Process development for food processing by solid-state fermentation

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been a technology traditionally employed in the elaboration of foods for human consumption. Examples of traditional products are cheese, Koji, Tempe and the production of the so-called red rice, obtained with yeasts of the species Monascus purpureus. For about 25 years, the interest for the employment of the technology of SSF has grown vastly by virtue of the increment of its applications. At present researches go to solve the main problems that limit the possibilities of its application, an example of which is having effective methods of design of the bioreactors. In this work a methodology is presented for the development of technologies of SSF. It is demonstrated that, given the complexity of the system, the employment of mathematical modelling is one of the most appropriate ways to develop design methods. Steps considered in the methodology include the optimization of the solid growth media and the construction of the model of the bioreactor which include the kinetics and the transport properties of the system. All these steps are specially arranged to minimize the time of process development.