Tradition to Innovation: Biotechnological and Microbial Approaches in Fermented Beverages

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 213

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras CEP 37203-202, MG, Brazil
Interests: beverage fermentation; microbial ecology; culture starter; metabolomics

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37203-202, MG, Brazil
Interests: beverage fermentation; microbial ecology; culture starter; metabolomics

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Guest Editor
Department of Basic Science, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valeys, Diamantina CEP 39100-000, MG, Brazil
Interests: beverage fermentation; microbial ecology; culture starter; metabolomics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fermented beverages have shifted from spontaneous to engineered processes using defined microbial consortia, non-thermal technologies, and digital and omics-based tools. The integration of traditional fermentations practices with modern biotechnological approaches, including starter cultures, process engineering, waste valorisation, and smart fermentation strategies, has enabled the development of safer, more stable, and more sustainable beverages, while also enhancing their nutritional and functional profiles through the enrichment of bioactive compounds. Despite these advances, limitations in process standardization and in understanding microbial interactions remain major barriers to both research and industrial innovation.

Fermented beverages represent a highly dynamic field of research, driven by growing consumer demand for products with complex sensory profiles, functionality, and sustainable processing. Beverage quality and safety are strongly influenced by fermentation strategies, microbial diversity and succession, and the chemical transformations occurring throughout the process. Advancing knowledge in these areas is essential for improving process control, product consistency, and innovation across traditional and emerging beverage categories.

This Special Issue “Tradition to Innovation: Biotechnological and Microbial Approaches in Fermented Beverages” aims to present recent advances in the science and technology of beverage fermentation, emphasizing the interplay between microbial ecology, chemical composition, and fermentation performance. The issue welcomes original research articles and reviews addressing both traditional and novel fermented beverages, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic products.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, spontaneous and controlled fermentations; the development, characterization, and application of starter cultures; microbial succession and interaction dynamics; and the use of chemical, molecular, and omics-based approaches to monitor, control, and optimize fermentation processes. Studies exploring flavor development, sensory quality, functionality, probiotic potential, as well as sustainable and innovative fermentation technologies, are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Nadia Nara Batista
Dr. Ana Paula Pereira Bressani
Dr. Cíntia Lacerda Ramos
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.

Keywords

  • fermented beverages
  • microbial ecology
  • microbial interactions
  • starter cultures
  • spontaneous fermentation
  • process optimization
  • metabolomics
  • proteomics
  • sensory quality

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

25 pages, 5197 KB  
Review
Metabolomics-Driven Insights into Rice Wine Fermentation: From Descriptive Profiling to Intelligent Process Control
by Baoyu Peng, Bifeng Chen, Zhaozhao Dai, Jinwen Chen, Lang Hu, Lelei Wen and Changchun Li
Fermentation 2026, 12(6), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12060264 - 29 May 2026
Abstract
Rice wine fermentation involves complex biochemical dynamics that challenge traditional empirical control, highlighting the need for precise analytical characterization. This narrative review synthesizes the technological evolution of metabolomics from a descriptive tool to a driver of intelligent biomanufacturing. The progression from first-generation compositional [...] Read more.
Rice wine fermentation involves complex biochemical dynamics that challenge traditional empirical control, highlighting the need for precise analytical characterization. This narrative review synthesizes the technological evolution of metabolomics from a descriptive tool to a driver of intelligent biomanufacturing. The progression from first-generation compositional profiling to third-generation strategies integrating high-resolution mass spectrometry, real-time sensing, multi-omics approaches, and artificial intelligence is delineated. This evolution has shifted research focus from static component cataloging to dynamic pathway elucidation, enabling deeper interpretation of flavor biosynthesis, functional metabolite formation, and accumulation of safety-related metabolites. Furthermore, this review critically analyzes how multi-omics integration reveals microbiome-metabolite interactions and provides mechanistic targets for quality regulation. Despite these advances, a gap remains between laboratory-scale analytical capabilities and industrial implementation. Key translational bottlenecks are identified, and a future roadmap toward AI-driven digital twin systems and real-time adaptive control is proposed. This framework positions metabolomics not merely as an analytical technique, but as a key foundation of next-generation smart fermentation strategies. Full article
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