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Microorganisms
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Microbial Fermentation in Food Processing
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Microbial Fermentation in Food Processing

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2264

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wenchao Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
Interests: fermentation; flavor; volatile compounds; microbial diversity; metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
Interests: food processing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial fermentation plays a crucial role in food processing, contributing to the development of unique flavors, textures, and nutritional profiles in various food products. This process involves the metabolic activities of microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and mold, which transform food substrates through biochemical reactions. Understanding microbial fermentation’s role in food processing is essential for optimizing production methods, enhancing product quality, and ensuring food safety. This Special Issue will explore the diverse applications of microbial fermentation in food processing, covering topics such as fermentation kinetics, microbial communities, metabolic pathways, and fermentation’s impact on the sensory and nutritional attributes of foods. By exploring the various aspects of microbial fermentation, researchers can advance innovative food processing techniques and the production of high-quality, nutritious food products. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, reviews, and studies focusing on microbial fermentation’s utilization in different food products, aiming to advance knowledge in the field of food science and technology.

Dr. Wenchao Cai
Dr. Qin Zhang
Guest Editors

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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • microbial fermentation
  • food processing
  • flavor development
  • fermentation kinetics
  • microbial communities
  • metabolic pathways
  • food safety
  • sensory attributes
  • nutritional enhancement
  • food science and technology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1498 KB  
Article
Identification and Characterization of Antiyeast Organic Acids Produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 3121M0s Derived from Mongolian Traditional Fermented Milk, Airag
by Md. Bakhtiar Lijon, Yuko Matsu-ura, Takumi Ukita, Kensuke Arakawa and Taku Miyamoto
Microorganisms 2025, 13(9), 2017; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092017 - 29 Aug 2025
Viewed by 552
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial for food biopreservation by inhibiting not only bacteria but also fungi. However, reports on the control of fungi, especially yeasts, by lactic acid bacteria are limited. In this study, strain 3121M0s derived from Mongolian traditional fermented milk, airag, [...] Read more.
Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial for food biopreservation by inhibiting not only bacteria but also fungi. However, reports on the control of fungi, especially yeasts, by lactic acid bacteria are limited. In this study, strain 3121M0s derived from Mongolian traditional fermented milk, airag, was selected with relatively high antiyeast activity among 236 strains, and identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. The activity was exhibited under acidic conditions and remained stable after heating. It was also highly resistant to catalase and proteases, indicating that the primary antiyeast substances of 3121M0s were neither H2O2 nor peptides. Then, organic acids (lactic acid, acetic acid, 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 3-phenyllactic acid) were detected and quantified in the ethyl acetate extract of the 3121M0s culture supernatant. Among them, only acetic acid showed antiyeast activity on its own, and the activity was enhanced by lactic acid or 3-phenyllactic acid. Compared to the type strain of L. plantarum, the production of lactic acid from 3121M0s was almost equal, but acetic acid and 3-phenyllactic acid were about 1.5 times higher. These results suggest that strain 3121M0s would be useful as a biopreservative starter for fermented foods susceptible to yeast contamination due to being produced in open environments without final sterilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation in Food Processing)
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21 pages, 3912 KB  
Article
Screening and Phenotyping of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Boza
by Xudong Zhao, Longying Pei, Xinqi Wang, Mingming Luo, Sihan Hou, Xingqian Ye, Wei Liu and Yuting Zhou
Microorganisms 2025, 13(8), 1767; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13081767 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 606
Abstract
The aim of this study was to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from a traditional fermented beverage, Boza, and to conduct an in-depth study on their fermentation and probiotic properties. The fermentation (acid production rate, acid tolerance, salt tolerance, amino acid [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from a traditional fermented beverage, Boza, and to conduct an in-depth study on their fermentation and probiotic properties. The fermentation (acid production rate, acid tolerance, salt tolerance, amino acid decarboxylase activity) and probiotic properties (gastrointestinal tolerance, bile salt tolerance, hydrophobicity, self-aggregation, drug resistance, bacteriostatic properties) of the 16 isolated LAB were systematically analyzed by morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests and 16S rDNA molecular biology. This analysis utilized principal component analysis (PCA) to comprehensively evaluate the biological properties of the strains. The identified LAB included Limosilactobacillus fermentum (9 strains), Levilactobacillus brevis (2 strains), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (2 strains), and Lactobacillus helveticus (3 strains). These strains showed strong environmental adaptation at different pH (3.5) and temperature (45 °C), with different gastrointestinal colonization, tolerance, and antioxidant properties. All the strains did not show hemolytic activity and were inhibitory to Staphylococcus aureus, and showed resistance to kanamycin, gentamicin, vancomycin, and streptomycin. Based on the integrated scoring of biological properties by principal component analysis, Limosilactobacillus fermentum S4 and S6 and Levilactobacillus brevis S5 had excellent fermentation properties and tolerance and could be used as potential functional microbial resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation in Food Processing)
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Review

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22 pages, 644 KB  
Review
Exploration of Core Microorganisms and Synthetic Microbial Communities in Low-Temperature Daqu
by Panpan Chen, Dongsheng Zhang, Johane Johari Mkunga, Wenxi Zhai, Chunhui Shan, Xinquan Yang and Wenchao Cai
Microorganisms 2025, 13(9), 2044; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092044 - 2 Sep 2025
Viewed by 530
Abstract
Light-flavor Baijiu (LFB) is renowned for its distinct flavor and long history, with the microbial community structure of low-temperature Daqu (LTD) serving as a crucial saccharification fermenter that significantly influences the quality and flavor of Baijiu. With the rapid advancement of biotechnology, [...] Read more.
Light-flavor Baijiu (LFB) is renowned for its distinct flavor and long history, with the microbial community structure of low-temperature Daqu (LTD) serving as a crucial saccharification fermenter that significantly influences the quality and flavor of Baijiu. With the rapid advancement of biotechnology, research on LTD has become more in-depth, focusing on the identification of core microorganisms and the construction of Synthetic Microbial Communities (SynComs), which have emerged as research hotspots. Core microorganisms play a vital role in fermentation and flavor development, while SynComs are artificially constructed microbial combinations designed to optimize fermentation and improve liquor quality. This paper provides a systematic overview of the core microorganisms associated with LTD and their identification methods, as well as the concepts, advantages, applications, and construction methodologies of SynComs. It compiles relevant research findings to offer a theoretical foundation for a deeper understanding of the brewing mechanism and further optimization of the LFB brewing process, along with insights into future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation in Food Processing)
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