pickled and in Colombo, cured fish have been known for many years

The traditional fermentation process is an uncontrolled system and is usually carried out in a quite unhygienic environment. As the process of fermentation is brought about by the microbial activity so in the traditional system of fermentation there is every possibility of inclusion of microorganisms which is not desired in or that can cause spoilage to the finished product. Although no incidents of food poisoning has been reported due to consumption of fermented fish there are also no reports of any clinical investigations in this regard. A study on the microflora of such a fermented fish product is useful to understand -how safe is the product for consumption. The diverse groups of microorganisms that are present in the fermented fish products will provide information about their characteristic nature -beneficial or pathogenic, their contribution towards production of flavour and aroma, etc. The environment, however, is the key factor for the so called ‘microbial diversity’ among different fermented fish products round the globe. Moreover, the aquatic habitat, processing technique and of course, the handling during processing are the other factors that equally make a way for the introduction of a variety of microorganisms in the finished product. A study on different curing stages i.e. fresh, semi-cured and fermented, is therefore necessary to understand the pattern of microbes and become evident the role played by the microbes during fermentation.

India is blessed with a coast line of 8118 km with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million square km and a continental shelf of 0.506 million sq. km. The inland water resources includes 191024 km of rivers and canals; 2.05 million ha of reservoirs; 2.254 million ha of ponds and tanks; 1.3 million ha of oxbow lakes and derelict waters; and 1.24 million ha brackish waters. India has an estimated fish production potential of 8.4 million tons, of which the marine sector forms 3.9 million tons and the inland sector 4.5 million tons. As against this, the current fish production is 5.96 million tons i.e., 2.89 million tons from marine sector and 3.07 million tons from inland sector (Vannuccini, 2003). The per capita fish availability in India is 4.7 kg/year (Laurenti, 2002).

In 1908, Metchnikoff, the father of modern Immunology, wrote “Prolongation of Life” and created the incredible ongoing revolution known as the “Probiotic Revolution”. He proposed that “Lactic Acid Bacteria” (LAB) could render a great service in the fight against intestinal putrefaction and might postpone and ameliorate old age. Till then today, some 95 years later, dozens of the worlds most brilliant minds carry on the astonishing work that has scientifically been proven to generate restorative and healing effects in the body. In the late 19th century, microbiologists identified microflora in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of healthy individuals that differed from those found in diseased individuals. These beneficial microflora found in the GI tract were termed probiotics. The term ‘Probiotics’ is originally a Greek word meaning ‘for life’. Parker (1974) for the first time used this word. He defined Probiotics as “organisms and substances, which contribute to intestinal microbial balance”. But the most accepted definition of Probiotics was given byFuller (1989). He redefined Probiotics as “a live microbial feed supplement, which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its microbial balance”. Fuller’s definition since been broaden to state “a probiotic is a mono or mixed culture of live microorganisms which, when applied to animal or man, affect the host beneficially by improving the properties of the indigenous microflora”. This definition stresses the importance of live microorganisms that improve the health status of either man or animal and that occur in the mouth, gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), or upper respiratory or urogenital tracts (Havenaar et al, 1992). To understand how probiotics work, it is important to understand a little about the physiology, microbiology of GI tract and the digestive process. The digestive process begins as soon as food enters the mouth and to stomach, the microbes present in the GI tract have the potential to act in a favourable, a deleterious or a natural manner. Microbes in small intestine and in large intestine complete the digestion process.

“It is unbelievable that such a tiny streamlet, as was our initial test trial with the first bacterial starters exactly 40 years ago, grew to a big river for an important industry. Who would have believed then that the use of starter cultures would be a matter of course today” (Niinivaara, 1994). The idea of inoculating Lactobacillus into dry sausage material was introduced by Jensen and Paddock in 1940(US Patent 2,225,783) with the aim to reduce the ripening time as well as ensuring the quality and aroma of dry sausages. The first LAB meat starter culture, introduced as a pure culture of Pediococcus cerevisiae, was developed in 1955 in the USA by Niven et al. (1955). At the same time, Niinivaara (1955) applied Micrococcus M53 to dry sausage production in Europe. The work of Niinivaara was continued byNurmi (1966) who combined micrococci with Lactobacillus plantarum. Today, several companies provide Lactobacillus sp., Pediococcus acidilactici, P. pentosaceus, Staphylococcus xylosus or S. carnosus strains in pure cultures or their mixtures for fermentation of meat (Hammes et al. 1985). A starter culture may be defined as a preparation or material containing large numbers of variable microorganisms, which may be added to accelerate a fermentation process. Being adapted to the substrate, a typical starter facilitates improved control of a fermentation process and predictability of its products (Holzapfel, 1997).

Author Index A Adams 34, 39, 55, 75, 84 Adegoke 115 Alur 35, 55 Appleton 76, 84 Arkoudelos 54, 57 Arroyo 76, 84