2, 4, and 5 from this list of uses of "fermentation" also describe the microbial action involved in decomposition:
"""Below are some definitions of fermentation ranging from informal, general usages to more scientific definitions.[3]
1. Preservation methods for food via microorganisms (general use).
2. Any large-scale microbial process occurring with or without air (common definition used in industry, also known as industrial fermentation).
3. Any process that produces alcoholic beverages or acidic dairy products (general use).
4. Any energy-releasing metabolic process that takes place only under anaerobic conditions (somewhat scientific).
5. Any metabolic process that releases energy from a sugar or other organic molecule, does not require oxygen or an electron transport system, and uses an organic molecule as the final electron acceptor (most scientific)."""
[3] Microbiology An Introduction (10 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-321-58202-7 — apparently, but I can't confirm because the thing was removed form archive.org
Also, compare this:
> and the result is a lowering of the milk pH
with this:
"""Once the heart stops, the blood can no longer supply oxygen or remove carbon dioxide from the tissues. The resulting decrease in pH and other chemical changes cause cells to lose their structural integrity, bringing about the release of cellular enzymes capable of initiating the breakdown of surrounding cells and tissues.""" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposition
So yeah, I'm sticking with my claim: in conventional usage, the same chemo-biological mechanisms get different names depending on if you like the result or not.
"""Below are some definitions of fermentation ranging from informal, general usages to more scientific definitions.[3]
1. Preservation methods for food via microorganisms (general use).
2. Any large-scale microbial process occurring with or without air (common definition used in industry, also known as industrial fermentation).
3. Any process that produces alcoholic beverages or acidic dairy products (general use).
4. Any energy-releasing metabolic process that takes place only under anaerobic conditions (somewhat scientific).
5. Any metabolic process that releases energy from a sugar or other organic molecule, does not require oxygen or an electron transport system, and uses an organic molecule as the final electron acceptor (most scientific)."""
[3] Microbiology An Introduction (10 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-321-58202-7 — apparently, but I can't confirm because the thing was removed form archive.org
Also, compare this:
> and the result is a lowering of the milk pH
with this:
"""Once the heart stops, the blood can no longer supply oxygen or remove carbon dioxide from the tissues. The resulting decrease in pH and other chemical changes cause cells to lose their structural integrity, bringing about the release of cellular enzymes capable of initiating the breakdown of surrounding cells and tissues.""" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposition
So yeah, I'm sticking with my claim: in conventional usage, the same chemo-biological mechanisms get different names depending on if you like the result or not.