Vitamins, additives, and enzymes.
The fact that microorganisms can produce food additives and other valuable substances is nothing new. Genetic engineering, however, has made it possible to modify bacteria and fungi to make them produce substances at an economic advantage to conventional, industrial methods. Additives, amino acids, vitamins, flavors, enzymes - countless substances used in food production are produced with the help of genetically modified microorganisms. In many ways, these biotechnological methods have replaced chemical, synthetic production. The advantages are obvious: microorganisms grow rapidly and in most cases are easy to cultivate. The fact that they "work" under normal conditions means that unlike conventional production methods, they don't need high temperatures, pressures, or harsh chemicals. Using microorganisms is much more environmentally friendly than conventional chemical-synthetic methods; they use less energy and use renewable resources. Production leftovers are easily biodegradable and have minimal impact on waste water. In order to biotechnologically produce a certain substance, microorganisms must be identified that produce the substance naturally. There are many known bacteria and fungi that produce valuable substances. It wasn't until genetic engineering came about that these biological methods became economically viable. Targeted genetic manipulation has not only enhanced the productivity of these methods, it also has resulted in the production of substances that was imperviously impossible. Genetic engineering has dramatically expanded the potential of biotechnological methods. Genetically modified microorganisms are now not only used to produce pharmaceuticals, vaccines, specialty chemicals, and feed additives, they also produce vitamins, additives, and processing agents for the food industry. Here are a few examples:

• Vitamin B2 (coloring, rivoflavin E 101)
• Vitamin C (preservative, ascorbic acid E 300);
• Thickener, xanthan (E 415)
• Acidity regulator, citric acid (E 330);
• Preservative, natamycin (E 235), nisin (E 234), lysozyme (E 1105);
• Various amino acids used to improve the quality of animal feed - also used in some foods, e.g. the flavor enhancer glutamate (E621), the sweetener aspartame (E 951) or the flour treating agent cysteine (E 921);
• Numerous enzymes used in cheeses, bread and baked goods, alcoholic beverages, and juice, as well ...as in the production of glucose syrup (corn syrup), glucose, and other starch products.

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