In some places where clean water is not available drinking beer can be considered safer than water. When thinking about this it seems very odd because beer is not considered a replacement or healthier option than water. However, fermented foods are considered safe because of their acidic flavors that create an environment that pathogenic microbes do not like. So beer might be safer to drink in areas that do not have clean water.
Fermented foods also have the ability to limit food waste. Spoiled or defective foods can be fermented to create desirable products. Fermentation has the ability to transfer textures and flavors of products. This means that the waste from food can be made into something new that can be consumed. Fermentation also has the ability to preserve foods through the use of lactic acid bacteria. Extending the shelf life will help to reduce the amount of waste as food products will last longer so less product has to be thrown out. In addition to extending the shelf life of product fermented foods also can enhance the nutritional profile which optimizes the most of the resources available.
There are many different ways to use fermentation to reduce food waste from using food scraps to create a new product to infusing food waste. The opportunities that are available from fermented foods are very limited which makes it a create option for addressing food waste.
Comments
This discussion on the safety and benefits of fermentation is really interesting! I had never thought about beer being a safer alternative to water in places without clean drinking water, but your point about fermentation creating an environment that inhibits pathogens makes a lot of sense. I also like how you highlighted the role of fermentation in reducing food waste. It’s super cool how fermentation can transform food scraps into something valuable while also extending shelf life and enhancing nutrition. I have a feeling the fermentation industry is just going to keep growing!
Beer certainly has a long-standing use as a hydration alternative in the presence of clean water, and it used to be a commonplace ration for sailors to provide water along with the variety of other nutritional benefits that beer contains such as vitamins and carbohydrates. While I do think it would be beneficial to derive more fermented products from spoiling food to reduce food waste, my concern is that such products would likely be fairly niche and unique, which may limit their market share and use. A potential alternative to trying to save spoiling food may be to promote the usage of spoiled food as bioeconomic products outside of human consumption. For example, there could be value in working to capture the methane produced from the decomposition so that it could be used as natural gas for power.