Traditional fermented foods prepared on a cottage industry level, has become accepted since long ago as part of the normal human diet of many population groups in Indonesia. They are used either as an accompanying dish to the staplefood, e.g.temphand oncom, or as a condiment, e.g. ikan peda, trasi and bekasang, or as a seasoning; e.g. kecap.
The benefit to man of the fermentation process is the increase of his foodsupply through preservation and salvaging of commodities which otherwise should go wasted or be used as animal feed. The endproduct may be of higher keeping quality such as ikan peda. The reduced cooking time of fermented products is of special advantage to population where cooking fuel may be scarce.
The fermentation process will improve the appearance and flavor, making the endproduct more attractive and acceptable as a food e.g. tempeband oncom, or will add flavor and taste to an otherwise bland diet e.g. trasi and kecap. It will increas.e the appeti to leading to a higher total food intake, a nutritional aspect which should not be overlooked.
The fermentation process itself may destory partly or totally undesirable factors and toxins present in the raw starting material, making it more palatable or digeatible of making it a safer product.
Whether the fermentation process as used for food does increase the nutritive value of the protein in the endproduct is Still disputable. Losses of soluble nitrogen during the process is reported. But through the complex biochemical changes in the substrate otherwise unavailable nutrients may be made available for the human body py the action of the enzymes involved.
In tempeh fermentation the synthesis of vitamin B12 is of nutritional advantage for communities with an almost vegetarian diet and the production of polypeptide antibiotics may be of health significance for the consumer population under their prevailing living conditions.