Abstract

Solid state fermentation (SSF) has been receiving increased interest during the recent years as an attractive alternative to costly submerged fermentation (SmF) processes for specific applications relative to the food industry. Progress in understanding of biochemical engineering aspects, new bioreactor designs and innovative applications have been the main forces that have led to the renewed interest for a long-known and mostly neglected fermentation technique. The present review focuses on the recent advances in SSF applications for the production of metabolites with important applications in the food processing industry, e.g. organic acids, enzymes, flavour compounds and gums.

Keywords: Food industry, metabolites, solid-state fermentation.