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

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-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.