History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c25.1

v1.c25.1

Fermentation (from Latin ‘Fermentum’, to boil) is a particular method of digesting of relected substances that leads to chemical transformation of organic substances into simpler compounds by the action of ferment. Generally fermentation quickly sets in substances of high sugar-content. Hence fermentation technology started in different parts of the old world with sweet-substances, may it be vegetable or animal product. In Egypt honey was utilized first for preparation of intoxicating drink by fermentation. In India *Soma* juice, a sweet substance formed the first article of fermentation by the Vedic Aryan.