Fermented foods and beverages have passed the controlled microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components. Various types of controlled fermentations might increase the product's functionality. The fermented foods and beverages are segmented into probiotic food, probiotic beverages, alcoholic beverages and vinegar. There is a robust demand for probiotic food and beverages in the market, along with increasing trend consumption of non-dairy fruit and cereal-based probiotic products. All these aspects are expected to be addressed.
Dating back to ancient times, fermentation is a metabolic process in which specific microorganisms create desirable changes in food products and beverages, mainly by improving their sensory attributes, to preserve, prolong their shelf life and provide health benefits. The fermentation sector represents a dynamic branch of the food industry strongly influenced by biotechnology progresses. Fermented food products are perceived to possess positive effects on human health, mostly connected to their bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and probiotic effect. Novel fermented products offer alternatives for both consumers and producers. They might be designed based on food industry by-products, optimized technologies to obtain the best extraction yield of bioactive compounds, and adapted technologies to better address consumers’ preferences and needs.
It is argued that large amounts of functional food products have to be consumed to possess the claimed health benefits, as the bioactive compounds are in small amounts and the recommended dose is much higher. The current Research Topic intends to highlight the functional potential of fermented foods and beverages in terms of their chemical and nutritional profiles. The latest strategies to improve these products' functionality and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds, the fermented products' safety aspects, will also be addressed. Pre-fermentative methods, controlled fermentation processes, and post-fermentation operations used to optimize the yield of bioactive compounds, given an industrial scale-up, are of interest for fermentation industry actors.
All scientists interested in the subject are invited for submission to this Research Topic. Their contribution will cover the up-to-date researches regarding food fermentation processes, strains, parameters, food matrices, fermentation metabolites, protocols, impact on food matrix features, impact on nutrients, food safety and impact of fermented products on human health (improving microbiota, digestion, modulating insulin secretion, regulating appetite, ameliorate inflammatory processes).
This Research Topic is planned to bring together several original papers and reviews covering (but not restricted to) the following subjects:
• Increasing the nutrients and bioactive compounds bioavailability through fermentation;
• New fermented functional foods;
• The role of fermentation in a circular economy;
• Production of relevant bioactive compounds through fermentation;
• Current and future practices/methods for food and beverages fermentation;
• Challenges and opportunities for developing new, improved fermented functional foods;
• Safety aspects related to fermented food and beverages;
• Identification and structural assignment of potentially bioactive metabolites from fermentation.
Fermented foods and beverages have passed the controlled microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components. Various types of controlled fermentations might increase the product's functionality. The fermented foods and beverages are segmented into probiotic food, probiotic beverages, alcoholic beverages and vinegar. There is a robust demand for probiotic food and beverages in the market, along with increasing trend consumption of non-dairy fruit and cereal-based probiotic products. All these aspects are expected to be addressed.
Dating back to ancient times, fermentation is a metabolic process in which specific microorganisms create desirable changes in food products and beverages, mainly by improving their sensory attributes, to preserve, prolong their shelf life and provide health benefits. The fermentation sector represents a dynamic branch of the food industry strongly influenced by biotechnology progresses. Fermented food products are perceived to possess positive effects on human health, mostly connected to their bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and probiotic effect. Novel fermented products offer alternatives for both consumers and producers. They might be designed based on food industry by-products, optimized technologies to obtain the best extraction yield of bioactive compounds, and adapted technologies to better address consumers’ preferences and needs.
It is argued that large amounts of functional food products have to be consumed to possess the claimed health benefits, as the bioactive compounds are in small amounts and the recommended dose is much higher. The current Research Topic intends to highlight the functional potential of fermented foods and beverages in terms of their chemical and nutritional profiles. The latest strategies to improve these products' functionality and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds, the fermented products' safety aspects, will also be addressed. Pre-fermentative methods, controlled fermentation processes, and post-fermentation operations used to optimize the yield of bioactive compounds, given an industrial scale-up, are of interest for fermentation industry actors.
All scientists interested in the subject are invited for submission to this Research Topic. Their contribution will cover the up-to-date researches regarding food fermentation processes, strains, parameters, food matrices, fermentation metabolites, protocols, impact on food matrix features, impact on nutrients, food safety and impact of fermented products on human health (improving microbiota, digestion, modulating insulin secretion, regulating appetite, ameliorate inflammatory processes).
This Research Topic is planned to bring together several original papers and reviews covering (but not restricted to) the following subjects:
• Increasing the nutrients and bioactive compounds bioavailability through fermentation;
• New fermented functional foods;
• The role of fermentation in a circular economy;
• Production of relevant bioactive compounds through fermentation;
• Current and future practices/methods for food and beverages fermentation;
• Challenges and opportunities for developing new, improved fermented functional foods;
• Safety aspects related to fermented food and beverages;
• Identification and structural assignment of potentially bioactive metabolites from fermentation.
