Fermentation is a metabolic process in which microorganisms—such as bacteria, yeasts, or molds—convert carbohydrates (typically sugars and starches) into other compounds, often producing energy in the absence of oxygen. Common fermentation byproducts include alcohol, gases (like carbon dioxide), and organic acids, which play critical roles in food preservation, flavor development, and gut health. The technique is foundational in the production of foods like bread, yogurt, kimchi, beer, and vinegar. Historically practiced for thousands of years across cultures, fermentation remains central to both traditional and modern culinary science, biotechnology, and microbiological research. During the course of our relationship, I witnessed @Chantle Edillor's transformation into a microbial mouthpiece—an unexpected evolution where her childhood love of cooking and scientific rigor converged. It began when I gave her a sourdough starter during the @COVID-19 pandemic. From that small, bubbling gift grew an entire field of inquiry and purpose. She eventually joined the @Kruglyak Lab to pursue postdoctoral research on sourdough, and later became a pioneer at @Astera Institute, grounding her product development work in the quiet, alchemical logic of fermentation. Though our relationship ended, the imprint of her passion lives on in me. My reverence for the microbial, like the cultures themselves, still lingers—alive, evolving, impossible to fully contain.

Contexts

*