Define Economically Important Fermentation Products

Alcoholic  drinks  fall into  two  broad categories: Wines  and Beers.

Wines  are made from the juice of fruits and beers from cereal grains. Primitive wines and beers have been produced, with the aid of yeasts, for thousands of years, although it was not until about  four hundred years ago that microorganisms associated with  the fermentation were observed  and  identified.  It  was not until the 1850's that  Louis Pasteur demonstrated unequivocally the involvement of yeasts in the production of wines and beers. Since  then, the  knowledge of yeasts  and  the  conditions necessary for fermentation  of  wine  and  beer  has increased  to  the  point  where pure culture fermentations are now used to ensure consistent product quality. Originally, alcoholic fermentations would have been the spontaneous events that resulted  from the activity of microorganisms naturally present. These non-scientific methods are still used today for the home preparation  of many of the world's traditional beers and wines. Let us learn about  these  products.