Editing Malolactic fermentation (section)

==History==
[[File:Hermann Müller (1850-1927).jpg|left|thumb|The Swiss enologist Hermann Müller was one of the first scientists to theorize that bacteria were a potential cause of acid reduction in wine.]] 
Malolactic fermentation is possibly as old as the [[history of wine]], but scientific understanding of the positive benefits of MLF and control of the process is a relatively recent development. For many centuries, winemakers noticed an "activity" that would happen in their wines stored in barrel during the warm spring months following [[harvest (wine)|harvest]]. Like primary alcoholic fermentation, this phenomenon would release carbon dioxide gas and seem to have a profound change on the wine that was not always welcomed.<ref name="Oxford"/> It was described as a "second fermentation" in 1837 by the German enologist [[Freiherr von Babo]] and the cause for increased [[turbidity]] in the wine. Von Babo encouraged winemakers to quickly respond at the first sight of this activity by [[racking]] the wine into a new barrel, adding [[sulfur dioxide]], and then following up with another set of racking and sulfuring to [[stabilize the wine]].<ref name="Lallemand">Sibylle Krieger ''"[http://www.lallemandwine.com/IMG/pdf_LALLEMAND_MLF_IN_WINE.pdf ''The History of Malolactic Bacteria in Wine''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915174310/http://www.lallemandwine.com/IMG/pdf_LALLEMAND_MLF_IN_WINE.pdf |date=2012-09-15 }}'' pgs 15-21. Accessed: 14 May 2013</ref>

In 1866, [[Louis Pasteur]], one of the pioneers of modern [[microbiology]], isolated the first bacteria from wine and determined that all bacteria in wine were a cause for [[wine spoilage]]. While Pasteur did notice an acid reduction in wine with the lactic bacteria, he did not link that process to a consumption of malic acid by the bacteria, but rather assumed it was just [[tartrate]] precipitation.<ref name="Oxford"/> In 1891, the Swiss enologist [[Hermann Müller (Thurgau)|Hermann Müller]] theorized that bacteria may be the cause of this reduction. With the aid of peers, Müller explained his theory of "biological deacidication" in 1913 to be caused by wine bacterium ''Bacterium gracile''.<ref name="Lallemand"/>

In the 1930s, the French enologist [[Jean Ribéreau-Gayon]] published papers stating the benefits of this bacterial transformation in wine.<ref name="Oxford"/> During the 1950s, advances in [[enzymatic analysis]] allowed enologists to better understand the chemical processes behind malolactic fermentation. [[Émile Peynaud]] furthered [[enology]] understanding of the process and soon cultured stock of beneficial lactic acid bacteria was available for winemakers to use.<ref name="Lallemand"/>