Alchemy uses natural processes, often driven by microbial forces. Unseen biological entities include bacteria, amoeba and flagellates. While some alchemists muse over hidden meanings, others use hidden microbes to create meanings. And cheese.
Processes such as fermentation, digestion and putrefaction all appear in a day of the life of the alchemist. It must be added, the alchemy lab doesn't smell so great, with flesh decomposing, urine fermenting and organic matter growing colonies of putrefying microbes.
The alchemist dare not even open a window for fear of outside contamination, or someone interrupting a vital process. Some alchemists, like Caterina Sforza, turn to the more fragrant, cosmetic side of alchemy, while others like Dippel get stench complaints from the neighbors.
1. Fermentation: The Art of Transformation
Fermentation is a vital process in alchemy. Alchemists experiment with various materials, from fruits to grains, creating products such as cheese, beer, and vinegar. Fermentation is perhaps one of the oldest alchemy processes, as humans learn to make honey mead c. 8000 BCE.
Fermentation along with distillation is practiced by alchemical friars in convents to make medicines and patent brews. Beer is commonly created due to the obligation of friars and nuns to provide food and drink for travelers. It's later distilled into whisky and still made today.
Microorganisms, most commonly bacteria and yeast, convert sugars into acids, gases or alcohol. This transformative technique produces beloved culinary delights and is also important in the preservation of food and the creation of complex flavors.
In fermentation, yeast and bacteria convert sugars into acids, gases or alcohol in anaerobic conditions. In beer brewing, yeast (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ferments the sugars in malted grains to produce carbon dioxide and ethanol.
In cheese production, starter cultures containing specific strains of bacteria and molds initiate fermentation, breaking down lactose into lactic acid. This contributes to flavor and texture. Vinegar production involves the oxidation of ethanol into acetic acid by acetic acid bacteria.
2. Digestion: The Slow Burn
Alchemical digestion, often referred to as "the philosophical process," involves slow cooking substances within a flask or container. The flask is buried in organic matter such as horse manure, which stays hot due to the action of decomposition bacteria and other microbes..
Digestion is the breakdown of organic materials through heat of enzymatic and microbial action. This practice allows natural decomposition and microbial activity to take place in a controlled environment. The digestion process can last hours or even weeks.
In this alchemy method the manure is a source of heat created by activities of decomposition bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Alchemical digestion simulates natural digestion in the body, where complex organic matter is broken into simpler compounds and nutrients.
3. Putrefaction: Decomposition of Animal Substances
Putrefaction, characterized as the decomposition of animal remains, is considered an essential phase in the cycle of life. It's associated with transformation and rebirth, the concept of new life after death.
Alchemists observe the decay process from beginning to end, a microcosm of the greater scheme. In this natural biological event, putrefaction is the breakdown of proteins and organic material by microorganisms.
This process is primarily facilitated by anaerobic bacteria, including species like Clostridium and Fusobacterium, that thrive in low-oxygen environments. During putrefaction, proteins are decomposed into simpler compounds.
These include amino acids, gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane, which contribute to the characteristic odor of decay. The putrefactive process is crucial in the nutrient cycle and powers of life and death.
As organic matter breaks down, essential nutrients are released back into the ecosystem, providing nutrition for plants and promoting biodiversity. In essence, putrefaction transforms dead matter into constructs sustaining life, closing the loop of biological systems.
In each process, remarkable teamwork of microorganisms, enzymes, and biochemical reactions takes shape. The biological science behind fermentation, digestion, and putrefaction reveals the complexity of nature's design.
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