Key findings:

The role of industrial microbiology during economic collapse. It emphasizes the potential of microorganisms in production, environmental sustainability, and safety. The importance of recognizing microbes as beneficial entities during challenging times is underscored.

What is known and what is new?

In the context of industrial microbiology during economic collapse, the existing knowledge likely includes the understanding of how microorganisms can be harnessed for various industrial processes. This includes their role in fermentation, waste treatment, and bioremediation, among others. What may be new in this discussion is the specific focus on their potential in times of economic downturn. This could involve exploring novel applications or highlighting overlooked aspects of their utility, particularly in the context of economic crisis.

What is the implication, and what should change now?

The implication of recognizing the role of industrial microbiology in times of economic collapse is that there is a valuable resource that can be leveraged for economic recovery and sustainability. What should change is perhaps the level of attention and investment given to research and development in this field. Governments, industries, and research institutions may need to prioritize and allocate resources to better understand and utilize the potential of microorganisms in addressing economic challenges.

Microbiology is a discipline which studies microorganisms such as algae, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. The study of microorganisms is important to food safety, production, processing, preservation, and storage conditions. Food microbiology encompasses the study of the microorganisms that can occupy, produce, or contaminate food which have both beneficial and deleterious effects on the quality of food [1]. Precisely, fields that are examined in food microbiology are food poisoning, food spoilage, food preservation, and food legislation [2]. In food industries, microorganisms are employed in evaluating and preserving the quality of food and food safety. 

Microbes such as bacteria, molds and yeasts are employed for food production and food ingredients such as production of wine, beer, bakery, and dairy products. On the other hand, the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms is considered as one of the main causes to loss of foodstuff nowadays because they spoil foods [3]. 

The existence of pathogens in food may lead to economic losses thereby causing restriction of economic growth. However, there are a lot of food microorganisms that are valuable and play an important part in improving the economy in terms of health benefit and cost saving activities such as in fermentation. 

Concept of Food Microbiology

Microorganisms appear everywhere. They can reproduce rapidly in certain conditions and can survive in extensive range of environmental conditions. In foods, different factors affect the survival of microbes. The effects of microbes on food products may be both beneficial and detrimental. Food microbiology deals with the dangerous microorganisms that contaminate food and helpful microorganisms that are needed for producing of foods such as bread, beer, wine, cheese and yoghurt. Certain microorganisms known as probiotics confer health benefits and can improve medical conditions in humans such as allergies, cancer, hepatic disease, etc. The fate of microorganisms in food depends on many factors such as temperature, pH, water activity (moisture content), and redox potential. 

Depressed Economy

Economic depression is a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity in one or more economies. Economic activity declines in the process of a usual trade cycle. It is a sustained period of irregular low economic activity and high unemployment. This is most times accompanied by an impression for prices to fall or at least increase more slowly than expected and by a reduction in the relative prices of primary goods as compared with industrial goods. An economic depression is primarily caused by aggravating consumer trust that leads to poor demand of products which eventually results in companies shutting down business. Companies may also need to cut their budgets such as hiring a very small number of personnel due to low patronage of consumers. 

Depression in an economy can be spotted by sudden fall in industrial production and prices (deflation), general unemployment, banking anxieties and sharp increases in poverty rates and homelessness. When compared with milder recessions, depressions are fairly less regular and may likely be accompanied by high unemployment and low inflation [4]. 

Importance of Microorganisms in Food Industry

In the food industry, various microorganisms are involved in food processing and food production. These include bacteria, molds and yeasts. Various strains of bacteria are used to produce wide- ranging food and dairy products. These bacterial strains include Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium spp, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Fermented sausages, pickles, kimchi, cheese and yoghurt can be produced with lactic acid bacteria. Molds are also used to manufacture various food and food products. Molds are employed in producing enzymes used in production of bread. They are used to produce citric acid for soft drinks. Yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae are used in the food industry to brew beer, make bread and wine by the fermentation of sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide.

Food Microbiology in a Depressed Economy

The role of food microbiology may be desirable and undesirable one in an economy. Food loss by either spoilage or contaminated food affects food industry and consumers leading to economic losses and increased hospitalization costs [5,6]. One of the obstacles of economic growth is disease outbreak associated with food consumption and this has effect on a country's productivity and increases medical expenses [7]. According to a report at a recent time, 58 cases of illness and 2 deaths in the US and Canada were traced to an Esherichia coli outbreak originating from romaine lettuce [8]. The outcome of this kind of outbreak are massive economic losses as a result of taking off products from shelves, giving notifications to consumers and the cost of lawsuit damages, aside from the sharp decline in market sales often accompanying such outbreaks which can take years to stabilize [7]. Foodborne disease outbreaks can result into increased hospital admission cost for the public health unit due to morbidity and mortality [9]. When a food product is highly contaminated with microbial pathogens causing life threatening diseases and even death, consumer confidence gets worsened in such product and this leads to economic depression.

