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Zymology is the science of fermentation. It deals with the biochemical processes involved in fermentation, with yeast selection and physiology, and with the practical issues of brewing. Zymology is occasionally known as zymurgy.1 Fermentation
Fermentation can be simply defined, in this context, as the conversion of sugar molecules into alcohol and carbon dioxide by yeast enzymes.
2 History
French chemist Louis Pasteur was the first zymologist, when in 1857 he connected yeast to fermentation. Pasteur originally defined fermentation as respiration without air.
Pasteur performed careful research and concluded, "...I am of the opinion that alcoholic fermentation never occurs without simultaneous organization, development and multiplication of cells... ...if asked, in what consists the chemical act whereby the sugar is decomposed... ...I am completely ignorant of it...."
The German Eduard Buchner, winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in chemistry, later determined that fermentation was actually caused by a yeast secretion that he termed zymase .
The research efforts undertaken by the Danish Carlsberg scientists greatly accelerated the gain of knowledge about yeast and brewing. The Carlsberg scientists are generally acknowledged with kick-starting the entire field of molecular biologyMolecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various syste.
3 Products
- Beer1990s England when people received less than a pint (568 ml) of beer for the price of a pint. A beer is any variety of alcoholic beverages produced by the fermentation of starchy material derived from grains or other plant sources. The production of beer
- WineThis article is about the beverage. See WINE for an article about the software of the same name. Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made by fermentation of grapes. The word comes from Greek omicron;ινο&sigmaf through Latin vinum, (bot
- CiderCider has different meanings in the United Kingdom and the United States. Both meanings refer to a product containing the juice of apples. Unfermented Cider In the US, cider was traditionally fermented, but that is now referred to as hard cider. Today in
- MeadThis article is about the beverage. There is also Mead, Nebraska and the ornithologist Chris Mead. Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. It is sometimes known as "honey wine" (for obvious reasons) and is generally pronoun
4 External links
BiochemistryBiochemistry is the chemistry of life. Biochemists study the elements, compounds and chemical reactions that are controlled by enzymes and take place in all living organisms. Biochemistry is focused on the structure and function of cellular components, su MicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, including unicellular (single-celled) eukaryotes and prokaryotes, fungi, and viruses. Today, most of the work in microbiology is done using methods from biochemistry and genetics. It is also related to patholog
