Fermentation is not a trend.
It’s one of the most intelligent ways humans have ever prepared food.
Not to add nutrients.
Not to fortify or enhance.
But to change how food behaves in the body.
Fermentation is a biological process
Fermentation is driven primarily by lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
As these microbes act on plant foods, they:
- Partially break down complex carbohydrates and fibres
- Alter the chemical structure of plant compounds
- Produce organic acids and bioactive metabolites
This process changes the food before it reaches the gut.
The result is food that is:
- Easier to digest
- More biologically accessible
- Naturally preserved
Nothing synthetic is added.
The food itself is transformed.
Nutrition isn't just about what food contains
Plants can be rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals — but those nutrients are only useful if the body can access and utilise them.
Fermentation helps bridge that gap.
By changing plant structure and chemistry, fermentation can:
- Increase the availability of certain nutrients
- Reduce compounds that interfere with absorption
- Lower the digestive work required to access what's already there
This is why fermentation has appeared independently across food cultures worldwide.
It solves a real biological problem.
Fermentation and the gut: three levels of interaction
Fermented plant foods interact with the gut through three complementary mechanisms.
Together, these influence how the gut processes food, signals to the rest of the body, and supports nutrient utilisation.
Prebiotic
Fermented plants provide fibres and plant compounds that feed existing gut microbes, in a form that's easier for them to use.
Probiotic
Live microbes from fermentation pass through the digestive system, interacting with the gut environment during transit.
Postbiotic
Fermentation produces organic acids and metabolites that remain active regardless of whether microbes persist.
Why fermentation pairs so powerfully with microgreens
Microgreens are harvested at a unique stage of growth.
At this point, plants:
- Are metabolically active
- Contain concentrated levels of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals
- Have softer cell structures and lower structural fibre
This makes them particularly responsive to fermentation.
When microgreens are fermented:
- Their nutrients are delivered directly from the plants themselves
- Their fibres become more accessible as prebiotics
- They carry live microbial interaction
- They contain fermentation-derived postbiotics
All in a small, practical volume of real food.
This is not three products combined.
It's one food, properly prepared.
Delivering nutrition — and helping the body use it
They deliver nutrients and bioactive compounds from the plants themselves
They support the gut systems responsible for processing and using those nutrients
Most foods do one or the other. Fermented microgreens do both.
That alignment is what makes the combination so effective.
Why we use fermentation for Big Shot
Big Shot was designed to support foundations, not override systems.
- Deliver concentrated plant nutrition in a small daily dose
- Improve digestibility without processing
- Support the gut environment without additives or fortification
- Preserve food naturally, without heat
The process does the work — not the body.
Prepared, not processed
Processing isolates, strips, and rebuilds. Fermentation transforms in context.
Food that looks functional
And food that behaves functionally
The principle is simple: When food is prepared properly, the body can do what it's designed to do.
That's why fermentation matters. And why it sits at the heart of Big Shot.
Fermentation doesn't add power to food. It unlocks what's already there — and prepares the body to use it.