Food Contamination by Microorganisms

On an annual basis, the amount lost by the food industry due to microbial contamination is several millions of dollars and this is associated with significant losses of products that do not meet consumer expectations: degraded products containing an unacceptable number of contaminants in terms of both degradation and pathogenicity [10]. 

Food is susceptible to spoilage and activity of pathogenic microorganisms. Some microorganisms usually adhere to solid surface having adequate nutritional content for their sustenance and growth in natural environments. The outcome of fungal infection of food crops includes reduction in crop yield and quality with significant economic losses due to rejection by buyers and also grains contamination with mycotoxins (poisonous fungal secondary metabolites). Consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated grains by human beings has huge public health significance, because these toxins are capable of causing diseases in man and animals [11]. Furthermore, food contamination by bacterial pathogens and mycotoxins is a serious obstacle to 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDG   [12]. There is an increase in poverty level as a result of unsafe and unhealthy food. The consumption of contaminated food has resulted in deprivation from good health and well-being. A lot of people have been denied quality education based on failed food security as a result of foodborne pathogens. The goal of zero hunger, clean water and sanitation are yet to be achieved due to the impact of food poisoning and food intoxication. There is reduced yield of foods, reduced quality of foods and increased cost of food production. 

The quality of food products can be ascertained by carrying out microbiological tests. This helps to assess the risk of contamination and also to prevent food borne disease outbreaks. Screening of food products, raw materials and ingredients is done at every stage of processing and production. 

Desirable role of Food Microbiology in a Depressed Economy

Food microbiology play advantageous role in a depressed economy. These include health improvement, food improvement, production of healthy foods, reduction in expenses and generation of income. Fermentation is an important aspect of food microbiology including activities of microorganisms under controlled conditions. Some significance of fermentation in a depressed economy include reduction in mortality rate, promotion of industrial development, food security, poverty alleviation, market improvement, quality food availability, availability of food supplement [13]. It is a cost saving and revenue generating process. Fermentation helps in the development of aroma and flavor of food. Production of bread and baked foods are considered as costsaving and revenue generating process [3]. Fermentation is a biochemical process which involves the conversion of simple sugar to acid, ethanol and carbondioxide through the metabolic pathways, for example, conversion of lactose to lactic acid by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus during yoghurt production. Another example is the decomposition of glucose to ethanol and carbondioxide by yeast (Saccharomyces calbergensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) during alcoholic beverages production (beer, cider, wine, spirit).

For a long time, human has used bacteria, yeast and moulds to make different foods such as cheese, bread, beer, wine, yoghurt, fermented meat and fermented fish. Different strains of bacteria and yeast are used for fermentation of dairy products. Bacteria are economically important as these microorganisms are used for many purposes. The beneficial uses of bacteria include the production of vinegar and cheese. Probiotic microorganisms being added to food has helped provide health benefit to the economy which include, protection against enteric pathogens, improvement of intestinal peristaltic activity, and stimulation of the intestinal immune system. Lactic acid bacteria being the most common types of probiotic microbes used have been largely delivered in fermented foods such as fermented milk products.

Foods such as cheese, yoghurt, vinegar, African locust beans, garri, have been processed successfully by the activities of organisms such as yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and Bacillus species. These organisms ensure food safety and food quality of such products, for example, the production of lactic by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Strep. thermophillus during yoghurt production [14]. The lactic acid does not only improve the keeping quality of such products but also eliminates the growth of pathogenic organism which is of primary importance to the consumer.

Xanthan gum also called Ticaxan, is a naturally fermented product derived from pure culture of a developed strain of Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthan gum is a notable additive in a lot of food industries. Its functions include addition of smoothness to cream cheese, moisture retention in baked goods, stabilizers in beverages, etc. Microbial rennet used for cheese making is produced from controlled pure culture fermentation of Mucor pusillus [14].

In agriculture, fermentation activities have extended the scope of activities to go beyond food production to processing of crops so as to have new food products serving as nourishment or others purposes. Fermentation has expanded the agricultural system to include wineries, breweries and bakeries besides field crops and livestock. Fermentation process gives desirables properties to food, has preservative properties and improves food quality. It is a notable cost friendly technique that can be explored to also eliminate pathogens that may cause food infection. 

Food microbiology has advantageous role with regards to food production, food preservation, food quality and food safety depressed economy. These include health improvement, food improvement, production of healthy foods, reduction in expenses and generation of income. Beneficial microorganisms in food give a great relief to an economy undergoing depression because it ensures food safety thereby increasing generation of income by production companies. Food microbiology can also be said to improve the health conditions of consumers which is a major factor for more demand of such products. This field requires right handling in order to develop more techniques to avoid food borne disease outbreaks and food loss. Improvement of fermentation techniques, development of microbial strains and testing of new food substrates for their aptness as raw materials for fermentation should be inspired.

Funding: No funding sources 

Conflict of interest: None declared

Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Justus Liebig University

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