GLOSSARY
List of EM and other related terminologies
- Activated EM
- Where EM-1 has been activated by mixing with equal parts blackstrap molasses and 20 parts water and let to ferment for about two weeks before use.
- aerobic
- With oxygen, with air, aerate, aeration
- algae, alga
- anaerobic
- Without oxygen, without air
- anaerobic digester
- anaerobic fermentation
- Where fermentation occurs without air/oxygen; different kinds of anaerobic fermentation are due to different groups of microorganisms: lacto-fermentation (due to lactic acid bacteria, producing pickles and other fermented foods: sauerkraut, yogurt, cheeses), yeast-fermentation (due to yeast, such as, S. cerevisiae, used in baking bread and in brewing: beer, wine, ciders), lactic-yeast-fermentation (certain cheeses and baked goods), lactic-yeast-phototrophic-fermentation (EM fermentation, see EM), and methane fermentation (due to methanogens, which occurs in anaerobic digesters).
- antioxidant
- bacteria
- blackstrap molasses
- The leftover material after the third boiling of the residue from sugar cane; from the first two boilings, sugar is extracted, with the remnants after each boiling being light molasses after the first boiling, medium or dark molasses after the second boiling. Blackstrap molasses is considered the best type of microbial feed for EM fermentation because of its rich source of minerals (iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese), as well as, having its own population of beneficial microorganisms. Unsulfured molasses means that the molasses were produced from mature sugar cane; molasses from young sugar cane stalks are treated with sulfur dioxide to lighten the color and as a preservative (which is not needed in the case of mature sugar cane).
See also molasses. - bokashi
- A Japanese word meaning "fermented organic matter". EM Bokashi is organic matter fermented with EM. Bokashi can be used as a soil amendment, a fertilizing source, as a fermentation starter (for example, to fermente food waste), or for bioremediation purposes. Before EM, bokashi was used mainly to fertilize the soil using microbes from various sources (pristine soils and moss from forests, mountains and valleys).
See How-To > EM Bokashi. - bokashi method
- A method of recycling food waste, usually involving a two-step proccess: step 1. the fermenting, or 'pickling', of food waste to prep it, and step 2. the converting of the fermented food waste into a soil amendment.
- compost (composting)
- earthworms
- There are over 4400 types of soil-based worms or earthworms, and of the many types of earthworms that can consume food waste, the red wriggler and the red worm are two that can consume more than their body weight in a relative short period of time.
- EM, Effective Microorganisms
- A combination of different species of microorganisms, specifically lactic acid bacteria, yeast and phototrophic bacteria. EM is mainly used to improve microbial health in diversity and population, either by direct application or by fermentation (using EM to ferment various materials).
- EM-5 foliar feed
- EM ceramics
- .
- EM fermented drinks
- EM fermented foods
- EM fermented plant extracts (EM-FPE)
- EM Foods
- (Distinct from EM fermented foods) Foods grown with EM or treated with EM without fermentation.
- EM Secondary Products
- .
- enzyme
- ferment, fermentation
- The action of microorganisms resulting in converting complex molecules into simpler ones, producing alcohol (wine, beer, cider, mead), CO2 carbonation (leavening bread), and lactic acid (sourness, pickles, sauerkraut, fermented dairy: yogurt, cheeses, kefir, etc.). The results of fermentation, in general, include alcohol, preservation effects (anti-pathogenic and anti-rotting substances), and nutrients available and absorbable (vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids).
The results of EM fermentation, include, natural preservation (antioxidants, organic acids, anti-rotting and anti-pathogenic substances, as well as, anti-rusting, anti-corrosive substances), nutrient availability and absorbability (bio-availability of vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes, etc., both micronutrients and macronutrients), some alcohol (less than 1% in many cases), and because of the wide variety of enzymes, helps to break down tough materials (fibers, lignin, cellulose, chitin), chemicals, toxins and pollutants in general (bioremediating effects). EM makes it more easier to consistently ferment organic matter, both solids and liquids, especially those that are not or do not normally ferment easily by other means, such as, meats, bones, etc. See also fermented food waste (FFW) below. - fermented food waste (FFW)
- Food waste that has been fermented, usually with EM Bokashi. Fermented food waste can also be technically called bokashi (fermented organic matter) and can be used as a special kind (since it still looks like food scraps) of soil amendment. The food waste has been changed at the molecular level: the actions of the microbes, the fermentation process, releases or produces the nutrients in the food waste, including micronutrients and macronutrients, making the nutrients available and absorbable (soluble; bio-available) and producing a wide variety of metabolites (substances resulting from the microbes' metabolism), including antioxidants, enzymes, organic acids (lactic acid, acetic acid [vinegar], amino acids [proteins], fatty acids), and other beneficial substances that are essential to life. FFW as a soil amendment is a rich source of organic matter content for the soil. Properly fermented food waste can be trenched or buried in soil, mixed with potting soil, fed to earthworms, or converted to a soil amendment by various other means.
