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REVIEW article

Front. Mol. Biosci.

Sec. Cellular Biochemistry

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1678673

This article is part of the Research TopicExploring beneficial effects of bioactive compounds from food wastes in physiopathological conditionsView all articles

Phenolic acids in fermented foods: Microbial biotransformation, antioxidant mechanisms, and functional health implications

Provisionally accepted
Anand  KumarAnand Kumar1S  SaranyadeviS Saranyadevi2Selva  Kumar TSelva Kumar T3Tharindu Trishan  Dapana DurageTharindu Trishan Dapana Durage4Swapnil  Ganesh JaiswalSwapnil Ganesh Jaiswal5Digambar  KavitakeDigambar Kavitake6,7*Shuai  WeiShuai Wei1*
  • 1Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
  • 2Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, India
  • 3Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India
  • 4Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, United States
  • 5Maharashtra Institute of Technology Aurangabad, Aurangabad, India
  • 6National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, India
  • 7Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Phenolic acids, a heterogeneous group of plant polyphenols that play a significant role in health due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease-modulating activities. Historically, fermentation has been recognized as a versatile biotechnology for increasing the bioavailability and efficacy of phenolic acids in foods. During microbial fermentation, indigenous and bound phenolics are subjected to extensive biotransformation by lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and other functional microbes. These microorganisms synthesize hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, including esterase, decarboxylase, and phenolic acid reductase, which release and alter phenolic acids, such as ferulic, p-coumaric, caffeic, and gallic acids, from plant cell wall matrices. Microbial conversion increases solubility, changes structural components, and enhances antioxidant capacity. Mechanistically, phenolic acids exhibit potent radical scavenging, metal-chelating, and singlet oxygen-quenching activities that play a significant part in reducing oxidative stress and redox homeostasis. Structure-activity relationships demonstrate that hydroxylation and methoxylation patterns have a critical impact on antioxidant strength. Additionally, phenolic acids involve numerous molecular methods, such as the activation of Nrf2–ARE, suppression of NF-κB, followed by the restoration of gut barrier integrity results in the anti-inflammatory, neuro-, cardio-protective, and immunomodulatory. The coactive interactions within phenolic acids, bacterial metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as well as the components of the food matrix further strengthen their biological activity. Our review highlights the critical study of bacterial biotransformation of phenolic acids during fermentation, explicates their antioxidant mechanisms, and highpoints their emerging importance for functional health. Insights into these interrelationships are vital for the development of functional fermented foods, which enhance the therapeutic effect of managing chronic diseases and promote overall health.

Keywords: phenolic acids, Fermentation, Health benefits, Microbial biotransformation, Antioxidants, Functional Foods

Received: 03 Aug 2025; Accepted: 30 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Kumar, Saranyadevi, Kumar T, Dapana Durage, Jaiswal, Kavitake and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Digambar Kavitake, digambarkavitake@gmail.com
Shuai Wei, weishuaiws@126.com

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