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Fermentation
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Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and...
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Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and Beyond

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Fermentation for Food and Beverages".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 10125

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Spiros Paramithiotis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: food microbiology; food biotechnology; molecular microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. John Samelis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dairy Research Department, Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, General Directorate of Agricultural Research, Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘DIMITRA’, Katsikas, 452 21 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: food fermentation; meat; dairy; food safety; food biopreservation; lactic acid bacteria; starter culture; bacteriocins

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fermented dairy products have been a staple food commodity throughout recorded human history. Even before the discovery of microorganisms, humans had tamed fermentation and through its exploitation had been able to produce a wide range of dairy products. Through trial and error, a wealth of technical wisdom was generated that was passed through generations, reaching present times.

Over the last century, the microorganisms that drive dairy fermentation, the factors that affect their growth and persistence, along with the effect of their metabolic end products on human health, have been extensively assessed. In recent years, the development of techniques that are able to produce huge amount of data, allowed the exploration of understudied aspects of microbial subsistence, facilitating our understanding on the biotic and abiotic factors that direct the dairy products’ microcommunity development. In addition, several bioactive compounds generated through microbial metabolism that have a direct or indirect effect on human health, have been described. All these inevitably lead to the current trend of product customization. The capacity for product customization depends upon our ability to understand and effectively control microbial growth and metabolism. The early attempts in this direction provided very promising results, indicating that we are one step closer to the next target, which is personalized nutrition.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect articles that improve our knowledge of fermented dairy products’ microecosystem development, the metabolism of related microorganisms, product design and evaluation of their safety and functional potential.

Dr. Spiros Paramithiotis
Dr. John Samelis
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Keywords

  • fermented dairy products
  • microbial fermentation
  • microorganisms
  • metabolic end products
  • bioactive compounds
  • personalized nutrition

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3499 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Substrates and Sonication Methods on the Antioxidant Activity of Kefir Postbiotics
by Gerardo Chávez-Alzaga, Raúl Alberto Reyes-Villagrana, Gerardo Pavel Espino-Solis, Martha María Arévalos-Sánchez, Ana Luisa Rentería-Monterrubio, Rogelio Sánchez-Vega, Eduardo Santellano-Estrada, Norma Angélica Bolivar-Jacobo, Juan Manuel Tirado-Gallegos and América Chávez-Martínez
Fermentation 2024, 10(9), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10090492 - 23 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1504
Abstract
Sonoporation stimulates cell growth as it improves the permeability of the membrane and increases the uptake of impermeable molecules in the extracellular matrix. We evaluated the effects of substrates (whey, whole, and skim milk) and ultrasonic treatments (ultrasonication and thermosonication) on the antioxidant [...] Read more.
Sonoporation stimulates cell growth as it improves the permeability of the membrane and increases the uptake of impermeable molecules in the extracellular matrix. We evaluated the effects of substrates (whey, whole, and skim milk) and ultrasonic treatments (ultrasonication and thermosonication) on the antioxidant activity (AA) of water-soluble kefir postbiotics (WSKPs). The samples were evaluated in terms of antioxidant activity (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC), water-soluble protein content, proteolysis (SDS-PAGE profiles), and cell membrane permeability. The levels of AA in all WSKPs depended on the substrate and method of obtaining them. However, the WSKPs from whey had higher antioxidant activity with DPPH (11.11 mg TE/100 mL), ABTS (12.77 mg TE/100 mL), and FRAP (5.18 mg TE/100 mL). Also, the WSKPs from whey had the highest values for water-soluble protein (1.45–1.32 mg/mL) and proteolysis degree and the lowest percentage of dead cells (11.4–28%). These results suggest that the production of WSKPs from whey might add value to whey production. Furthermore, WSKPs have potential as a functional ingredient in the production of beverages or foods with antioxidant activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and Beyond)
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15 pages, 661 KiB  
Article
Microbial Biotechnologies to Produce Biodiesel and Biolubricants from Dairy Effluents
by Grazia Federica Bencresciuto, Claudio Mandalà, Carmela Anna Migliori, Lucia Giansante, Luciana Di Giacinto and Laura Bardi
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060278 - 24 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2043
Abstract
The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is crucial in addressing environmental challenges. Vegetable oils have been focused on as the main potential source for biodiesel and biolubricant production. However, due to their fatty acid (FA) composition they are characterized by [...] Read more.
The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is crucial in addressing environmental challenges. Vegetable oils have been focused on as the main potential source for biodiesel and biolubricant production. However, due to their fatty acid (FA) composition they are characterized by low stability to oxidation and variable viscosity. Single-cell oils (SCOs) from oleaginous microorganisms are a possible alternative to vegetable oils: their composition is more suitable, and it can further be improved by controlling the fermentation’s physiological conditions. In the present study, the production of SCOs with targeted technological properties from Lipomyces starkeyi in fermentation under controlled temperatures was assessed. A dairy effluent (scotta) was used as the fermentation substrate to improve the economic sustainability of the process. Batch aerobic fermentations were carried out in a fermenter at two different temperatures (25 °C and 30 °C). The fermentation yields and SCO FA profiles were analyzed. The highest yields of biomass (9.76 g L−1) and microbial oil (1.83 g L−1) were obtained from fermentations carried out at 30 °C. Furthermore, a significantly lower content (46% vs. 55%) of unsaturated FAs and higher content (11% vs. 1.5%) of shorter-chain saturated FAs, with myristic acid almost matching stearic acid, were detected at 30 °C in comparison to 25 °C. Very low peroxide values were also found (0.14 meq O2 kg−1 at 30 °C and 0 meq O2 kg−1 at 25 °C). These results indicate that these SCOs were highly oxidation-resistant, and that a higher fermentation temperature improves their oxidative stability and tribophysical features. The biodiesels’ technological properties, calculated from the FA composition, were within the limits of both U.S. standards and E.U. regulations. Then, SCOs produced from L. starkeyi by fermentation of dairy effluents carried out under controlled temperature can be considered a suitable alternative to vegetable oils to produce biodiesel and biolubricants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and Beyond)
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Review

