Ferment

(fer’-ment) [fermentum, leaven, yeast]. Any substance which in contact with another substance is capable of setting up changes (fermentation) in the latter, without itself undergoing much change. Ferments are cla ified into unorganized, or soluble, and organized, or living, ferments. According to the character of the fermentation, the unorganized ferments are divided into amylolytic, proteolytic, fat-decomposing, milk-curdling, and coagulating ferments. Atnylolytic ferments (sugar-producing or diastatic ferments) convert starch into sugar. The most important is ptyalin of the saliva; but similar ferments are found in the pancreatic and intestinal juice, bile, blood, milk, urine, etc. Proteolytic ferments convert proteids into peptones and albumoses. They are found in the stomach (pepsin), in the pancreatic juice (trypsin), and elsewhere. A fat decomposing ferment is found in the stomach and in the pancreatic juice. Milk-curdling ferment is found in the stomach and the intestinal juice. The best example of a coagulating ferment is the fibrin-ferment. The organized or living ferments are the yeasts and bacteria. See Fermentation. 274