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What is the Pasteur effect in fermentation?
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Louis Pasteur
In the 19th century Louis Pasteur's work established the germ theory of disease, proving that microorganisms cause fermentation and sickness, which led to the development of pasteurization, aseptic techniques in medicine, and effective vaccines for diseases such as rabies. (Painting by Albert Edelfelt, 1885.)
The Pasteur effect is the observation that the process of fermentation can be inhibited or arrested by the introduction of oxygen into the fermenting fluid.1
During his research into butyric acid fermentation, Louis Pasteur discovered that certain life-forms could function only in the absence of oxygen. This finding led him to categorize organisms as aerobic (living in the presence of oxygen) or anaerobic (living in the absence of oxygen). Consequently, he concluded that phenomena such as putrefaction are driven by specific germs that operate under anaerobic conditions.1