The term fermentation comes from the Latin verb 'fervere', which means "to boil." It's likely this term describes what happens when yeast converts fruit juice (for wine) or malted grain (for beer) into alcohol, among other bi-products.

What is fermented made from?

Fermentation is an anaerobic process in which microorganisms like yeast and bacteria break down food components (e.g. sugars such as glucose) into other products (e.g. organic acids, gases or alcohol). This gives fermented foods their unique and desirable taste, aroma, texture and appearance.

How was fermentation invented?

Our modern understanding of the fermentation process comes from the work of the French chemist Louis Pasteur (Figure 2). Pasteur was the first to demonstrate experimentally that fermented beverages result from the action of living yeast transforming glucose into ethanol.