Volatile Compounds in Fermented Foods and Beverages: Formation, Release, Analysis and Sensory Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Approximately one-third of foods and beverages produced for human consumption worldwide are based on fermented matrices: fermented cereals, fermented vegetables, fermented legumes, fermented roots/tubers, fermented milk products, fermented meat products, fermented fish products, and alcoholic beverages. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) represent a heterogeneous class of molecules with a role in food science and technology, and fermentation in particular, that can hardly be underestimated.

First of all, they contribute to shaping food quality, being involved in all phases of the tasting process: odour, flavour, and aftertaste. Secondly, VOCs are probes that can be used for the non-invasive and rapid monitoring of fermentation and/or for the screening of a large collection of microorganisms. They also provide optimum tools for quality/process control in the agroindustry or for looking for new flavouring starter cultures.

Despite the relevance of VOCs in fermentation, many fundamental and technological questions are still open, from the implementation of optimal analytical tools for their monitoring to the comprehension and modulation of their role in the formation of the perceived sensory quality of fermented products.

This Special Issue on the formation, release, analysis, and sensory impact of flavor compounds in fermented foods and beverages is a unique opportunity to collect contributions from different fields related to this multifaceted topic.

Considering your outstanding contribution to the field, we cordially invite you to submit a high-quality review or original research paper to this Special Issue of Molecules.

Dr. Franco Biasioli
Dr. Vittorio Capozzi
Dr. Iuliia Khomenko
Dr. Luigimaria Borruso
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Patrick Silcock
Guest Editors

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