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Fermentation
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Fermentations of Agri-Food By-Products for the Development of Functional Foods
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Fermentations of Agri-Food By-Products for the Development of Functional Foods

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 November 2026 | Viewed by 1628

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Simona Guerrini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
Interests: microbial ecology; functional foods; food fermentations; food microbiology; wine microbiology; bioprotection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The valorisation of agri-food by-products is crucial for planetary health, while also representing an innovative strategy to enhance the nutritional quality of foods and improve consumer well-being. Agri-food by-products are a source of bioactive compounds, dietary fibre, and other beneficial nutrients, from which innovative food ingredients, functional foods, feeds, and even therapeutic products could be developed. Microbial fermentation represents a sustainable approach to utilising agri-food by-products; indeed, scientific evidence has demonstrated that the use of microorganisms in various food matrices appears to play a crucial role in producing molecules with biological effects on human health. Therefore, selected microorganisms could valorise agri-food by-products by producing specific molecules with high functional value, contributing to the realisation of functional foods, feeds, and ingredients. In addition, the definition of a postbiotic—“a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host”—reported by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics in 2021 opens new perspectives for the development of functional foods, feeds, and ingredients by exploiting microorganisms and provides an additional tool for the valorisation of by-products. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide a platform for the publication of valuable articles related to microbial fermentation strategies used to valorise agri-food by-products, realising innovative functional foods, feeds, or ingredients. The fermentation strategies considered in this Special Issue may range from solid- to liquid-state ones, and may include the use of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, without preclusions.

Dr. Simona Guerrini
Guest Editor

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

  • functional foods
  • postbiotic
  • food by-products
  • solid-state fermentation
  • liquid-state fermentation
  • lactic acid bacteria
  • yeasts
  • fungi
  • bacteria
  • functional ingredients
  • feeds

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1047 KB  
Article
Development and Characterization of a Sunflower-Seed Press-Cake-Based Fermented Food Prototype
by Sofia Mendo, Beatrice Zignego, Francesca Bonazza, Fabio Masotti, Sara Casati, Sofia Vanerio, Roberto Foschino, Alessio Battistini and Ivano De Noni
Fermentation 2026, 12(4), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12040204 - 18 Apr 2026
Viewed by 149
Abstract
Growing environmental and food security concerns have increased interest in circular strategies to valorize agri-food by-products. Sunflower-seed press cake (SSPC), a protein-rich residue from oil extraction, is largely underutilized despite its high nutritional and functional value. This study aimed to develop a fermented [...] Read more.
Growing environmental and food security concerns have increased interest in circular strategies to valorize agri-food by-products. Sunflower-seed press cake (SSPC), a protein-rich residue from oil extraction, is largely underutilized despite its high nutritional and functional value. This study aimed to develop a fermented plant-based food prototype (PBFP) from SSPC using Lactococcus lactis B12 and Penicillium camemberti, evaluating microbiological safety, chemical characteristics, and sensory acceptability. A blend containing 40% SSPC and 60% water was autoclaved, inoculated, and ripened for 4 weeks under controlled temperatures. Microbial counts, pH evolution, free amino acids, biogenic amines, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) content, and sensory attributes were evaluated using cultural techniques, HPLC, HS-SPME/GC-MS, LC–ESI–MS/MS (QTRAP 4000), and sensory evaluation. L. lactis efficiently acidified the matrix (pH ≈ 4.5–4.9), ensuring microbial food safety, with high LAB counts (~109 CFU/g) and absence of pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.) and hygienic markers < 2 log CFU/g (B. cereus, E. coli, and Enterobacteriaceae). Free amino acids decreased during fermentation, and no histamine or tyramine was detected. VOC analysis revealed diacetyl, acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, and 1-octen-3-ol, contributing to mild dairy-like notes. CPA was detected at 0.48 ng/g, well below levels reported in cheeses. Sensory evaluation showed no significant differences in overall intensity between inoculated and control blends, although qualitative descriptors indicated subtle changes in aroma and texture. These results demonstrate the feasibility of safely producing a fermented plant-based prototype from SSPC. Future studies should explore longer ripening times, additional microbial consortia, and strategies to enhance texture and aroma complexity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations of Agri-Food By-Products for the Development of Functional Foods)
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22 pages, 904 KB  
Article
Isolation and Reassembly of Cultivable Bacteria and Yeasts for Kombucha Tea Fermentation
by Lara Signorello, Marcello Brugnoli, Mattia Pia Arena and Maria Gullo
Fermentation 2026, 12(2), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12020100 - 10 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1120
Abstract
Kombucha tea fermentation is driven by microbial consortia composed of yeasts, acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), whose metabolic interactions determine the product’s functional and sensory characteristics. This study focused on the isolation and characterization of cultivable microorganisms from kombucha [...] Read more.
Kombucha tea fermentation is driven by microbial consortia composed of yeasts, acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), whose metabolic interactions determine the product’s functional and sensory characteristics. This study focused on the isolation and characterization of cultivable microorganisms from kombucha tea and the reassembly of four defined communities to evaluate their contribution to the chemical composition of the beverage based on the physicochemical parameters and multivariate analysis (PCA) of sugars, organic acids and ethanol. Microbial isolates, identified in this study, belonged to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brettanomyces bruxellensis), AAB (Novacetimonas hansenii, Komagataeibacter europaeus, Komagataeibacter intermedius and Acetobacter pasteurianus) and LAB (Liquorilactobacillus nagelii). Selected strains were combined to reassemble simplified communities. Fermentation trials demonstrated that community composition markedly influenced metabolite production and acidification (acetic acid and ethanol concentration ranged from 0.30 ± 0.08 and 2.29 ± 0.03 g/L, and from not determined to 27.31 ± 3.41 g/L, respectively). Consortia combining yeasts, AAB and LAB most closely reproduced the chemical composition of the original Kombucha tea, whereas simpler yeast–bacteria consortia produced chemically distinct beverages. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of the ecological roles of kombucha-associated microorganisms and demonstrate that community composition is a key factor in shaping the chemical profile of the beverage. Moreover, the reassembly of defined microbial communities represents a promising strategy for selecting and applying functional microorganisms to valorize agri-food by-products through sustainable fermentation processes. Kombucha-derived communities, due to their ability to grow under acidic conditions, tolerate osmotic stress and metabolize complex sugar mixtures, could be versatile biofactories for the development of new fermented beverages or functional ingredients from low-value agri-food residues, contributing to circular bioeconomy strategies and waste reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations of Agri-Food By-Products for the Development of Functional Foods)
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