Molecular Methods in Food Quality and Microbiological Safety

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms serve as an important tool in food processing. For example, the community and metabolism of microorganisms in fermented foods are closely related to the product quality. Meanwhile, the effect of microorganisms on food processing shows duality. Microbial contamination is one of the severe challenges in food processing. How to accurately reveal microbial functions in food processing and detect food pathogens is therefore an important issue in food processing. The development of molecular methods provides important tools for detecting food pathogens or revealing the dynamic changing and possible metabolic mechanisms of microorganisms in food processing. For example, omics technologies (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics) provide useful tools for analyzing the correlation between microbial metabolism and flavor formation in complex microbial fermentation eco-systems. The development of specific molecular detection technologies, such as nucleic acid detection methods, offers a fast and convenient way for detecting target microorganisms in food processing. This Special Issue mainly includes recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of the microbial transformation of raw materials and the generation of flavor substances in food processing, and new methods or technologies for accurately detecting specific microorganisms in the food processing context. The goal is to provide a reference for revealing the effects of microorganisms in food processing on product quality and safety.

Dr. Youqiang Xu
Prof. Dr. Yu Zheng
Guest Editors

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