A Journey into the World of Fermentation

What is Fermentation?

For years, we’ve been mentioning fermentation, fermented sauces, the fermentation process, fermented vegetables, and many other terms without ever explaining them. Finally, it’s time to delve deeper into the topic and through a series of blog posts, explain everything you might want to know about fermentation.

As a source of information, I’ll use my own experience and knowledge as well as the excellent book “The Art of Fermentation” by Sandor Felix Katz, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in fermentation, as it’s an endless source of knowledge and ideas.

If we’re seeking a simple definition of what fermentation is when it comes to food, it would be: Fermentation is the process of transforming food with the help of bacteria, yeast, fungi, and/or enzymes they produce. We’ve all encountered fermented food and the fermentation process in our lives. Here are just a few foods produced through fermentation: cheese, beer, wine, bread, cured meats, our fermented hot sauces, soy sauce, vinegar, sauerkraut… The list is actually quite long, and it’s estimated that around one-third of the food people eat is produced through fermentation, making the fermented food industry one of the largest in the world.

The fermentation process is a natural one, and humans didn’t invent it—rather, it would be more accurate to say that fermentation invented humans, not the other way around. Over time, humans observed natural fermentation processes and learned to replicate and cultivate them for their benefit to get what they want.

Not All Bacteria Are Bad

When we hear the word bacteria, we usually think of something bad, but the truth is that we have about 10 times more bacteria in our bodies than we have cells. It’s not without reason that it’s said: Bacteria—the only culture some people have 🙂

The first thing to understand is that there are good and bad bacteria, and we need to forget the claim that bacteria are exclusively our enemies. Currently, disinfectants are very popular due to the global pandemic and slogans on soaps like “Kills 99.9% of bacteria,” but what we fail to realize is that the vast majority of bacteria actually protect us from the few that are bad.

Why has there been a loud talk about the overuse of antibiotics in the last 15 years? Antibiotics kill bacteria, both good and bad. And yes, they will help us against the bad ones, but in the process, they’ll also kill the good ones and leave us very vulnerable to other infections.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the use of antibiotics, but rather for their use only when necessary. But, let’s get back to the topic. If you want to experiment with fermentation, you need to know that it involves bacteria/fungi and the enzymes they produce, and by following the correct preparation process, you ensure that the right culture prevails and that you get the best cheese/hot sauce/beer.

Types of Fermentation

Fermentation, based on the types of bacteria involved, can be roughly divided into:

• Lactic Fermentation – Bacteria and yeasts convert starch and sugar into lactic acid through anaerobic reactions without the need for additional heat. These bacteria can be found on almost all vegetables and in the air, and it’s very easy to initiate this type of fermentation without a starter, known as wild fermentation. Examples of foods made through this type of fermentation include kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, cheese, etc.
• Alcoholic Fermentation – Bacteria and yeasts convert sugar and starch into alcohol and carbon dioxide in anaerobic conditions. This type of fermentation yields beer and wine.
• Acetic Fermentation – Bacteria and yeasts convert sugar and starch into vinegar. This type of fermentation occurs in the presence of air. It’s used to produce apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, and kombucha, among others.

Based on the type of starter used, fermentation can be categorized as:

• Wild Fermentation – No bacteria/yeasts are added; instead, whatever is available in the medium is used. This method is commonly used to ferment vegetables since lactic acid bacteria are omnipresent. However, it’s also possible to ferment fruits into wine using this method. We use this fermentation method in the production of our hot sauces.
• Cultivated Fermentation – Bacteria/yeasts are added to the medium to ensure that a specific strain of bacteria dominates and imparts a particular flavor. Cultivated fermentation is used in brewing beer, making cheese, kefir, kombucha, and can be applied to any fermentation process.

Food Preservation Through Fermentation

As I mentioned earlier, one-third of the food we eat is fermented at some stage of production, often to obtain a more stable food item that can last longer. For example, the difference between fresh milk and cheese – fresh milk spoils after a few days in the refrigerator, while cheese, depending on the type, can last for years.

The difference between fresh and fermented vegetables – sauerkraut is perhaps the best example, which has a long shelf life compared to fresh cabbage.

