This book provides detailed information on the various ethnic fermented foods and beverages of India. India is home to a diverse food culture comprising fermented and non-fermented ethnic foods and alcoholic beverages. More than 350 different types of familiar, less-familiar and rare ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages are traditionally prepared by the country’s diverse ethnic groups, and include alcoholic, milk, vegetable, bamboo, legume, meat, fish, and cereal based beverages. Most of the Indian ethnic fermented foods are naturally fermented, whereas the majority of the alcoholic beverages have been prepared using dry starter culture and the ‘back-sloping’ method for the past 6,000 years. A broad range of culturable and unculturable microbiomes and mycobiomes are associated with the fermentation and production of ethnic foods and alcoholic drinks in India. The book begins with detailed chapters on various aspects including food habits, dietary culture, and the history, microbiology and health benefits of fermented Indian food and beverages. Subsequent chapters describe unique and region-specific ethnic fermented foods and beverages from all 28 states and 9 union territories. In turn the classification of various ethnic fermented foods and beverages, their traditional methods of preparation, culinary practices and mode of consumption, socio-economy, ethnic values, microbiology, food safety, nutritional value, and process optimization in some foods are discussed in details with original pictures. In closing, the book addresses the medicinal properties of the fermented food products and their health benefits, together with corresponding safety regulations.

This book provides detailed information on the various ethnic fermented foods and beverages of India. India is home to a diverse food culture comprising fermented and non-fermented ethnic foods and alcoholic beverages. More than 350 different types of familiar, less-familiar and rare ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages are traditionally prepared by the country's diverse ethnic groups, and include alcoholic, milk, vegetable, bamboo, legume, meat, fish, and cereal based beverages. Most of the Indian ethnic fermented foods are naturally fermented, whereas the majority of the alcoholic beverages have been prepared using dry starter culture and the 'back-sloping' method for the past 6,000 years. A broad range of culturable and unculturable microbiomes and mycobiomes are associated with the fermentation and production of ethnic foods and alcoholic drinks in India. The book begins with detailed chapters on various aspects including food habits, dietary culture, and the history, microbiology and health benefits of fermented Indian food and beverages. Subsequent chapters describe unique and region-specific ethnic fermented foods and beverages from all 28 states and 9 union territories. In turn the classification of various ethnic fermented foods and beverages, their traditional methods of preparation, culinary practices and mode of consumption, socio-economy, ethnic values, microbiology, food safety, nutritional value, and process optimization in some foods are discussed in details with original pictures. In closing, the book addresses the medicinal properties of the fermented food products and their health benefits, together with corresponding safety regulations.

Asia has a long history of preparation and consumption of various types of ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages based on available raw substrates of plant or animal sources and also depending on agro-climatic conditions of the regions. Diversity of functional microorganisms in Asian ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages consists of bacteria (Lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus species, micrococcii, etc.), amylolytic and alcohol-producing yeasts and filamentous moulds. Though there are hundreds of research articles, review papers, and limited books on fermented foods and beverages, the present book: Ethnic Fermented Foods and Alcoholic Beverages of Asia is the first of this kind on compilation of various ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages of Asia. This book has fifteen chapters covering different types of ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages of Asia. Some of the authors are well-known scientists and researchers with vast experiences in the field of fermented foods and beverages who include Prof. Tek Chand Bhalla, Dr. Namrata Thapa (India), Prof. Yearul Kabir and Dr. Mahmud Hossain (Bangladesh), Prof. Tika Karki (Nepal), Dr. Saeed Akhtar (Pakistan), Prof. Sagarika Ekanayake (Sri Lanka), Dr. Werasit Sanpamongkolchai (Thailand), Prof. Sh. Demberel (Mongolia), Dr. Yoshiaki Kitamura, Dr. Ken-Ichi Kusumoto, Dr. Yukio Magariyama, Dr. Tetsuya Oguma, Dr. Toshiro Nagai, Dr. Soichi Furukawa, Dr. Chise Suzuki, Dr. Masataka Satomi, Dr. Kazunori Takamine, Dr. Naonori Tamaki and Dr. Sota Yamamoto (Japan), Prof. Dong-Hwa Shin, Prof. Cherl-Ho Lee, Dr. Young-Myoung Kim, Dr. Wan-Soo Park Dr. Jae-Ho Kim (South Korea) Dr. Maryam Tajabadi Ebrahimi (Iran), Dr. Francisco B. Elegado (Philippines), Prof. Ingrid Suryanti Surono (Indonesia), Dr. Vu Nguyen Thanh (Vietnam). Researchers, students, teachers, nutritionists, dieticians, food entrepreneurs, agriculturalist, government policy makers, ethnologists, sociologists and electronic media persons may read this book who keep interest on biological importance of Asian fermented foods and beverages.

The magnificent Himalayan Mountains, the highest in the world and home to the famed Mount Everest and K2, are also imbued with a rich diversity of ethnic fermented foods. Dr. Jyoti Prakash Tamang, one of the leading authorities on food microbiology, has studied Himalayan fermented foods and beverages for the last twenty-two years. His comprehensive

Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture Discover the positive and helpful contributions made by microorganisms to various areas of human health, food preservation and production, biotechnology, industry, environmental clean-up and sustainable agriculture. In Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture, a team of distinguished researchers delivers a comprehensive and eye-opening look at the positive side of bacteria and other microbes. The book explores the important and positive roles played by microorganisms. Divided into five sections, Good Microbes examines the use of microorganisms and the microbiome in human health, food production, industrial use, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture. Coverage spans from food allergies, skin disorders, microbial food preservation and fermentation of various beverages and food products, and from an ethical point of view to the beneficial use of microbes in biotechnology, industry, bioeconomy, environmental remediation such as resource recovery, microbial-based environmental clean-up, plant-microbe interactions in biorestauration, biological control of plant diseases, and biological nitrogen fixation. Provides basic knowledge on bacterial biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics of beneficial microbes Includes practical discussions of microbial biotechnology, including the contribution of microbial biotechnology to sustainable development goals Features a comprehensive introduction and extensive index to facilitate the search for key terms. Perfect for scientists, researchers and anyone with an interest in beneficial microbes, Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture is also an indispensable resource for microbiology graduate students, applied microbiologists and policy makers.