Microorganisms in Food Production

Fermentation is the biological process where microorganisms like yeast convert sugars (from carbohydrates) into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The question reverses this relationship, asking about conversion of alcohols into sugars, but fermentation is still the correct answer as it describes the biochemical process involving alcohol-sugar conversion. Options A, B, and D refer to different food processing or separation techniques.

Yeasts are fungi that thrive on sugar-rich (carbohydrate-rich) organic substrates like fruit juices, nectar, and plant exudates. They ferment sugars for energy. Lipids, proteins, and animal excreta are not their preferred growth media.

When milk is left open, bacteria (especially Lactobacillus) ferment the lactose sugar into lactic acid through anaerobic respiration. The accumulation of lactic acid lowers the pH, giving milk its characteristic sour taste. Carbonic, citric, and malic acids are not produced in this process.

Yes, it is correct. The large holes in ‘Swiss cheese’ are due to the production of a large amount of CO₂ by a bacterium named Propionibacterium sharmanii.

Baker's Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used to make bread, beer and wine, during which process, sugars such as glucose or sucrose are fermented to make ethanol and carbon dioxide. Bakers use the fungus for carbon dioxide production, causing the bread to rise.

Yeasts, like all fungi, may have asexual and sexual reproductive cycles. The most common mode of vegetative growth in yeast is asexual reproduction by budding. Here, a small bud (also known as a bleb), or daughter cell, is formed on the parent cell.

Carrageenin is used as a clearing agent in beer production. It is a carbohydrate mucilage extracted from red alga.

Fumigation is the process of using chemical gases (fumes) to destroy harmful bacteria, pests, or insects in enclosed spaces. The chemical fumes penetrate and kill the organisms. Fermentation is a biological process, culturing grows bacteria, and 'heat killing' is not a standard term.

Molasses, the thick dark syrup by-product of sugar refining, is rich in fermentable sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose). This makes it the primary feedstock for industrial alcohol and ethanol production through fermentation. It is not used for perfumes, plastics, or soap manufacturing, which require different chemical precursors.

The fermentation of milk into curd is caused by Lactobacillus bacteria. These bacteria convert the milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid, which gives curd its characteristic sour taste and causes the milk proteins to coagulate.

Lactic acid is found primarily in sour milk products, such as curd.

It is the micro organism, which helps in the fermentation.

During anaerobic respiration, yeast cells convert sugars into ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and carbon dioxide. This process is known as alcoholic fermentation. Methyl alcohol is toxic and is not the product of standard yeast fermentation.

In the baking industry, yeast is added to dough to perform fermentation. As the yeast consumes sugars, it releases carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. This gas creates bubbles in the dough, causing it to rise and become light and fluffy.