Bioactive Metabolites in Fermented Foods: From Microbial Alchemy to Human Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1406

Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agro-Industry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
Interests: cereal and starch technologies; shelf-life modeling; functional additives; biopolymers; new food processing processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agro-Industry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Interests: fermentation technology and beneficial microorganisms; bioactive metabolites in fermented foods; valorization of agro-industrial by-products; metabolomics; functional properties of fermented productsal by-products; metabolomics and functional properties of fermented products

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Guest Editor
Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
Interests: valorization of agro-industrial by-products; bio-based fermented beverages; fermentation assisted by innovative green technologies; development of fermented food with postbiotics and psychobiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fermentation is increasingly recognized as a powerful biotechnological tool for generating, enhancing, and transforming bioactive metabolites in food systems. A wide range of microorganisms—including lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and other beneficial microbes such as Bacillus and acetic acid bacteria—are capable of producing diverse functional compounds, including organic acids, peptides, phenolics, vitamins, and postbiotic metabolites. These microbial-driven transformations contribute not only to nutritional improvement but also to health-promoting properties. Such processes play essential roles in shaping sensory quality, improving digestibility, extending shelf life, and enhancing the functional value of traditional and novel fermented foods.

Rapid advances in omics technologies, metabolite profiling, and chemometric analysis have further expanded our ability to characterize the metabolic diversity arising from fermentation. These analytical tools provide deeper insights into how fermentation parameters, microbial interactions, and substrate composition influence the formation of desirable metabolites. Moreover, the valorization of agricultural by-products through fermentation offers sustainable pathways for developing next-generation functional foods and beverages.

This Special Issue aims to gather innovative research and comprehensive reviews focused on bioactive metabolites derived from fermented foods. We welcome submissions related to, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Microbial mechanisms underlying the formation of bioactive metabolites.
  • Fermentation using bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, and a wide range of beneficial microorganisms.
  • Optimization of fermentation conditions for enhanced metabolic profiles.
  • Metabolomics, analytical profiling, and omics-based characterization of fermented foods.
  • Bioactive compound development: peptides, phenolics, organic acids, vitamins, and postbiotics.
  • Sensory quality, flavor development, and functional attributes of fermented foods.
  • Valorization of agricultural and agro-industrial by-products through fermentation.
  • Development of functional foods and beverages enriched with health-promoting metabolites.
  • Industrial applications and innovative processing of fermented products.

Dr. Yuthana Phimolsiripol
Dr. Churairat Moukamnerd
Dr. Juan Manuel Castagnini
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-anonymized 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

  • bioactive metabolites
  • fermented foods
  • microbial fermentation
  • lactic acid bacteria and yeasts
  • functional compounds
  • metabolomics and analytical profiling
  • sensory evaluation
  • valorization of food and agro-industrial by-products
  • sustainable food bioprocessing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 2334 KB  
Article
Microbial Bioprocessing of Sunflower Protein Extracts: Nutritional, Techno-Functional and Bioactive Outcomes of Lactobacillus helveticus and Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Products
by Cansu Yay, Bilgen Özsoy, Onur Güneşer, Özlem Aslan, Emine Aytunga Arık Kibar and Müge İşleten Hoşoğlu
Fermentation 2026, 12(8), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12080356 - 30 Jul 2026
Viewed by 452
Abstract
Fermentation has significant potential for valorizing de-oiled sunflower meal (DSM) protein for human consumption. Here, DSM extracts were fermented for 48 h with Lactobacillus helveticus B-4526 and Bacillus subtilis B-3387, and their nutritional, bioactive, and techno-functional properties were evaluated. DSM extract supported the [...] Read more.
Fermentation has significant potential for valorizing de-oiled sunflower meal (DSM) protein for human consumption. Here, DSM extracts were fermented for 48 h with Lactobacillus helveticus B-4526 and Bacillus subtilis B-3387, and their nutritional, bioactive, and techno-functional properties were evaluated. DSM extract supported the growth of both organisms, with cell numbers increasing by >1.5 log CFU/mL for B. subtilis and approximately 1 log CFU/mL for L. helveticus. During fermentation, B. subtilis degraded protein bands in the 23–46 kDa range, whereas L. helveticus promoted protein aggregation due to acidification, which may have reduced protein solubility. Antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays) and ACE-inhibitory activity increased in both fermentations, with B. subtilis showing the strongest effect. FTIR analysis indicated fermentation-induced alterations in the protein secondary structure. The total amino acid content decreased after B. subtilis fermentation but remained similar after L. helveticus fermentation. Phytic acid present in the meal decreased as a result of extraction/fermentation workflow. B. subtilis fermentation improved solubility at pH 4.0 but reduced foaming and emulsifying properties. Both fermentations decreased the oil-holding and water-holding capacities. Overall, this study underscores the need to match the fermenting microorganism to the desired outcome, as enhancements in one property often involve trade-offs with others. Full article
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