Fermentation in the presence of UV light Does the presence of UV light, or any radiation for that matter, affect the process of fermentation? I'm not sure, but I seem to recall somebody telling me before that yeast will not function properly, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Thanks for any help.
Depends on the wavelength. Fermentation is basically metabolic activity by yeast and bacteria. UV-C (&lt;280 nm) is pretty good at killing a lot of micro-organisms. Some species are more resistant than others, but it's safe to say that exposure to this kind of light will probably interfere with fermentation. Depending on the medium and how the light is applied (thickness of material, power, etc.), it may have more or less of an effect depending on how much light reaches the yeast or bacteria.