Question

With reference to fermented beverages, explain the role of microbes in industrial products.

Answer 1

In industry, microbes are used to synthesize a number of products valuable to human beings like beverages and antibiotics. Production on an industrial scale requires growing microbes in very large vessels called fermentors.

Fermented beverages are beverages which are produced with the help of microbes. Yeast species used in alcoholic fermentation are Saccharomyces cerevisiae commonly called Brewer's yeast. Malted cereals and fruit juices produce ethanol by fermentation. Depending on the type of the raw material used for fermentation and the type of processing (with or without distillation) different types of alcoholic drinks are obtained. Wine and beer are produced without distillation (low alcohol concentration). Whiskey, brandy, and rum are produced by distillation of fermented broth (high alcohol concentration).