Custom Fermentation

• Unique full spectrum compounds formed in fermentation
• Increased bioavailability /water solubility of bioactives
• Enhanced taste, form, and function for food applications
• Fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and seaweeds
• Vitamin B content increased
• Polyphenol availability increased
• Microbiological safety, improved keeping quality
• Improvements in health benefits such as heart health, vision, and nutrients

Draco can help you to create your own new fermented plant or food extracts as custom products with unique properties for your product development needs.

We can also custom design the fermentation substrate.  Our R&D has made high purity bioactive compounds such as fermented glycerin, and with easy modification it is possible to make other substrates such as organic acids, flavor or perfume compounds, and even colors through the power of living yeast or bacteria cell cultures.

The unique full spectrum compounds formed during fermentation have increased bioavailability, improved water solubility, and enhanced taste, form, and function for food many applications. Almost any natural plant source can be fermented, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and seaweeds. For some foods vitamin B content is increased, and protein digestibility and quality improved. The microbiological safety, keeping quality is improved as well.

The increase in free amino acids, nucleic acids, and peptides create wonderful umami flavors (unique, insatiable, flavor enhancements). These are all natural in an organic matrix, not like the synthetic flavor enhancing additives such as isolated MSG or others so common in processed foods. Some of the new flavor compounds include cysteine, aspartic acid, guanylic acid, inosine, and glutamic acid.

Examples of fermented foods with delectable taste include kimchi, miso, red yeast rice, sauerkraut, pickled beets and picked purple sweet potatoes. Fermented liquid or powered yeast, mushroom extracts, soy sauce and other fermented soy liquids have been in the market for many years.

Draco can customize fermented food product blends made from many food choices including kimchi veggies, pickled salads, kombucha with other mushrooms and red yeast rice for either tasty food or health applications. Aged garlic has better bioactivity of cholesterol lowering actives and a richer savory flavor. Purple sweet potato vinegar helps control blood sugar by regulating glucose uptake. Red Yeast Rice adds flavor, deep red color, and health value to Chinese foods (sweet and sour pork). Other examples of enhanced flavors include blue cheese (aromatic, earthy taste), wine, beer (malty/yeasty taste), kimchi (sour and savory tastes), and seaweeds/sea kelp

Organic acids are increased in many fermented foods providing a sour and flavorful note in the right balance with other constituents. Organic acids such as malic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, and others are also well known Krebs cycle intermediates that help provide quick energy substrates to the energy producing mitochondria of the cells. They are known to chelate (bond with) essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and many others to thereby much improve bioavailability and decrease toxicity.

In seaweeds there is increased bioavailability of minerals through fermentation, and since seaweed is a wealth of mineral elements from the sea, accounting for up to 36% of its dry mass this can supply an amazing natural mineral supplement to the diet. The mineral macronutrients in kelp include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, sulfur and phosphorus; while the micronutrients include iodine, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, molybdenum, fluoride, manganese, boron, nickel and cobalt. Fermenting seaweed releases minerals from cell walls and makes them more soluble and easily absorbed.

Kelp has many medicinal uses including those targeting the liver, stomach, and the kidneys.   It helps to soften hardness, resolve phlegm, cleanse from heat, and is used specifically for scrofula, goiter, tumor, and edema. Kelp has beneficial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects for the liver. For gastrointestinal health it is a source of prebiotics to promote the growth of healthy bacteria and promote regularity. Bioactives in fermented kelp include fucoidan, beta glucans, laminarin, short chain fatty acids, and shorter chain polysaccharides. For skin health fermented sea kelp has soothing, hydrating anti-inflammatory effects.

Fermented watermelon rind is another fermented food with amazing benefits. Used as a vegetable in China it is Stir-fried, stewed, pickled de-skinned, and cooked. In Nigeria, watermelon rinds fermented, blended and consumed as juice. By fermenting with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae in a solid media fermentation it develops improved nutritional quality, including significant increases in protein, lipid, ash and crude fiber content (Erukainure). Increases in phenolic and flavonoid contents were also found.

A new and promising health product is fermented Bilberry for improving heart health. Yeast fermented bilberry extract out-performs the standard extract for heart health. New compounds formed which had a greater effect in preventing the build-up of plaques in the arteries of mice. Yeast-fermented bilberries in diet at 0.02% equivalent to 30 mg of anthocyanidins per day in humans boosted overall heart health.  At the end of 16 weeks of study, significant inhibition of plaque occurred with a 25% greater reduction in lesion area compared to non-fermented bilberry. Fermentation of bilberry also improves eye health. A yeast-fermented bilberry extract was found to improve myopic vision according to a human clinical study of 30 middle-aged healthy volunteers with myopia (near sightedness). Increases in subjective accommodation and improvements in myopic eyes were noted.

For cosmetic and personal care products fermentation technology can help generate sustainable/green, ecological friendly organically certified and naturally-derived ingredients. Draco has already developed an organic certified glycerin from organic corn using a living cell derived process. Similar cosmetic bioactives such as sorbitol, glycols, and organic acid can also be made without the need for petroleum or petrochemical starting points. Other areas of new product development include bioconversion of fragrance to water-soluble natural fragrance, high bioavailability actives, and bioactives for anti aging, whitening, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, and UV-blocking effect.