By Bev Walker (Sundownr) August 22, 2009 (Editor's Note: This article was orginally published on September 17, 2008) Fermentation History The deliberate fermentation of foods by man predates written history and is possibly the oldest method of preserving perishable foods. Evidence suggests that fermented foods were consumed 7,000 years ago in Babylon.[1] Scientist speculate that our ancestors possibly discovered fermentation by accident and continued to use the process out of preference or necessity. Preserving by fermentation not only made foods available for future use, but more digestible and flavorful. The nutritional value produced by fermenting is another benefit of fermenting. The study of fermentation is called zymology. You may, or may not, know the list of foods in our present culture that have been fermented for centuries, at some stage of production, to be made more edible and accessible to the human population (see the green information bar at right). What Is Fermentation? Fermentation is the controlled decay of material using special bacteria which results in a more desirable product. Technically, fermentation is the biochemical conversion of sugars, starches, or carbohydrates, into alcohol, and organic acids, by bacteria and enzymes.[1] We have symbiotic relations with some forms of bacteria, we give them what they need (carbohydrates), they give us what we need (preserving acids). The bacteria change foods into more digestible and nutritional material. the preferred bacteria is introduced to the foods to be A “starter culture” containing fermented. This can be done by adding a small sampling from a previous batch of converted foods, or with a commercially distributed mixture. Some foods need the proper conditions to attract the desirable, or to discourage the bad, microbes. Materials cured in a brine solution (salt, water, sometimes spices and sugar) are naturally fermented, or pickled. Although desirable anaerobic bacteria convert carbohydrates to acetic acid that and preserves the food, the brine protects the “pickle” vegetables from aerobic organisms.[2] Pickling vegetables created with vinegar (fresh-pack, or quick-process method) are not naturally fermented. The acid of the vinegar preserves the food and imparts the flavors
By Bev Walker (Sundownr) August 22, 2009 (Editor's Note: This article was orginally published on September 17, 2008) Fermentation History The deliberate fermentation of foods by man predates written history and is possibly the oldest method of preserving perishable foods. Evidence suggests that fermented foods were consumed 7,000 years ago in Babylon.[1] Scientist speculate that our ancestors possibly discovered fermentation by accident and continued to use the process out of preference or necessity. Preserving by fermentation not only made foods available for future use, but more digestible and flavorful. The nutritional value produced by fermenting is another benefit of fermenting. The study of fermentation is called zymology. You may, or may not, know the list of foods in our present culture that have been fermented for centuries, at some stage of production, to be made more edible and accessible to the human population (see the green information bar at right). What Is Fermentation? Fermentation is the controlled decay of material using special bacteria which results in a more desirable product. Technically, fermentation is the biochemical conversion of sugars, starches, or carbohydrates, into alcohol, and organic acids, by bacteria and enzymes.[1] We have symbiotic relations with some forms of bacteria, we give them what they need (carbohydrates), they give us what we need (preserving acids). The bacteria change foods into more digestible and nutritional material. A “starter culture” containing the preferred bacteria is introduced to the foods to be fermented. This can be done by adding a small sampling from a previous batch of converted foods, or with a commercially distributed mixture. Some foods need the proper conditions to attract the desirable, or to discourage the bad, microbes. Materials cured in a brine solution (salt, water, sometimes spices and sugar) are naturally fermented, or pickled. Although desirable anaerobic bacteria convert carbohydrates to acetic acid that “pickle” and preserves the food, the brine protects the vegetables from aerobic organisms.[2] Pickling vegetables created with vinegar (fresh-pack, or quick-process method) are not naturally fermented. The acid of the vinegar preserves the food and imparts the flavors
4c-FermentationHistory.docx