The shelf life of food is extended through fermentation for several reasons:

• Cultivated bacteria dominate the food, preventing the growth of other harmful bacteria.
• During fermentation, substances like alcohol, lactic acid, or acetic acid are produced (depending on the bacteria), which prevent the growth of other bacteria that could spoil the food, thus extending its shelf life.

However, not all types of fermentation extend the shelf life of food. For example, wheat has a longer shelf life in dry form than in the form of fermented dough for bread (sourdough).

Alcohol is an excellent food preservative, but if certain types of alcoholic beverages, like wine, are exposed to air, they turn into vinegar. In fact, the best way to preserve food is through pickling (lactic fermentation, not to be confused with simply soaking fresh vegetables in vinegar), where the pH value is significantly reduced or almost prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Pickling vs. Vegetable Fermentation

As I mentioned in the paragraph above, what we colloquially refer to as pickling (e.g., cucumbers, peppers, or any other vegetables) is a process that is completely opposite to the fermentation process and is readily available in modern times. While “pickling” and preserving involve the process of pasteurization or sterilization at high temperatures to kill all bacteria, fermentation selectively cultivates certain bacteria, allowing them to protect the food from spoilage.

I can’t say that one process is better than the other; in fact, even in our production, we use both techniques together or just pasteurization without fermentation, depending on what we want to achieve as the final product.

Have you ever tried making pickles in brine (or fermented pickles) instead of pickling in vinegar and pasteurization? The preparation process differs and is somewhat more complex for fermented pickles because they need to be placed in brine (a solution of water and salt) and wait for the fermentation process to finish, i.e., for the pH to drop, to obtain sour (fermented) pickles.

The taste and texture of fermented pickles are quite different from those pickled in vinegar, and that’s the main challenge in starting the production of fermented products since most people are accustomed to the taste of pickled ones, making it difficult to introduce something different. However, my advice is to definitely try making fermented pickles once – I believe you won’t go back, especially for home use.

Is Fermentation Dangerous?

This is a question that is often asked, and the answer is no. Or rather, it’s no more dangerous than pickling cucumbers or any other method of preparing food. You need to know what you’re doing, and that’s all. Due to its extremely low pH, fermented food prevents the development of some harmful bacteria, making fermentation an extremely safe process.

Mold may appear on the surface due to the presence of air, which is usually harmless, but it can have an unpleasant odor and taste, so the upper layer is usually discarded before further processing/consumption.

Botulism, one of the rare but very dangerous poisonings, mostly occurs in canned food (not fermented) because the low pH prevents the growth of its causative agent – Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which secretes a tasteless and odorless toxin fatal to humans. The spores of these bacteria are only destroyed at higher temperatures (116 to 121 degrees Celsius), so this problem will not be solved by pasteurization, but only by low pH.

However, this is not meant to scare you; it’s just an example of how safe fermented food actually is.

The Taste of Fermented Food

The taste of fermented food is actually what personally attracts me the most. I really enjoy sour flavors, and when combined with salty and spicy elements, you get phenomenal aromas that you can’t achieve otherwise. I would dare to say that fermentation is actually the art of creating the best flavors and aromas in the world, and the best part is that you can experiment endlessly. Umami, as one of the five main tastes, can be found in fermented fish (fish sauce) and soybeans (soy sauce).

The taste of fermented food is one of those things you have to get used to, and there will always be debates about it. I would even go so far as to say that the line between fermented and spoiled is very thin, depending on the preferences of the person eating that food.

While someone like me will enjoy the wonderful taste and smell of kimchi, which is very intense due to the fish sauce, someone else might feel nauseous at the mere thought of it. The same goes for strong cheeses. Many people can’t even think of aged cheeses that are the product of long fermentation, while others would swear by such delicacies.

Fermented food is definitely something that deserves more attention because it can make your life tastier. We will make an effort to regularly publish articles related to fermentation that will include recipes, and we also plan to create some limited edition products – sort of experiments where we’ll push fermentation to its limits.

And now I’m off to make a sandwich with (fermented) bread, (fermented) sausage, (fermented) cheese, and top it all off with (fermented) Vrabanero Original sauce, and then I’ll have a (fermented) beer or two.