fermentation

[Fr., from Lat. ferment a tus, pa. par. of fermento =to ferment; Sp. ferment a cion; Ital. ferment azione.] I. Ordinary Language: 1. Lit.: In the same sense as II. converted into butyric acid, CH3CH2CH2COOH. (3) Mucous fermentation : Chem.: The conversion of sugar into mannite, C6H12O6, gum, C12H20010, and carbonic acid, CO2, under the influence of a peculiar ferment. (4) Tannous ferment at i or : Chem. The conversion of tannin, in a solution of galls, into gallic acid, C27H22O17+12=3C7H605 +6CO2+2H2O. The conversion of alcohol into acetic acid is due to slow oxidation, as the presence of a ferment is not required, but it takes place rapidly in the presence of Mycoderma aceti , in a solution containing 10 per cent. of alcohol, at a tem perature between 20 and 30°.