Fermentation in food processing
The science of turning carbs into alcohol or acids using microbes.
Last updated
Natural fermentation predates human history.[1] In 1897 Eduard Buchner found that sugar was fermented even without living yeast cells, by an enzyme complex he termed zymase.[2] People have used fermentation for a very long time, probably first encountering it by accident.[1] Beer residue dating back 13,000 years, discovered in a cave close to Haifa, Israel, represents the oldest known archaeological proof of fermentation.[1][3]
The practice of winemaking began around 6000 BC in the Caucasus region of Georgia.[1] In 1856, French chemist Louis Pasteur established the field of zymology by demonstrating the link between yeast and fermentation.[4] Eduard Buchner was awarded the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for identifying that fermentation could occur without living cells.[2][5]
Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Food processing, microbiology
- Key process
- Conversion of carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids by microorganisms
- Earliest evidence
- 13,000-year-old beer residue in Israel
- Scientific founder
- Louis Pasteur (1856)
- Cell free discovery
- Eduard Buchner (1897)
Facts from the source article.
What the cited sources add
The Nobel Prize lecture notes that Harden and his workers filtered Buchner's yeast-juice through an ultrafilter and split it into two fractions that individually could not ferment but together recovered that capacity.[6] Biochemical analysis of 8,000-year-old pottery wine jars from the country of Georgia indicates that people were intentionally adding antibacterial preservatives to grape juice.[7] Eduard Buchner's initial work on fermentation, titled "Der Einfluss des Sauerstoffs auf Gärungen," was published in 1885.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Fermentation in food processing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A "Short" History of Fermentation", Sauerpower; "'World's oldest brewery' found in cave in Israel, say researchers", British Broadcasting Corporation, 15 September 2018; McGovern, "Fermented beverages of pre- and proto-historic China", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004, p. 17593–17598; "8,000-year-old wine unearthed in Georgia", The Independent, 2003-12-28; "Now on display ... world's oldest known wine jar"; "Fermented fruits and vegetables. A global perspective", FAO Agricultural Services Bulletins en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fermentation in food processing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Nobel Laureate Biography of Eduard Buchner"; "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1929" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "'World's oldest brewery' found in cave in Israel, say researchers", British Broadcasting Corporation, 15 September 2018. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Fermentation in food processing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fermentation" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Nobel Laureate Biography of Eduard Buchner". facts only, no text reused. nobelprize.org
- "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1929". facts only, no text reused. nobelprize.org
- "8,000-year-old wine unearthed in Georgia", The Independent, 2003-12-28. facts only, no text reused. stonepages.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Fermentation in food processing (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Also in the Codexery
More in Fermented Foods
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fermentation in food processing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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