What If ... ?

    You may have wondered at some point in time

what would happen if someone or something had

never existed. What if that person or that thing

would just cease to be? They, or it, would never

have been on the planet, never have made their

mark on society, never have affected your life. No

trace of their existence would exist any longer; they

would never be remembered. The thought alone

seems a bit odd. Let me give you an example of

what this would be like using something small,

seemingly insignificant, even microscopic.

    The bacteria Oenococcus oeni is a bacteria

commonly used in the refinement of red and white

wines by wine-makers. It uses the process of

malolactic fermentation to convert malic acid into

lactic acid in order to decrease acidity, making the

texture and taste of the wine more pleasurable,

(you may read more on malolactic fermenation here.)

It has benefited wine makers and drinkers for many

years via the enhancement of quality and discovery

of new combinations of flavors, textures, and aromas

to overall increase the number of different kinds of

taste in wine. Because everyone has a different

taste-pallet, this increase in flavor and aroma would,

in-turn increase the marketability of wine to the

general public. Wherever there is growth in customer

interest, there is growth in income. This new income

will gradually cause the wine market to expand,

becoming more powerful, providing careers and

hobbies to millions.

    Now, what if this bacteria had never existed?

    The wine marketability levels would drop, therefore

causing the wine market to lose consumers. This would

result in less income for the wine market, hindering the

growth we talked about previously. This would also result

in a slight loss of jobs to workers that would have been

part of the larger wine market. Some of those that consider

wine a hobby may also no longer be wine-enthusiasts

as they were before. They would move on to other things

that they found more pleasurable.

    Wine in general would be less of a staple of world culture,

especially that of Europe. It would still be important, no

doubt, but there would be less flavor variation and quality

in the wine. Though this loss may seem small, it really is

more effective than you would think. You just have to look

at the big picture.