Traditional Fermented Foods and Beverages: Microbiology, Sensory and Physico-Chemical Analysis
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Interests: food microbiology; molecular methods; fermented food; flavor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Traditional fermented foods and beverages represent a cornerstone of global cultural heritage and food diversity. Their unique flavors, textures, and health benefits are directly dictated by complex microbial ecosystems that develop through spontaneous or back-slopping fermentation processes. Understanding the intricate relationships between microbial community structure, metabolic activity, and the final product's quality is paramount for preserving traditional practices, ensuring safety, and driving innovation.
This Special Issue aims to compile high-quality research and review articles that explore the dynamic interplay between microbiology, physicochemical properties, and sensory characteristics in traditional fermented foods and beverages. We seek to highlight studies that move beyond descriptive analysis to uncover the mechanistic links that define product identity, typicity, and quality.
Topics of Interest:
We welcome original research and reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
Microbial Ecology: The characterization of bacterial, fungal, and archaeal communities using culturomics, amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and metabarcoding.
Function and Metabolism: Studies employing metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics to elucidate the functional dynamics and the biosynthesis of flavor, and bioactive compounds.
Quality Drivers: Research investigating the critical physico-chemical parameters that shape microbial succession and final product quality.
Advanced Sensory Science: The application of modern sensory tools, including electronic noses, electronic tongues, and GC-olfactometry, to objectively define sensory profiles and correlate them with microbial and chemical data.
Origin and Traceability: The identification of microbial and molecular biomarkers for geographical origin traceability, authentication, and quality grading.
Process Optimization: Studies linking specific production parameters (raw materials, fermentation conditions, aging) to microbial community structure and functionality for quality control and standardization.
Prof. Dr. Youqiang Xu
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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
- traditional fermented foods
- microbial ecology
- sensory analysis
- metabolomics
- food authenticity
- foodomics
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
