https://kvalifood.com/tags/microbes/ Recent content in Microbes on Kvalifood Hugo en-us Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://kvalifood.com/wiki/fermentation-overview/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100 https://kvalifood.com/wiki/fermentation-overview/ <h1 id="fermentation">Fermentation</h1> <img src="https://kvalifood.com/wiki/fermentation-overview/fermentation-overview_hu_62e91cf2f3792a3.webp" alt="" loading="lazy"> <p>Fermentation is the transformation of food by microorganisms — yeasts, bacteria, and molds. It is one of the oldest and most consequential food technologies: bread, cheese, yogurt, wine, beer, soy sauce, vinegar, chocolate, coffee, and kimchi are all fermented foods. In every case, microbes do work that humans cannot — breaking down complex molecules into simpler, more flavorful, more digestible, or more preserved forms.</p> <h2 id="the-basic-mechanism">The basic mechanism</h2> <p>Fermentation in the strict biochemical sense is anaerobic metabolism — organisms extracting energy from sugars without oxygen, producing alcohol or organic acids as byproducts. In culinary use, the term is broader, encompassing any microbial transformation of food.</p>