Uses of Yeasts and Molds in Food Fermentation

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 733

Editors


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Guest Editor
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics—Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology (CREA-VE), Via P. Micca 35, 14100 Asti, Italy
Interests: indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae; non-Saccharomyces yeasts; wine yeasts; fermented food and beverages mycobiota; foods and beverages aroma; organoleptic characteristics

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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
Interests: soil microbial ecology; microbial community structure and composition; plant–microbe interactions; plant microbiota; PGPB
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, societies across the world have produced and developed fermented foods and alcoholic beverages alongside agricultural products. Recently, the crucial role of microbiota and endophytic microorganisms in crop tolerance and resistance to biotic and abiotic adversities has been increasingly recognized. These microorganisms also influence the quality of agricultural and processed products.

In this Special Issue, we focus on identifying the genetic networks between crops and microorganisms that influence the quality of foods and beverages. Additionally, yeasts and molds play important roles in agrifood production, including bread, sourdough, beer, wine, sake, kefir, and leavened sweets. These microorganisms are crucial for defining the organoleptic and nutritional features of fermented foods and beverages.

We expect that these microorganisms will be characterized as pure cultures and as microbial consortia through molecular identification methods at major taxonomic levels, such as genera, species, or strains, using culture-dependent or -independent techniques. We aim to delve deeper into their metabolism and impact on increasing nutritional value, organoleptic characteristics, and aroma profiles using innovative analytical instruments and chemical methods.

Dr. Laura Pulcini
Dr. Giorgia Novello
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • food fermentation
  • beverage fermentation
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • non-Saccharomyces
  • starter culture
  • spontaneous fermentation
  • yeast
  • mold

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 4938 KB  
Article
Exploring Microbial Diversity and Yeast Typing in Traditional Sourdoughs from Villaurbana (Sardinia, Italy) Using an Integrated Approach
by Roberta Coronas, Anna Maria Laura Sanna, Roberto Cabizza, Anna Reale, Angela Bianco, Cécile Grondin, Jean Luc Legras, Giacomo Zara and Marilena Budroni
Foods 2026, 15(13), 2307; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132307 - 29 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Sourdoughs are complex microbial ecosystems fundamental to traditional breadmaking. Despite extensive research, variability among traditional sourdough ecosystems remains a key area of investigation. In this context, 13 type I sourdough starters from Villaurbana (Sardinia, Italy) were characterised combining molecular and biochemical techniques. Bacterial [...] Read more.
Sourdoughs are complex microbial ecosystems fundamental to traditional breadmaking. Despite extensive research, variability among traditional sourdough ecosystems remains a key area of investigation. In this context, 13 type I sourdough starters from Villaurbana (Sardinia, Italy) were characterised combining molecular and biochemical techniques. Bacterial and fungal communities were identified by NGS-based amplicon sequencing, while lactic and acetic acid, and residual sugars were quantified. The bacterial population was dominated by the genus Fructilactobacillus, whereas the fungal community spanned multiple genera. To explore the mycobiota, 130 yeast isolates were identified sequencing D1–D2 domain and through MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Six yeast species were detected: Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the dominant species (58.46%), followed by non-Saccharomyces yeasts (41.54%), including Torulaspora delbrueckii, Pichia fermentans, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Maudiozyma humilis, and Monosporozyma unispora. Strain-level typing via microsatellite analysis revealed high intraspecific diversity among S. cerevisiae and T. delbrueckii isolates. S. cerevisiae strains were distributed across distinct genetic lineages, with some clustering alongside industrial reference strains and others displaying unique evolutionary trajectories. T. delbrueckii strains formed two clonal groups substantially divergent from reference strains. This study supports the restitution of characterized yeast strains to the community as a resource for establishing a new microbial consortium representative of Villaurbana sourdough tradition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Uses of Yeasts and Molds in Food Fermentation)
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