I’ve combed the interwebs to come up with some interesting sited and links relating to the scientific and biological processes involved in fermentation. In researching these links, I aimed to steer clear of any articles which make specific health claims. Just the facts.

Studies & Links

1. [2020] How trillions of microbes affect every stage of our life—from birth to old age. National Geographic, January 2020. Accessed March 3, 2020.
   
2. [2019] A new review explores the evidence regarding the effects of kefir and non-dairy fermented foods on gastrointestinal health. “Pops the bubble” on just about ALL health claims, showing that, even in 2019, there is scant scientifically-based evidence proving the effects of fermented foods on gut health. Full PDF here.
3. [2013] Taxonomy of Lactic Acid Bacteria– Lactic acid bacteria is the family responsible for vegetable fermentation. This page categorizes the different genera and species of these beneficial bacteria. Nerdiness Score: ?????
4. [2016] The Guide to pH Measurement in Food and Drink. From our friends at Our Daily Brine, this is a great e-book for understanding pH as it relates to food safety. Good info on the pH levels of various foods. Nerdiness Score: ???

5. [2016] From Sample to Multi-Omics Conclusions in Under 48 Hours. I’m a contributor to this paper, so I thought I’d throw it in. From our pals at UC San Diego, using leading edge technology to help us understand our gut inhabitants. Nerdiness Score: ???

6. [2001] Laboratory Exercise in Sauerkraut Fermentation. The title pretty much says it all. A university bacteriologist makes sauerkraut in the lab and shares the results, including bacterial counts. Some interesting info, such as the progression of various bacterial families as the brine acidifies (Coliform → Leuconostoc → Lactobacillus). Nerdiness Score: ????
7. [2008] Ecological Role of Lactobacilli in the Gastrointestinal Tract: Implications for Fundamental and Biomedical Research. Interesting study which casts doubt that the lactobacilli species that we ingest through fermented food are the same as the autochthonous (true residential) species. There are over 10,000 species of bacteria in our gut alone, which we are only starting to categorize! Nerdiness Score: ???
8. [2006] Probiotics and their fermented food products are beneficial for health. This one was discovered by the Lacto-Fermentation facebook page.  A great paper which lists many disorders that can be mitigated by taking probiotics (ranging from allergies to cancer). Nerdiness Score: ??
9. [2001] Probiotic bacteria in fermented foods: product characteristics and starter organisms. Written as a primer for the food industry (e.g. references to shelf life and consumer attitudes towards probiotics), it nonetheless contains some interesting information on how many fermented dairy products are made. Lots of tables and figures. Nerdiness Score: ???

Interesting Websites

1. Gut Microbiota for Health. The health platform’s mission is to share knowledge and promote debate regarding gut microbiota. Nerdiness Score: ??? (just for the name of the group!)
2. Knight Lab at UCSD. Founded by Dr. Rob Knight, The Knight Lab uses and develops state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques to ask fundamental questions about the evolution of the composition of biomolecules, genomes, and communities in different ecosystems, including the complex microbial ecosystems of the human body. Open source model of information sharing. Nerdiness Score:?????
3. Global FoodOmics Project. There is much we don’t yet know about the foods we eat; for example, which different molecules and microbes are found on different foods? We are launching an effort to answer these questions and more.
4.  [1998] Fermented Fruits and Vegetables: A Global Perspective. A comprehensive handbook published by the UN on the tradition of fermented foods around the world and how each fermented food is processed. Well indexed. Breaks down foods into categories by yeast ferments, bacterial ferments, and mixed ferments. Nerdiness Score: ??
5. Gutspace.com. Mostly about probiotic supplements (pills, that is!) Reviews various probiotics products. Now of course, our website is dedicated to helping you cultivate natural probiotics via food. But we thought it would be nice to include this stuff (if in the off-chance you don’t have access to your kimchi!) Nerdiness Score: ??

Have you come across any interesting scientific links? Please share!