Industrial fermentation

Have you ever seen how dough rises when making bread? This is because the yeast in the dough eats the sugar and makes tiny gas bubbles that push the dough up. Industrial fermentation is similar to this process, but it happens on a much larger scale!

In industrial fermentation, scientists use microorganisms like yeast, bacteria or fungi to make things like medicines, foods, and even fuel. These tiny creatures are put into big tanks filled with a special mixture of nutrients, water, and oxygen.

Just like when you feed your pet fish, the microorganisms need food to grow big and strong. But instead of fish food, they eat things like sugar, starch, or even waste products like methane gas from landfills. This food gets turned into energy, which the microorganisms use to grow and reproduce.

As they grow and multiply, they create lots of byproducts such as enzymes, amino acids, and chemicals. These byproducts can be harvested and used in a variety of ways. For example, yeast can be used to make beer or bread, bacteria can be used to make antibiotics, and fungi can be used to make biofuels.

So next time you see bubbles in your bread, think about all the amazing things that can be created through industrial fermentation!