The Roles of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Food Fermentation

Dear Colleagues,

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are key microorganisms that play fundamental roles in both traditional and modern fermentation systems, shaping food quality, safety, and functional properties while also providing beneficial effects on human and animal health. In recent years, research on LAB has expanded rapidly across a wide spectrum, ranging from the identification of novel LAB species to the elucidation of probiotic and bioprotective properties, applications in food and feed systems, and LAB-driven modulation of the gut microbiota. At the same time, safety-related aspects—including antibiotic resistance genes, biogenic amine formation, and comprehensive risk assessments—have become integral components of LAB research.

This Special Issue aims to bring together current, innovative, and interdisciplinary original research articles and review papers focusing on lactic acid bacteria in food fermentation. The topics listed below represent priority research areas; however, the scope of this Special Issue is not limited to these themes.

• Isolation, identification, and functional characterization of novel LAB from fermented products;
• Selection, performance, and stability of starter LAB cultures;
• Probiotic LAB: mechanisms of action and applications in food systems;
• Development of LAB-based functional foods and beverages;
• Therapeutic effects of LAB-derived cellular components and metabolites;
• LAB-based bioprotective cultures for shelf-life extension;
• LAB dynamics and microbial succession in spontaneous fermentations;
• Use of LAB in innovative and advanced fermentation technologies;
• Interactions between LAB, yeasts, and molds, and the role of microbial consortia in food fermentation;
• LAB behavior in plant-based, animal-based, and hybrid food systems;
• Genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches to elucidate LAB metabolism in food fermentation;
• Safety and regulatory perspectives and risk management for LAB in fermented foods.

Dr. Talha Demirci
Prof. Dr. Enes Dertli
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.

• lactic acid bacteria
• fermented foods
• probiotics
• postbiotics
• starter cultures
• fermented foods
• health benefits
• omics