Fermentation is an ancient process utilized by humans since the Neolithic age, with its origins dating back to around 8,000 B.C. Historical evidence shows early fermentation of food and beverages, and significant advancements occurred in understanding the science of fermentation from the 17th century onwards, leading to modern applications in medicine and industry. Today, fermentation remains integral to food production, health, and various biochemical processes.

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HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT OF
FERMENTATION

2. Introduction
• Humans have been fermenting food since the
Neolithic age.
• Fermentation technology is the oldest of all
biotechnological processes.
• Louis Pasteur in 1857  Science behind
Fermentation.
• “Ferment” derived from Latin verb “Fervere”,
meaning “to boil”.
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Fig 1.1 : Louis Pasteur

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• Fermentation or simply culturing occurs all because
of microbes.
• Microbes can be found everywhere on Earth,
including the soil that grows our food and also inside
our stomach.
• Microbes form communities called cultures and
colonize.
• These organisms consume the available sugar without
the presence of oxygen.
• This process is known as anaerobic digestion.
Fig 1.2 : Saccharomyces cerevisiae
& Wine Fermentation

4. How Did Fermentation Start?
• No definite answer to this question just like human evolution.
• No proper record of when and where it started.
• Signs of induced fermentation dates back to as far as 6,000 B.C.
• Fermentation is as old as humanity.
• Some date it back to 8,000 B.C., same time as development of
agriculture.
• Likely that it started spontaneously.
• It is considered that milk was the first to be fermented,
unintentionally, way back in 10,000 B.C. 4
Fig 2.1 : Artistic impression of
earliest alcohol fermentation in
Egypt

5. • There is a theory that yogurt was first produced in goat bags
draped over the backs of camels in North Africa at
temperatures of 40°C.
• One of the earliest record of fermentation dates back to 6,000
B.C. in The Fertile Crescent, “ The Cradle of Civilization ”.
• Use of fermentation for beverages has existed since the
Neolithic age.
• Ayurveda mentions the use of wines as medicine.
• Fermented foods have a religious significance in Judaism and
Christianity.
• The Baltic god Rugutis was worshiped as the agent of
fermentation.
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Fig 2.2 : The Fertile Crescent
Fig 2.3 : Depiction of Jesus
with wine

6. • Some of the signature fermented food:
a). Dosey from India
b). Kimchi from Korea
c). Sauerkraut from Germany
• Fermented foods are also used in Eastern cultures for
medicinal purposes.
• Links between fermented foods and health can be traced back
as far as ancient Rome and China.
• They remain an area of great interest for researchers in
modern times.
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Fig 2.5 : Fermenting Sauerkraut
Fig 2.4 : Fermented dosey batter

7. • Usage of fermentation for preserving of fish.
• Discovered recently in the Scandinavian region of
Southern Sweden.
• 2,00,000 fish bones uncovered from a storage pit dating
back to 7,000 B.C. – Early Mesolithic age.
• Pine barks and Seal fat used instead of salt.
• Buried in muddy soil after wrapping with wild boar’s
skin.
• Skillful way of preservation.
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Fig 3.2 : The remains of a large-
scale storage for fermented fish
Earliest Evidence of Fermentation
Fig 3.1 : Wrapping of fish

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• Around 8,000 B.C. – Humans produced bread and alcoholic beverage for the first time.
• Around 4,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C. – Production of rice wine and usage of fermented soybean
to treat skin infections by the Chinese.
• 4,000 B.C. – Use of yeast to make bread and wine by the Egyptians.
• 1,750 B.C. – Sumerians fermented barley to beer.
• 300 B.C. – Preservation of vegetables using fermentation by the Chinese.
• 220 B.C. – Start of use of fermented tea to treat a variety of illnesses.
• Around 210 A.D. – Greek physician Galen believed that digestion operated in the same way
as grape fermentation, in the liver.
Timeline of Fermentation

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• Till 17th century – Believed that fermentation is a mystical process.
• 1659 – Thomas Willis wrongly attributed disease and fever with fermentation of
blood.
• Mid 17th century – Van Helmont believed that digestion, breathing and other
biological processes were carried out by a ferment.
• 1680 – Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed the ‘ferment’ and found them to be yeast
spores. True scientific study of yeast and fermentation began after this observation.
• 1781 – First attempt at artificially producing yeast by Thomas Henry. Beginning of
biological engineering of yeast.
• 1789 – First account of the chemical changes occurring during fermentation using
yeast was published by Lavoisier. He gave a chemical equation and became the first
person to apply the principle of conservation of mass in chemical reaction.

