Fermentation occurs when microorganisms are given a hospitable environment to consume a substrate. Organisms are great at figuring out how to land on a nutritional food source. They might float in the air, colonize on the skin of fruit, cling to a vegetable from the soil or hop a ride on the legs of insects. If measures are not taken to prevent mold from also occurring, then we typically experience their presence as spoilage.
However, when we take specific measures to prevent spoilage by mold or other unwanted microbes, then we can take advantage of this process to our benefit. These drinks are all made without the help of a specific culture of bacteria and yeast, rather, the organisms are already present and we are simply creating that ideal environment for them to thrive while keeping the “baddies” at bay.