- foliar feed
- fungi, fungus
- hyperthermophilic composting
- Very high temperature composting, 72°C to 82°C (162°F to 180°F), can take just a few days with a few weeks of maturation (curing) of the compost, hyperthermophilic composting is necessary to deal with road kill, especially large animals; must be managed well (keep temperatures below 93°C (200°F)) in order to aviod a fire hazard. Types of microbes involved in hyperthermophilic composting are hyperthermophiles and usually appear when temperature ranges 60°C to 122°C (140°F to 252°F). See also Composting Types (table) showing the different types of composting by biological process.
- lactic acid bacteria
- macronutrient
- mesophilic composting
- Low temperature composting, 21°C to 32°C (70°F to 90°F), can take 6 months to 2 years for organic material to fully break down into compost. Types of microbes involved in mesophilic composting are mesophiles and usually appear when temperature ranges 25°C to 40°C (77°F to 104°F). Earthworms may appear under mesophilic conditions, see vermiculture. See also Composting Types (table) showing the different types of composting by biological process.
- micronutrient
- microorganism (also, microbe, microscopic organism)
- Organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye, especially the individual microorganism; microbes may become visible when they grow into biofilm or a colony (such as with mold growth on old bread); microorganisms include archaea, bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, microscopic plants, microscopic animals and other organisms.
- microscopic plants
- molasses
- A kind of liquid juice or syrup that is thick, viscous, and dark (dark brown to black) resulting from the refining process in obtaining sugars. There are various types of molasses from different kinds of plant materials: sugar cane molasses, pomegranate molasses, sugar beet molasses, grape molasses, apple molasses (also, boiled cider), citrus molasses (as feedstuff), wood sugar molasses (as feedstuff). See also blackstrap molasses.
- OMRI Listed
- Organic Materials Review Institute, omri.org; products that do not fall under organic certification (that is, no standards have been set for that product category, usually products that are not sold directly to consumers) can instead be OMRI Listed. Products that are OMRI Listed can by used by certified organic operations without jeopardizing their organic certification. [EM-1 is OMRI Listed]
- organic acids
- organic food
- Foods that are certified organic (through an organic standards) were grown, processed or treated with no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, no irradiation, no solvents, and no chemical food additives.
- organic matter
- Once-living organisms that's decayed or decaying; carbon-based (organic compounds). Organic matter in soil amendments is important in improving and maintaining the organic matter content in soil for healthy soil and soil structure; organic matter in soil helps in water retention, nutrient availability, prevents compaction, improves porosity, plant rooting, and a more viable environment for other, especially beneficial organisms (other microbes, worms, insects).
Inorganic matter: non-biological - pathogen
- Microbes that are disease-causing by toxins or cell damage and can infect plants, animals and other microbes. Types of pathogens: bacterial (estimated that about 1% of 0.1% of all bacteria may be pathogenic), fungal (about less than 10% of 5% of all fungi may be pathogenic), viral (virus), parasitic, and prionic (protein that's pathogenic).
- phototrophic bacteria (also, photosynthetic bacteria)
- pickling
- psychrophilic composting (or cryophilic composting)
- Cold composting or slow composting, temperature range -18°C to 13°C (0°F to 55°F), can take 6 months to 2 years for organic material to fully break down into compost. Types of microbes involved in cold composting are psychrophiles (also cryophiles) and usually appear when temperature ranges -15°C to 10°C (5°F to 50°F). See also Composting Types (table) showing the different types of composting by biological process.
- recycle food waste
- The returning of food scraps and leftover foods back into the soil through some method. Methods to recycle food waste include, composting (psychrophilic composting, mesophilic composting, thermophilic composting, hyperthermophilic composting), vermiculture, the bokashi method, etc.
- soil amendment (or soil additive)
- A material that is added to soil in order to amend it. The following quality or characteristics of the soil can be amended or changed in order to improve soil health, plant growth and plant health: soil structure, soil porosity, water retention, nutrient content, organic content matter, pH (acidity/alkalinity) level, salinity (sodium or salt content) level, mycorrhizae (plant root zone) health, soil conductivity, etc.
- soil structure
- thermophilic composting
- High temperature composting, 50°C to 74°C (122°F to 166°F), can take 12 weeks to 1 year, average maturation period may take up to 6 months, many garden compost prefer to keep temperatures below 66°C (150°F) in order to prevent killing off too many of the beneficial microorganisms and to prevent nutrient burn-off. Types of microbes involved in thermophilic composting are thermophiles and usually appear when temperature ranges 45°C to 80°C (113°F to 176°F). See also Composting Types (table) showing the different types of composting by biological process.
- vermiculture (also, vermi-composting or worm composting)
- The use of earthworms (usually Red Wrigglers, or Red Worms) to convert organic matter, such as, food scraps (restricted to mainly fruits and vegetables) into worm compost.
- worm castings
- worm compost
- yeast