ferment

& a. [Lat. fermentum, or fervi mentum, from ferveo =to boil, to be agitated; Fr. ferment; Sp., Port., & Ital. fermento.] IMG:content-1554.png:[blocks in formation] B. As adj.: (See the compound.) ferment-oils, s. pl. 1808 1. Botany : fernsmund (1) Gen.: The Filical Alliance, consisting of vascular Acrogens, with marginal or dorsal one-celled spore-cases, usually surrounded by an elastic ring; spores of only with more exhausted and impure yeast. Fermentation takes place most readily at about 24° to 30°. The saccharine liquid becomes turbid, gives off CO2, and becomes warmer than the air; when the evolution of CO2 ceases, the yeast or ferment, Tor vula cerevisiæ , separates from the liquid which one kind. ( Lind now contains alcohol, glycerine, and succinic acid ley .) Ferns are in the place of the sugar. A small quantity of leafy plants, acetic acid is always formed, probably from the decomposition of the yeast. Most the natural rhizome, which saccharine juices, as beet-root, potato, and grape juice, when fermented, yield small quantities of alcohols, homologous with ethylic alcohol, form ing Fusel oil (q. v.), which contains propyl, butyl, and amyl alcohols, also a small quantity of caprioic, cœnanthyl, and caprylic alcohols. These may be produced probably not from glucose, but from some other substances present in the juice, or from glucose by the action of special ferments; an increase of yeast takes place when the liquid contains a nitrogenous substance; the action of yeast on sugar is prevented by too great concentration of the liquid. The presence of chemical compounds, as silver nitrate, soluble salts of lead, iron, copper, tannin, creosote, phenol, alcohol when its strength is above 20 per cent., and oxalic acid, hinders fermentation. (1) Butyric fermentation : Chem. The conversion of lactic acid, ., into butyric acid, due to the presence of Vibrio, accord IMG:content-1555.png:[graphic] ing to Pasteur. (2) Lactic fermentation : Chem.: The conversion of sugar into lactic acid, said to be due to the presence of Penicillium glau It takes place when 2 gallons of milk are tion at ended, and the oil extracted from the distil late by shaking it with ether, which di olves the oil; the ether is then allowed to evaporate off. fer-měnt', v . t . & i. [Lat. fermento, from fer mentum, from ferveo =to boil, to be agitated; Fr. fermenter; Sp. fermentar ; Ital. ferment are .] A. Transitive : 1. To cause or excite fermentation in. "A moist and well fermented earth."- Bp . Hall : Sermon (Jan. 29, 1625). 2. Fig .: To excite, to agitate, to heat, to warm. "Ye vigorous swains! while youth ferments your blood, And purer spirits swell the sprightly flood, Now range the hills." Pope: Windsor Forest , 193. B. Intransitive: 1. Lit .: To be in a state of fermentation; to effervesce; to undergo sensible internal motion, as the constituent parts of a fluid. 2. Fig .: To be in a state of ferment; to be agitated, heated, warmed, or excited, as by violent emotions. fer-ment-a-bil-i-ty, s . [Eng. ferment ; -ability.] The quality or state of being fermentable; capability of fermentation. fer-ment-a-ble, a . [Eng. ferment ; -able .] That may or can be fermented; capable of fermentation. *fer-men-tal, a. [Eng. ferment ; al.] Having the power or property of causing fermentation. *Fer-ment-är-i-anş, s. pl . [English ferment ; -arian.] The Christians of the Greek Church, so called by the Latins on account of their using fermented bread in the Eucharist. ( Ash .) *fer-ment-är-i-ous, a . [Eng. ferment ; -arious .] Belonging to fermentation. (Cole.) *fer-men-tāte, v . t . [Lat. ferment at us , pa. par. of fermento.] To leaven.