The chemical process by which microorganisms convert sugars into alcohol, gases, or acids — controlled rot that humans turned into bread, beer, cheese, and civilization.
From Latin fermentare (to leaven), from fervere (to boil). Fermentation looks like boiling but isn't. Louis Pasteur proved in 1857 that it was caused by living organisms, not spontaneous chemistry — settling a debate that had raged for centuries.
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