Process of fermentation

Most of bacteria's life span are only around 30 minuets!
When environment fit to certain micro organism, they grow and multiply explosively.
Otherwise they stay dormant or just stay silent. Form of dormant are all different.
Lacto bachilli dormant with form of egg like hard shell(there is a scientific name),that why they are resistant to high temperature and harsh environment.

In natural environment, fermentation process happening here and there only where environment fit to each organism, so usually take long time, some times longer than our life.

To make it simple, I like to explain process of fermentation using a case when we make organic fertilizer. When we make organic fertilizer, we should make as short as possible ,so we have to organize fermentation process.

Here fermentation means, change organic matter (rice straw, soy meal, fish meal etc) which are not digestible by plant or animals to digestible, using micro organism.

Those materials are covered by hard fiber(lignin, cellulose) so we need some thing to penetrate those hard wall of cell first.

Step 1.

  Most of fermentation process start by a group of mold(fungi) to dismantle hard outside cell wall of organic materials with their mycelium. They eat sugar of material and change to glucose and other form of sugar.
Activate a mold is rather easy, keep moisture around 40% with neutral to little acidic condition. Many mold(spore) are floating in the air so hardly fail, but if moisture more than 60%, bad mold grow and will fail.
Once mold start to active, materials temperature go up to around 50 degree Celsius.

Step 2.

 Now cell wall broken, then group of bacteria start to active to digest inside cell wall. Especially rice straw, rice husk contain very strong bacteria called bacillus Natto and many others.
Bacteria works hard so temperature go up to around 60 degree Celsius and decline to little alkali condition. Those bacteria are aerobic, to aerate, we mix material and keep down temperature less than 60 degree Celsius and add water to maintain moisture 60%.
If temperature too high and no air, it will lose all nutrient and fail.
Mixing is very important on this stage.
Bacteria eat sugar and protein then change to glucose and amino acid and also can digest cell wall so shape of material going to decompose.

Step 3.

 Material temperature maintain hot then mold, bacteria start die down and heat resistant lacto bachilli start to active. They also eat sugar, protein and produce glucose, organic acid, amino acid and lactic acid which make condition acidic that will kill all bad bacteria. Lacto bachilli is cleaning agent in nature.

This is the most critical point of fermentation because if not enough temperature and lacto bachilli doesn't start active, bad bacteria grow and will rotten.
It is very useful to add lacto bachilli on this stage.

Most of organic fertilizer on the market here are processed up to this stage.
Some are just add lacto bachilli to organic material without these process.

Step 4.

 When lacto bachilli digest their food, temperature going down then group of Yeast start to grow. Yeast can grow on acidic condition. On non aerobic condition yeast produce alcohol but in aerobic condition they produce organic mineral compositions, amino acid, vitamin, enzyme, organic acid, all very useful to vitalize plant.
Materials become dry and powder like and most of micro organism dormant.
Whole process takes at least 2 month.

That product, I call complete organic fertilizer.

Fermentation process is complicated, but it is happening in nature.
Part of Great Circle of life and Micro Cosmos.
Interesting ?

That process make very important materials for plants, animals, especially for human.
Because human can not make some amino acid by their selves which essential for life.
We should eat more fermented food.
Here in Visaya, I heard there were many fermented food before but I hardly see people eating now. I think that is one of the reason why many people get sick here.

                                                                                            Kotaro Nishiki