Industrial fermentation uses microorganisms, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and energy to ferment materials into useful products. It is used in food, pharmaceuticals, and wastewater disposal. Fermentation requires a carbon source, nitrogen, oxygen, and an energy source. Industrial fermentation uses large fermenters to produce large-scale fermentations.
Industrial fermentation is the same process home bakers use when applying yeast to bread, but on a much larger scale. This procedure ferments some materials into useful products using microorganisms, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and an energy source to fuel the fermentation. This is commonly done for food products, but industrial fermentation is also done in the pharmaceutical industry and in wastewater disposal. The biggest difference between regular fermentation and the industrial variety is that large fermenters are used to produce large-scale fermentations.
Fermentation, whether domestic or industrial, is the act of oxidizing organic compounds to produce a new component. To create this effect, several natural elements must be present. Fermentation requires a carbon source, such as sugar; a source of nitrogen, such as protein or nitrate; oxygen; and an energy source such as heat or pressure. When these combine, the natural fermentation process breaks down the components of the materials and transforms them into something useful.
Industrial fermentation for food is one of the more obvious uses of fermentation. All alcohols require fermentation for alcohol to develop. Cheese requires dairy products to be aged and fermented before they take on the properties of cheese. There are also many baking applications, like making most breads, that also require fermentation.
The pharmaceutical industry requires fermentation to create many drugs. For example, all penicillin-based antibiotics require fermentation of the penicillin for the antibiotic to be effective. The same goes for engineered hormones like insulin and medical steroids and the vitamins and amino acids in protein bars.
Wastewater disposal uses industrial fermentation by breaking down solid wastewater into harmless materials that can be used as fertilizer. The bacteria are introduced into the wastewater and start eating it up until the wastewater is soluble and harmless. While effective, wastewater fermentation is time consuming.
When comparing industrial fermentation to other forms of fermentation, there is little difference, because they both use the same biological processes. Most commonly, industrial-scale fermentation uses a machine called a fermenter, which is large enough to hold large quantities of components. These machines are made to keep the materials in the correct condition to ensure continuous fermentation. Fermenters are used most often with pharmaceutical fermentation, but bakery fermentation also uses the equipment.
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