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10ferment500

The Same Product Can Have Different Values

On the website "ECOMEDICINE", fermentation is a new topic. Although it is nothing new—our ancestors used it extensively. Yes, they did not have the same containers and storage options as we do today, but everything still worked. The chemical food industry has largely neglected this method of food preparation, likely because pickling and adding preservatives is more economically viable. This field has been left in the hands of enthusiasts. Bloggers on social media are engaged in it, offering a wide range of recipes. They may be doing so more from an intuitive perspective, although the results would be even better if all biochemical and medical aspects were taken into account. In the Latvian informational space, among bloggers who discuss fermentation, Baiba Rudoviča seems to be a leader in my view, as she shares a broad selection of recipes.

Depending on how a product is prepared and in what combination it is served, from a biochemical perspective, these can be completely different products. Fermentation, as a method of food preparation, ranks among the top methods alongside pickling and consuming food fresh when viewed from a biochemical and health preservation perspective. Each method of preparation and serving has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Fermentation differs from pickling in that the fermentation process occurs in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, where similar bacteria function as those found in the gut. Simply put, in a container with a special lid that reduces pressure, the same fiber breakdown processes occur at a similar temperature as in the gastrointestinal tract. The result is a fully assimilable product.

For example, beets can be consumed fresh in salads, pickled, boiled, roasted, dried, frozen, pickled, or fermented. If we also consider how mineral-rich the soil was where they were grown, as well as how they were stored afterward, a huge number of factors come into play—factors that would need to be considered because they fundamentally alter the product's value. Do the nutritionists and doctors frequently featured in mass media pay enough attention to this and discuss it?

 

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut has historically been one of the main food staples. It is a concentrated source of a vast amount of minerals and nutrients, which positively influence many bodily systems. Properly prepared sauerkraut contains a high amount of vitamin C—5g per 1kg, which is significantly more than in fresh cabbage. This is due to the fermentation process, carried out by symbiotic bacteria that produce essential amino acids and fatty acids for us.

Sauerkraut is the simplest way to obtain vitamin K1, which is converted in the gut—thanks to beneficial bacteria—into vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 helps retain calcium in soft tissues and bones. Additionally, vitamin K promotes the function of mitochondria in cells.

Sauerkraut also contains vitamin U (S-methylmethionine), which is essential for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It prevents inflammation, ulcers, and gas formation. This vitamin helps in preventing nonspecific ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as aiding in appetite regulation by stimulating the production of the so-called satiety hormone leptin.

The lactic acid in sauerkraut acts as an antiseptic, preventing infections, while acetylcholine is necessary for the production of pancreatic enzymes and maintaining healthy intestinal peristalsis. 100g of sauerkraut provides the daily requirement of sulfur, which is crucial in preventing sagging skin.

If cabbage is fermented without salt and sugar, it can help normalize high blood pressure and reduce the risk of breast cancer and any gastrointestinal cancers. The anti-cancer properties of sauerkraut are attributed to its high content of glucosinolates, which help reduce DNA damage and prevent cell mutations in the cancer development process.

When pickling cabbage, one can add horseradish, cranberries, and lingonberries, but should avoid sugar, salt, citric acid, and acetic acid. Oils should be added just before consumption, with the best choices being flaxseed, hemp, or sesame oil.

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10ferment700HEALTH FUNDAMENTALS

Fermentation

What is fermentation?

Fermentation is a process in which microorganisms modify the functional and organoleptic properties of food products, affecting their appearance, color, taste, and smell to stimulate human sensory organs.

During fermentation, bacteria and fungi produce enzymes that create new products with altered taste, smell, and nutritional value, resulting in improved microstability and safety. Fermented products contain nutrients not available in fresh and unfermented products.

Biochemically, fermentation is a metabolic process generating energy from organic compounds, converting carbohydrates like starch and glucose into alcohol and organic acids. The fermentation process depends on the correct balance of temperature, humidity, and oxygen, including three processes:

   ❇️ oxidation in the presence of oxygen,

   ❇️ fermentation in an anaerobic environment due to microorganisms or their enzymes,

   ❇️ changes due to the action of the product's own enzymes.

Fermentation preserves products by forming inhibitory metabolites like carbon dioxide, bacteriocins, diacetyl, reuterin, ethanol, and organic acids. Product safety can be enhanced by reducing water content, drying, adding salt, removing toxic compounds, and inhibiting pathogens. Fermentation not only enhances organoleptic properties and nutritional value but also makes products easier to assimilate by breaking down complex chemical compounds into simpler elements.

 

Fermentation

The best-known product that many people associate with fermentation is sauerkraut. Incidentally, in the 18th century, the English navigator James Cook sailed around the world thanks to sauerkraut. At that time, a major problem for sailors was scurvy, a disease associated with vitamin C deficiency. Sauerkraut proved to be a lifesaver for sailors, as it is an excellent source of this vitamin.

Fermentation, of course, is not limited to sauerkraut alone. Almost all vegetables can be fermented. In fact, fermentation is used at some stage in the preparation of one third of the foods we use in everyday life, both to obtain specific flavor characteristics and to extend shelf life.

Fermentation includes souring, culturing, and brewing (in relation to beer). A product can be considered fermented if no heating, pasteurization, or sugar has been used in its preparation, and if no industrially produced vinegar or various preservatives have been added.

During the fermentation process, with the help of bacteria and fungi, carbohydrates and sugars are converted into organic acids.

As lactic acid bacteria multiply, the product can be stored for a long time. Such fermented products are easier for the body to assimilate, and new biologically active substances appear in them.

Bee bread is also a fermented product; in fact, it is fermented flower pollen. This work has been carried out by bees without human intervention.

 

Butyrate significantly improves nutrient assimilation

Butyrate is an important metabolite in the gut, produced through lactic acid fermentation and involved in the metabolism of gut epithelial microorganisms. Unfermented vegetables do not contain butyrate.

Fresh carrot juice is sweet, but its storage time is just over one day. Through fermentation, the sugar content decreases by nearly half, making the juice less sweet and not increasing blood sugar levels. The amount of biologically active substances, such as carotenoids and vitamins, increases in fermented juice, as well as its shelf life - up to more than a month. Lactic acid fermentation produces organic compounds like lactates, propionates, acetates, and butyrate, which can be derived from almost all vegetables only in this process. Butyrate acts as a lubricant and promotes intestinal peristalsis, improving nutrient assimilation. It makes a person more energetic and optimistic.

During fermentation, lactic acid bacteria produce antimicrobial compounds and create an acidic pH environment, thus extending the product's shelf life. Achieving acidity at pH 4.5 inhibits pathogenic microorganisms, such as the botulinum spore (Lat. Clostridium botulinum). Adding 2% saline solution during the preparation of the fermenting product prevents the formation of acetone and the proliferation of pathogenic microflora until the product reaches a pH of 4.5.