Microbiology of Fermented Foods and Beverages: Analysis and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

In 2019, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), together with a panel of experts, developed a new definition of fermented foods and described their role in the human diet, characterizing fermented foods and beverages as: “foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components”. This definition requires the activity of microorganisms. Although endogenous or exogenous enzymes from plants, animals, or other sources might be present, the activities of these enzymes alone are insufficient for a food to be regarded as fermented. The most common fermented foods and beverages require lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria (AAC), bacilli or other bacteria, yeasts, or filamentous fungi. This definition is sufficiently broad to include not only the fermentations noted above, but also to distinguish fermentation from its microbiological counterpart, namely food spoilage. Although both processes occur via microbial growth and enzymatic activity on food constituents, spoilage is unintentional, while fermentation is deliberate and controlled to generate desirable attributes.

The new definition of fermented foods and beverages accommodates the many products made globally from diverse starting materials. Together with the importance of food preservation and quality, current evidence suggests that diets rich in fermented foods can reduce human disease risk and enhance longevity, health, and quality of life by strengthening the immune system. In this context, we wish to promote the development and diffusion of fermented products, highlighting new theories, methods, and applications of advanced techniques for safe fermented food and beverage production.

We expect that many interesting works will be created on this topic, the results of which will be disseminated and published in this Special Issue.

Dr. Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro
Dr. Lorenza Conterno
Guest Editors

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