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32 pages, 952 KiB  
Review
Tradition and Innovation in Yoghurt from a Functional Perspective—A Review
by Roxana-Andreea Munteanu-Ichim, Cristina-Maria Canja, Mirabela Lupu, Carmen-Liliana Bădărău and Florentina Matei
Fermentation 2024, 10(7), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10070357 - 16 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4745
Abstract
Yoghurt is one of the most consumed and studied dairy products, with proven functional effects on the human body. This review discusses the functional properties of traditional yoghurt products in comparison with different other yoghurts enriched with natural bioactive compounds like bee products, [...] Read more.
Yoghurt is one of the most consumed and studied dairy products, with proven functional effects on the human body. This review discusses the functional properties of traditional yoghurt products in comparison with different other yoghurts enriched with natural bioactive compounds like bee products, aromatic plants, fruit, vegetables, extracts, edible flowers, mushrooms, and high protein ingredients. The food industry aims to enhance the nutritional profile of final products, recognising the potential value they bring. Yoghurt, acknowledged as a functional food, has garnered significant attention globally in terms of production and consumption. Incorporating flavours through essences, fruit, fruit extracts, and honey is considered a preferable alternative to artificial flavours for innovating new dairy products. While the review underscores the positive properties of natural additives, it also addresses the possible changes in physicochemical properties and storage stability when yoghurt is enriched beyond the basic elements. A compelling synthesis of the data reveals the remarkable finding that the majority of functional yoghurts incorporate bee products. In recent years, the dairy industry has seen a rise in combining probiotics and functional foods, especially with the development of probiotic functional yoghurts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and Beyond)
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Other

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23 pages, 827 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Global Review of Geographical Diversity of Kefir Microbiome
by Jeferson Aloísio Ströher, Wemerson de Castro Oliveira, Anderson Santos de Freitas, Marcela Mendes Salazar, Lilian de Fátima Ferreira da Silva, Laís Bresciani, Simone Hickmann Flôres and Patrícia da Silva Malheiros
Fermentation 2025, 11(3), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11030150 - 17 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 922
Abstract
Kefir, a traditional probiotic beverage with significant cultural, social, and health relevance, has garnered increasing scientific interest for its functional properties. Here, we synthesized findings from 14 studies investigating the bacterial and fungal diversity in artisanal cow’s milk kefir through metagenomic analysis. Following [...] Read more.
Kefir, a traditional probiotic beverage with significant cultural, social, and health relevance, has garnered increasing scientific interest for its functional properties. Here, we synthesized findings from 14 studies investigating the bacterial and fungal diversity in artisanal cow’s milk kefir through metagenomic analysis. Following the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), a comprehensive search was conducted in databases including Portal BVS, Scopus, Scielo, and Web of Science. From an initial pool of 522 articles, 14 were selected based on stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria, focusing on English-written studies. Key terms such as “kefir milk”, “artisanal kefir”, “milk”, “metagenomics”, and “cow” were identified through Boolean searches over the last five years. This review addresses the growing need for research on the microbial diversity of artisanal cow’s milk kefir from various global regions. The results indicate a remarkable diversity in microbial communities, primarily dominated by bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes (notably Lactobacillus) and yeasts from the genera Saccharomyces and Kluyveromyces. These microbial compositions are shaped by factors such as milk type, production methods, and grain handling practices, reflecting regional adaptations and influencing kefir’s sensory, probiotic, and functional properties. We argue that a full understanding of these microbial dynamics is critical for standardizing production processes and enhancing quality control measures, ultimately ensuring artisanal kefir’s consistency and health benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermented Dairy Products: From Artisanal Production to Functional Products and Beyond)
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