Special Issue "Fermented Beverages Revisited: From Terroir to Customized Functional Products"

Dear Colleagues,

A wide variety of fruits and grains are employed as substrates for fermentation, resulting in a range of beverages, some of which are known to provide unique characteristics of certain geographical areas. Terroir is a term mostly affiliated with wine, but can be expanded to all products subjected to a similar fermentation process. Terroir is associated with agricultural practices, micro-climatic conditions, soil composition, cultivar and the microecosystem that drives fermentation. The same parameters may also affect the functional characteristics of the products, such as their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic activity, as well as protect against neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, a series of metabolites, such as biogenic amines and ochratoxins, may exert adverse effects on human health. The micro-ecosystem implicated in the fermentation process may include yeasts, as well as lactic and acetic acid bacteria, and may affect these functions via metabolic activities. The diversity of the implicated microbial species is quite extended, and accompanied by a remarkable variability in metabolic capacity.

The conceptual, methodological and technological advances of recent years have enabled the rapid characterization of micro-communities. In addition, genetic data treated with bioinformatic tools have allowed the in silico assessment of the metabolic capacity of the strains under study and the prediction of metabolic activities. This information is valuable, as it facilitates the selection of starter cultures with properties tailored to specific technological or nutritional needs.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect articles that update the current knowledge on the factors that affect the terroir of fermented beverages and define their functional properties.

Dr. Maria Dimopoulou
Dr. Spiros Paramithiotis
Prof. Dr. Yorgos Kotseridis
Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• fermented beverages
• alcoholic fermentation
• lactic acid fermentation
• acetic acid fermentation
• functional metabolites