The Role of Gut Microbiomes from Fermented Food in Human Health and Disease

The gut microbiomes play an important role in human nutrition and health by influencing digestion, immune function and metabolic processes. Fermented foods, which have indeed a high content of live microorganisms and bioactive compounds, are traditional dietary components that can modify the gut microbial community. Recent studies have highlighted the capacity of fermented foods to restructure the gut environment and modulate host health. Understanding how fermented food microbes interact with human gut microbiota can shed light on their role in promoting health and mitigating disease processes.

The objective of this Research Topic is to thoroughly review and synthesize recent scientific evidence on how gut microbiomes produced by fermented foods have an effect on human health and disease. It aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which these microbial communities interact with the host, evaluate their therapeutic potential, and identify future research directions for utilizing fermented foods as functional dietary interventions to improve health outcomes.

1.    Fermented foods and microbiomes
- Food fermentation processes and microbial diversity involved 
- Historical, ethnical and cultural significance of fermented foods
- Indigenous microorganisms and starter cultures
- Diversity based on raw materials, fermentation methods, and geographic origins

2.    Impact of fermented foods on gut microbiota
- Consuming fermented foods and gut microbiome composition 
- Clinical studies on nutritional benefit with consuming of fermented food

3.    Health benefits of fermented foods
- Effects of fermented foods on immunity, digestion, and metabolic health 
- Potential roles of fermented foods in managing or preventing diseases

4.    Probiotic potential of microorganisms in fermented Foods
- Characterization of probiotic strains in fermented foods 
- Viability, survivability through gastrointestinal transit, and colonization efficacy
- Postbiotics in fermented foods

5.    Technological advances in fermented food microbiomes
- Use of metagenomics and metabolomics to analyze microbial communities 
- Bioengineering microbes to enhance health-promoting traits

6.    Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Perspectives
- Potential risks (pathogens, mycotoxins, overproduction of biogenic amines) 
- Standards and regulations for safety, and probiotic claims

7.    Future Perspectives and Challenges
- Personalized nutrition approaches based on microbiome-fermented food interactions 
- Sustainable production of fermented foods with beneficial microbiome

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Microorganisms, Fermented Food, Nutrition, Health, Probiotics, Food Safety, Food Security

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.