Nutritional and Health Benefits of Microorganisms for Sustainable Food and Medicine

Abstract

The term ‘single cell protein’ was coined in 1968 at a meeting held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to replace the less aesthetic ‘microbial protein’ and ‘petroprotein’ which were the terms originally used. Use of microbes as a food source may appear to be unacceptable to some people but the idea of consumption of microbes as food for man and animals is certainly innovative to solve the global food problem. Single cell protein (SCP) has many applications in food and feed industries The microorganisms which can be used as SCP include a variety of bacteria, marine microalgae, Dried cells of bacteria, algae, yeast, and fungi, which are rich in proteins and could be used as dietary supplements, are called Single Cell Proteins (SCP). The use of microbial protein as food has several advantages over conventional proteins. Microbial proteins are healthy source of vitamins, carotenes and carbohydrates. The concept of probiotics is the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, promoting efficient functioning of digestion, helping prevent digestive upsets, and stimulating and maintaining the natural immunity of the body. Probiotic bacteria are normal inhabitants of the intestines and are normally found in the healthy gut of all humans. Probiotics have been in use for as long as people have consumed fermented milks, but their association with health benefits dates only from the turn of the century when Metchnikoff drew attention to the adverse effects of the gut microflora on the host and suggested that ingestion of fermented milks ameliorated this so-called autointoxication. Supplementation with probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics has shown promising results against various enteric pathogens due to their ability to compete with pathogenic microbiota for adhesion sites, to alienate pathogens or to stimulate, modulate and regulate the host's immune response. Hence, this review aims to study the nutritional and health benefits of microorganisms for sustainable food and medicine.