Production technology of fermented meat and milk products

Abstract

Fermented food has a significant socio-economic role in the world and in some regions it is involved in nutrition of millions of people. Special attention is attracted by the use of fermented food as traditional, but, also, as functional food with health benefits. The great number of different types of fermented food is produced worldwide depending on the region, raw materials and involved microorganisms, as well as fermentation conditions. Fermented food made from materials of animal origin is produced mainly by traditional procedure under primitive conditions and in small quantities. Cheeses and sausages belong to the fermented food of animal orogin which are the most frequently produced worldwide. In this paper, a review of fermented products of animal origin was presented, with special emphasis on production processes and parameters, as well as microorganismsnvolved in the process. This chapter presents summarized data about fermented food made of meat (sausages and prosciutto) and milk (yoghurt, kefir, cheeses and kaymak) frequently found in Balkan region, bu also in Europe.