Your Muscles Are Like Sauerkraut...

How Fermented Foods Get Their "Sour" Flavor

Imagine tiny hard-working helpers, like bacteria, living in your food. These little guys love sugar, and in fermented foods, they find it in the ingredients like milk sugar (lactose) in dairy.

As they munch on this sugar, they poop out a substance called lactic acid. This lactic acid is what gives fermented foods their sour taste, kind of like how lemonade gets its tang from lemon juice.

The cool thing is, this lactic acid not only creates that sour flavor we enjoy, but it also acts like a superhero for the food! It helps keep bad bacteria away, preventing the food from spoiling [source].

So, the next time you take a bite of tangy yogurt or crunchy sauerkraut, remember it's all thanks to these tiny friends and their sour superpower!

Is This Related to "Lactic Acid" That Causes Muscles to Burn?

As a matter of fact...YES! Yes, that "sour feeling" in your muscles during a workout is related to the lactic acid you learned about in fermented foods, but with a twist!

HERE'S THE CONNECTION...

• In fermented foods: Bacteria break down sugars and produce lactic acid as a byproduct. This lactic acid gives the food a sour flavor.
• In your muscles: During intense exercise, your muscles use sugar (glucose) for energy. When oxygen is limited (like when you're pushing hard), your muscles break down glucose anaerobically (without enough oxygen). This process also produces lactic acid as a byproduct.

HERE'S THE DIFFERENCE...

• Source: In fermented foods, bacteria are the lactic acid producers. In your muscles, you're the one producing it during exercise.
• Flavor: The lactic acid in fermented foods contributes to the taste. You don't directly taste the lactic acid in your muscles, but you feel the burning sensation it causes.

So, the next time you experience that burning feeling in your muscles, you can think of it as your own personal lactic acid factory working overtime to keep you going!

It's cool to note that this similar "fermentation" process is wildly used across the food industry - from meat processing and alcohol, to sourdough creation and cheese manufacturing.