Fermentation unveiled: from ancient tradition to modern science

Fermentation is as old as humanity itself, yet the microorganisms that drive this process remain surprisingly mysterious. With her PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), bioengineer Louise Vermote helped change that. Using advanced DNA sequencing techniques, she uncovered the invisible world of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that shape our food, from Belgian lambic beer to Korean rice vinegar.

“Fermentation is an ancient process, but only now can we truly see which microorganisms are involved and what their roles are,” Vermote explains. Her research revealed that microbial diversity is far greater than previously believed. On wild fruits and flowers from northern Argentina, she discovered entire bacterial communities, many of which had never been described before.

Closer to home, her work also yielded surprising insights. In lambic breweries, the wooden barrels turned out to be more than storage vessels. They are living reservoirs full of microorganisms that give the beer its unique flavor. Vermote also showed that in Korean nuruk starters (mixtures of fungi, yeasts, and bacteria) complex collaborations take place that transform rice into wine and, eventually, into vinegar.

Her findings demonstrate how tradition and science can reinforce each other: where once experience and intuition guided the process, modern biotechnology now reveals the mechanisms behind familiar flavors.

With six scientific publications, including four as first author, Louise Vermote opens a new window onto a world we taste every day but rarely see: the fascinating microcosmos of fermentation.