Book Review of "The Essential Book of Fermentation" written by Jeff Cox

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Book Review- by Margaret Ayala

While this book is geared primarily towards organic gardeners and probiotic-minded consumers, anyone in the rum industry, with more than a passing interest in fermentation, will benefit from the immense body of knowledge presented within its pages.

I was surprised to learn such interesting facts as:

• All the plants and animals in the world weigh as much as the world’s total microbial bio-mass

• Nine out of ten cells in our bodies are intestinal microorganisms (and these cells contain 99 percent of the DNA in our bodies!)

• When scientists looked at healthy intestinal flora, they found more than 400 species of bacteria!

• Every gram of our intestinal contents have around a trillion bacteria!

It is very clear that in gardening or agriculture, microorganism density and health affects plant growth and disease control; the same can be said of the human digestive track. In both of these previous scenarios, biodiversity is key to success/health. When fermenting for alcohol production, however, specialized organisms (yeasts) are introduce into our ecosystems (mash/wash) and are provided with the appropriate support in the form of nutrients, pH and oxygen.

But the goal in all cases is the same: allow the biomass to do its job while preventing infections (undesired organisms) from get ting established.

After a thorough description (philosophical at times) about the health benefits of naturally-fermented food, the book goes on to describe fermentation in dairy products, vegetables, grain and flour, bean and seed and finally in beverages.

I feel rewarded for the time I spent reviewing this book. I feel that author Jeff Cox did a superb job in communicating his passion and I am looking forward to extending my fermentation practices beyond the molasses lab and into the kitchen!

Margaret Ayala, Publisher

Margaret@GotRum.com