TIL baking and brewing yeasts produce alcohol to kill off competing microorganisms

The Crabtree effect is where Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces yeasts digest carbohydrates both anaerobically – producing ethanol, an antiseptic – and aerobically. Most yeasts in the presence of both sugar and oxygen prefer to only convert these to carbon dioxide and water, which is considerably more efficient but doesn't deter competitors for that sweet, sweet sugar.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/08/03/why-isnt-bread-alcoholic/

59 points · 7 comments · view on lemmy.world

7 Comments

iii@mander.xyz · 20 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Wait till you learn about oxygen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Oxidation_Event

TLDR: Cyanobacteria produced oxygen, a highly effective toxin, through photosynthesis. Changing the earth's atmosphere, killing almost all other lifeforms.

slazer2au@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 1y

Then us humans are like. I'm into that shit, but not too much.

HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com · 6 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Did you know a lot of old school frementing involved spit. It was done with sake and mead.

9point6@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y (1 reply)

There's a joke there somewhere in your instance name and this comment featuring an additional bodily fluid

HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com · 3 pts · 1y

we got to stop them from draning us of our bodily fluids!

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee · 4 pts · 1y

TIL too, so thanks for the links!

FlyingSquid@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

Bacteria can't handle their drinks, huh?