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• 1815 – Gay-Lussac revised the balance of Lavoisier’s
equation. Later in the 20th century the empirical
equation was updated to
C6H12O6 ⇋ 2CO2 + 2CH3CH2OH
This equation is still know as the Gay-Lussac equation.
• 1840 – “Fermentation is a result of process occurring in living beings”, conclusion by Theodor
Schwann.
• 1857 – Louis Pasteur referred to fermentation as “the result of life without air”. He found that air
has always been considered the enemy of wine and can inhibit fermentation – termed as the
Pasteur effect. He found that lactic acid was a by product and was the reason why wines turned
sour. He also led the development of pasteurization of milk and foods prone to spoilage.
Regarded France’s greatest scientist.

11. • 1858 – Moritz Traube published experimental evidence
finally suggesting that fermentation itself is a living
process.
• 1907 – German zymologist Eduard Buchner showed
that enzymes in yeast cells, not the yeast cells
themselves cause fermentation. Won the Nobel prize.
• 1927 – Hans Euler-Chelpin and Arthur Harden
managed to describe what happens in sugar
fermentation and the action of fermentation enzymes
using physical chemistry. Won the Nobel prize in 1929.
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• 1940 – Technology was developed
to use fermentation to produce
antibiotics.
• Present day – Fermentation is used
to produce chemicals, medicines
and acholic beverages in industrial
scale.
• Fermentation has been on a wild
ride over the course of human
knowledge.
Fig 4.1 : Making of Penicillin

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• 8,000 B.C. – The first was likely made of clay-
earthenware.
• 7,000 B.C. – Scandinavian people used skins of Wild
Boars and Seals to bring about fermentation.
• 1,250 - 1,000 B.C. – The Shang and Western Zhou
Dynasty of China used bronze vessels.
• 800 - 600 B.C. – Fermentation was brought about in
Amphoras pottery.
• 57 B.C. - 935 A.D. – Vegetables were started to be
fermented in stoneware jars, onggi to produce
Kimchi.
Fermentation Vessels Over The Years
Fig 6.2 : Amphoras pottery
Fig 6.1 : Early Neolithic age clay jars

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Fig 6.3 : Bronze vessel for fermenting wine Fig 6.4 : Korean Onggi pots

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• During WWI – Chaim Weizmann developed a
fermenter for producing acetone. Maintaining
aseptic conditions became important.
• 1930s – The first big capacity (above 20L)
fermenter for the production of compressed yeast
was used. This was large cylindrical tank.
• 1934 – Two German inventors Strauch and
Schmidt patented a system in which the aeration
tubes were introduced with water and steam.
• 1944 – Penicillin was produced using submerged
culture fermentation technique by Pfizer.
Fig 6.5 : Erecting Fermenters for acetone production
Fig 6.6 : Pfizer owned Fermenter

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Fig 6.7 : Design of a modern day basic industrial fermenter

17. • Present day – In the present scenario
fermentation is knowingly carried out by
every household in the world producing
ready to eat foods, e.g., homemade curd.
• “Fermentation jars” are available in the
market.
• But these are used domestically, catering to
a single family.
• There are billion-dollar businesses too that
are built around this simple phenomenon.
• Fermentation has been on developmental
track ever since it’s discovery.
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Fig 6.8 : Fermentation kit; It’s contents inside

18. References
• Fermentation: A History by eatCultured
• The History and Health Benefits of Fermented Food by Robin Foroutan for Food &
Nutrition
• Sauerkraut: The Quintessential Eastern European Vegetable by Barbara Rolek for
The Spruce Eats
• The Science of Winemaking Yeasts by Paul Adams for Seven Fifty Daily
• What is Fermentation? by Healthy Hildegard
• Images from google
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