Advances in Functional Fermented Foods

Dear Colleagues,

During fermentation, microorganisms transform the chemical components of raw materials of plant or animal origin, producing foods with unique technological and functional attributes. The presence of live microorganisms and/or the products of their metabolic activities in functional fermented foods increases the bioavailability of nutrients, enriches sensory quality, confers biopreservative effects, and improves food safety by degrading toxic components and antinutritional factors. Furthermore, they can modulate specific bodily functions related to consumer well-being and health, especially through their effect on modulating the composition of the intestinal microbiota. The health benefits of functional fermented foods include the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders, allergic reactions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and others.

This Special Issue will present the latest research in the following fields:

(i) Advances in fermentation technology based on cereals, milk, fruits and vegetables;

(ii) Precision fermentation: the use of specific microbial consortia and fermentation conditions to adapt the functional properties of fermented foods to individual needs;

(iii) Application of multi-omics technologies to characterize microbial communities and identify strains that can optimize the flavor, texture and nutritional content of fermented foods;

(iv) Production of beneficial molecules: synthesis of B vitamins, exopolysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids and bioactive peptides, which contribute to improving intestinal health, strengthening the immune system and reducing disease risk;

(v) Specific microbiome modulation: effects on the gut microbiome through promoting diversity, suppressing pathogens, and increasing the production of beneficial metabolites.

Dr. Emiliano Salvucci
Dr. Ana Yanina Bustos
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.

• functional fermented foods
• gut microbiome
• precision fermentation
• multi-omics technologies