Describe the role of microbes in making four household food products.

1. 1 · Open with one line. Microbes ferment foods to change their taste, texture and nutritional value.
2. 2 · Curd. LAB (Lactobacillus) from a starter make acids that coagulate and partly digest milk proteins; vitamin B₁₂ increases.
3. 3 · Idli, dosa and bread. Bacteria ferment batter and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ferments dough; CO₂ makes them puff up.
4. 4 · Cheese and toddy. Propionibacterium sharmanii makes holes in Swiss cheese; a fungus ripens Roquefort; toddy from fermented palm sap.
5. 5 · Link to daily life. Home-made dahi and idli are healthy fermented foods.

Scoring tip: Name each microbe with its product. A list of product and microbe pairs earns the marks fastest.