WEEK 13

MICROORGANISMS IN FERMENTED FOOD

OBJECTIVE
To understand the importance of microorganisms in food fermentation

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. To learn what fermentation does to the food
2. To learn the chemical reaction that happens when a food is fermented
3. To demonstrate how fermented food is produced
4. To collaborate with companion students in both experiments as well as in
documentation of the experiment

INTRODUCTION
The fermentation of tapai originated in Indonesia, especially among the Javanese
community. Tapai has a sweet flavour and nice smell, which are also favourable
among the Malay community in Malaysia. Tapai is always served as mouth dishes.
There are two types of tapai which depend on the substrate used; ‘tapai ubi’ which is
made from tapioca, and ‘tapai pulut’ which is made from glutinous rice. The starter
culture for tapai is known locally as ‘ragi’, which is mainly composed of mould and
yeast. Mould wiII produce the saccharolytic enzymes, while yeast will generate
alcohol fermentation.

MATERIALS AND APPARATUS

1. Glutinous rice
2. Ragi
3. Microscope
4. Incubator

PROCEDURES
1. Transfer 200 g of steamed glutinous rice into the aluminium foil wrap and make
a hole of about 1 cm diameter vertically through the centre of the rice.
2. Inoculate the surface of the rice with 0.4 g (0.2%, w/w) of powdered ragi, and
mix well.
3. Divide them equally into three portions, and then transfer the inoculated
glutinous rice into three individual containers.
4. Cover the containers with the lid, and incubate at 30°C for 72 h (3 d). The
product is ready when the “juice” is at the same level as the surface of the rice:
5. When this occurs, using the inoculation loop, take a loopful of the juice, and
identify the morphology of microorganism present using wet mount and a
microscope at 40× magnification.
6. Upload clear picture of the observed microorganism onto the link on PutraBlast.
7. Upload the pH of the resulting fermented glutinous rice onto the link on
PutraBlast.