Fermentation In Different Civilizations

Life as we know it today would not be where it is if people did not stumble upon fermentation. Ancient civilians did not have the knowledge that current people today have, however, at points in history, people came across a few different foods and beverages to ferment. Discovery of fermentation lead groups of people to settle in one area and start to build a steady civilization The general process of fermentation is almost the same for each item. Beer, bread, and cheese are just a few examples of products recorded. Storage of these products are different because, they can either be a solid or a liquid. After beer, bread, and cheese were fermented, steady civilizations erupted and the economy increased. Without fermentation civilizations would not have been able to withstand some of the troubling times in history.

Generally, “during fermentation organic matter is decomposed in the absence of air (oxygen); hence, there is always an accumulation of reduction products, or incomplete oxidation products. There are also many microbiological processes that go on in the presence of air while yielding incomplete oxidation products” (Van Niel). Depending on the item being fermented, substances normally

go through the same process but with minor changes. Normally, fermentation does not start on its own, there has to be a starter or inoculum or microorganisms. There are four different types of inoculums and each is used with certain items. Monascus is used to inoculate rice, which has an impart on the color of meat and wine. Two or more strains of Aspergillus Oryzae are used to make different types of miso and shoyu. A dry powder that is made up of Amylomyces, Mucor, Rhizopus, yeast, and bacteria for the fermentation of rice or cassava, and lastly, some inoculums are made of many microorganisms that are unknown which help make nuocmam, a fish sauce (Hesseltine). Beer, bread, and cheese all have either one of these inoculums that start the process of fermentation so they are able to be produced.
Beer fermentation was discovered by the Sumerians in 6000 B.C. In order to make beer a person would start “by soaking barley or Emmer wheat in water and letting it germinate” (Renningberg). The next step was to knead the germinated wheat “into beer bread which was only lightly baked and then crumbled and stirred into water. The mixture was later poured through a wicker sieve and kept in sealed clay vessels” (Renningberg). However, the starch in the wheat cannot be fermented unless it is broken down by enzymes first. The process of beer brewing takes many weeks because the beer must mature. However, the process is a little different for the making of bread.
The fermentation process of bread starts out with flour, which has yeast and bacteria in it. Since there is yeast in the flour it does not need anything else added. Yeast will cause the fermentation process to start and produce the sourdough. Bread is the only thing out of the beer, bread, and cheese to be the shortest amount of time to make. Cheese is the second longest to produce.
In order for the cheese to be fermented first, “pasteurized milk is inoculated with starter cultures of lactic acid bacteria and mold fungi. The thickened milk is then carefully cut into half-inch lumps, the whey is discarded and the curd filled into molds” (Renningber). For different types of cheese, the process is slightly changed. Yet, carbon dioxide is still released in each type.
Storage is a major priority in keeping food, if not properly contained food will spoil faster and a greater amount will be thrown away rather than kept and eaten. Beer, bread, and cheese have different storage methods.
Beer for example, was first stored in bottles, however, companies now also sell beer in cans. The best way to keep the beer for long periods of time is to keep it bottles that reflect the light or containers that do not let light through. If beer, for instance is in a clear bottle the light will be able to penetrate the bottle with no problem. This will cause the oxidation of sugars and fats in beer to be exposed making the drink taste and smells like skunk.
Unlike beer, bread was not stored like other things. It was only kept in a house and until it became moldy. However, the bread was easier to make and somewhat inexpensive. So people were able to make it more often and keep it in supple better. Cheese on the other hand has a creative way of being stored.
Cheese has many ways of being kept for long periods of time. For example, when warriors would go out to battle for food they would bring cheese with them. The cheese would be kept in cow or sheep stomachs. Even though there would be molds that would grow on the top of the cheese it would be beneficial because it would have a few more nutrients.
Fermentation was stumbled upon by people many years ago and since then has been a major part of civilization. Prior to fermentation being a large part of society, groups of people were not able to stay in one location for a long period of time because, the food source would either run out or become scarce. When the food source would run low or out, people had to keep moving to where there was a temporary stable food supple. However, in the locations where fermentation was first discovered, people were then able to stay in one area and start to build a society. With building a society, the effect is people were able to live longer.
Before fermentation, people were not able to live as long because in certain situations, there was only food for a certain amount of people.

This would cause the survival of the fittest. People who were either weak and/or sick were not be able to get as much food, unlike people who were strong and able to work. Civilians that were able to work were given better quality and more food than others because, strong folks could support the community while the others were indirectly hurting it. To survive the cold weather and season people would store the food and drinks in certain containers so it would last much longer than normal. This became highly important to the growth and development of civilizations. With growth and development comes the growth of economic

profits.
Economic stand point at the time before fermentation was good, but, after fermentation of beer, bread, and cheese and the storage of these items, the economy had improved greatly. This was due to the buying and selling of the products. People had to buy various items to get the necessary ingredients to make the cheese or the other foods and drinks. After people made either the food or beer they were then able to keep the products for their families and sell the rest to make a profit. As a result, companies then started to pop up in areas and the economy increased even more.
Due to the discovery of fermentation, it allowed people to ferment beer, bread, and cheese. Each process is slightly different but, they each have carbon dioxide released during it. Fermentation had a large impact on groups of people because they were able to stay in one area and build a civilization and allow the economy grow and prosper.