Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

Microorganisms are well known to be beneficial or harmful. Knowledge of the stress factors and stress resistance by microorganisms is important for the development of biotechnology. Stress-induced proteins serve as molecular markers of the health of the starting cultures. Appearance of such markers may show that the culture has been subjected to stressors and may have adapted to these stressors. Such bacteria are called fighting hazardous bacteria which cause food deterioration. However, most of microorganisms make crucial contributions to the welfare of humanity. Such beneficial microorganisms are widely used in food industry for production of a large number of fermented food products and are also very helpful for conversion of food industrial wastes into value added products. The ability of microorganisms to convert large and complex molecules into the simplest one depends upon the type of culture and the growth requirements. The selection of a suitable culture to convert a specific type of substrate into useful products, thus, plays a vital role in fermentation technology.