Ferment

(fer/rment)ta.tas. Any microorganism, proteid, or other chemic substance capable of producing fermentation, i. oxidation and disorganization of carbohydrates. Cf.: Zymase. F., Organized, or Living, one that grows and multiplies at the expense of the substance in which it occurs this takes place only so long as the ferment is living. Yeast is the representative of this cla , causing fermentation by splitting up sugar into and alcohol. See Fermentation . F., Unorganized, or Non-living, a nitrogenous body produced within the body by the vital activity of the protoplasm of the cells. These ferments are soluble in water and glycerin, and can be precipitated by alcohol. The following is a list of this cla : Ptyalin, in saliva, converts starch into maltose. Pepsin, in gastric juice, converts proteids into peptones in an acid medium. There are also in the gastric juice milk-curdling, fat-splitting, and lactic acid ferments, whose functions are indicated by their names. In the pancreatic juice, there are F., Diastatic or Amylopsin, converting starch into maltose; Trypsin, converts proteids into peptones in an alkaline medium; F., Emulsive, emulsify fats; F., Fat splitting, or Steapsin, splits fats into glycerin and fatty acids, and F., Milk-curdling. In the intestinal juice, there are F., Diastatic, which changes maltose into glucose; F., Proteolytic, which changes fibrin into peptone; Invertase, which changes cane-sugar into grape-sugar; and F., Milk-curdling, and F., Diastatic, are also found in blood, chyle, liver, milk, etc. Pepsin and other ferments are also found in muscle and urine; and, lastly, a Fibrin-forming F. is also found in blood.