Perspectives on Microbial Ecology of Fermented Foods

Dear Colleagues,

Fermented foods are largely consumed by people all over the world because of their unique flavors and health benefits. Their qualities, flavors, and health benefits are mainly dependent on the metabolic activity of microbial communities during the fermentation process. Generally, the microbial ecology in fermented foods changed as fermentation proceeded, thus resulting in distinct microbial metabolites at different stages of fermentation, and these different metabolites will endow a unique flavor and quality to the final fermented products. Even in the same kind of fermented food, this distinct microbial ecology also exists because of the differences in the origin of raw materials and production environment. Moreover, microbial ecology has positively correlated with the quality, safety, and flavor of fermented foods. Recently, it has been reported that raw materials and inoculation of core microorganisms can enhance the quality, safety, and flavor, as well as change the microbial ecology during the fermentation process of fermented foods. Thus, research on the diverse functions of microbial ecology on fermented foods and the related mechanism needs to be further elucidated. In this Special Issue, we kindly invite you to submit comprehensive reviews, research articles, and short communications on the effects of the microbial ecology of fermented foods, including the formation mechanism of fermented foods’ unique flavor and quality, the relationship between core microorganisms and the quality of fermented foods, and the dynamic change in microbial ecology during fermentation, as well as the microbial interactions in the fermentation system.

Dr. Kai Zhong
Dr. Zhihua Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.