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The concept of “ethno-microbiology” is to understand the indigenous knowledge of the Indian people for production of culturally and organoleptically acceptable fermented foods by natural fermentation. About 1000 types of common, uncommon, rare, exotic and artisan fermented foods and beverages are prepared and consumed in different geographical regions by multi-ethnic communities in India. Indian fermented foods are mostly acidic and some are alkaline, along with various types of alcoholic beverages. A colossal diversity of microorganisms comprising bacteria mostly belongs to phylum Firmicutes, filamentous moulds and enzyme- and alcohol-producing yeasts under phyla Ascomycota and Mucoromycota, and few bacteriophages and archaea have been reported from Indian fermented foods. Some microorganisms associated with fermented foods have functionalities and health promoting benefits. “Ethno-microbiology” of ethnic Indian people has exhibited the proper utilisation of substrates either singly or in combination such as fermented cereal-legume mixture (idli, dosa and dhokla) in South and West India, sticky fermented soybean food (kinema and related foods), fermented perishable leafy vegetable (gundruk and related foods), fermented bamboo shoots (soibum and related foods) and fermented fish (ngari and others) in North East India, and fermented meat and sausage-like products in the Indian Himalayas, fermented coconut beverage (toddy) in coastal regions, and various types of naturally fermented milk products (dahi and related products) in different regions of India. This review has also highlighted the “ethno-microbiology” knowledge of the people involving the consortia of essential microorganisms in traditionally prepared amylolytic starters for production of cereal-based alcoholic beverages. The novelty of this review is the interpretation of ethno-microbiological knowledge innovated by ethnic Indian people on the use of beneficial microorganisms for food fermentation to obtain the desired fermented food products for consumption.

Fermented egg milk beverage (FEMB) can alleviate the symptoms of intestinal diseases by regulating intestinal flora and supplying nutrition. This study was investigated in the protective effect of fermented egg milk beverage (FEMB) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The results showed that FEMB eased the pathological abnormalities and colonic inflammation of UC mice, restructured the intestinal flora composition simultaneously. After FEMB treatment for 14 days, the body weight of the mice rose and disease activity index (DAI) decreased, the length and form of colon in UC mice restored notably, inflammatory cells were decreased or disappeared, globel cells and crypt were enriched and modified. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results demonstrated that FEMB treatment can increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the cecum content of mice, including unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillus. Besides, probiotics that can increase the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) may also contribute to inflammation alleviation. An increasing of amino acid, which may beneficial to nutritional supplement, was observed in our experiment. In conclusion, FEMB treatment can alleviate the damage of DSS-induced colitis in Balb/c mice, this study provides theoretical basis of inflammation relief and application of probiotics in fermented egg milk beverages.

Background Probiotics are defined as microorganisms that can exert health benefits for the host. Among the recognized probiotics, Lactobacillus paracasei are one of the most frequently used probiotics in humans. The L. paracasei strain M11-4, isolated from fermented rice, which could ferment soymilk within a short curd time, and fermented soymilk presented high viability, acceptable flavor and antioxidant activity, which revealed that the strain maybe have a potential antioxidant value. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the antioxidant activity of L. paracasei strain M11-4. Results The radical scavenging activities, lipid peroxidation inhibition, and reducing power of L. paracasei M11-4 were the highest in the fermentation culture without cells, while the activities of other antioxidant enzymes of L. paracasei M11-4 were high in the cell-free extract and bacterial suspension. Moreover, L. paracasei M11-4 exerted its antioxidant effect by upregulating the gene expression of its antioxidant enzymes, thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione (GSH) systems when hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) existed. Supplementation of rats with L. paracasei M11-4 effectively alleviated D-galactose-induced oxidative damage in the liver and serum and prevented D-galactose-induced changes to intestinal microbiota. Supplementation with L. paracasei M11-4 also reduced the elevated expression of Trx and GSH system genes induced by D-galactose. Conclusion L. paracasei M11-4 has good antioxidant properties both in vitro and in vivo and the antioxidant mechanism of it was studied at the molecular level. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND Cinnamoyl esterase (CE) can release antioxidant phenolic acids from its non-digestible ester-linked form. Fermentation using CE-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be useful in the food industry because of its ability to produce bioactive compounds and antibacterial metabolites. The purpose of this study was to confirm the food applicability of LAB with CE-producing ability and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. RESULTS Among the 219 bacterial strains identified in infant feces, five Lactobacillus gasseri and six Limosilactobacillus fermentum with a high CE activity were isolated. The survival rate of all selected LABs was > 95% at pH 2.5 for 3 h and > 70% when treated with 0.3% bile salt for 4 h. Moreover, cell-free supernatants of all strains strongly inhibited five food-borne bacterial pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus) and three toxin-producing fungal pathogens (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., and Fusarium oxysporum). To improve phenolic acid content and rice bran preservation, Limosilactobacillus fermentum J2 with the strongest CE activity and Lactobacillus gasseri N2 with the strongest antibacterial activity were used in rice bran fermentation, respectively. FRB-J2 (fermented rice bran with Limosilactobacillus fermentum J2) and FRB-N2 (fermented rice bran with Lactobacillus gasseri N2) significantly increased caffeic acid and ferulic acid (P

Fermentation is known as a method that improves the nutritional value of foods in addition to preserving them. Various traditionally produced fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, some cheeses, sausages and pickles have probiotic potential. Hence, consumption of fermented foods plays an important role in modulating of gut microbiota and supplying positive effects on health. With the help of beneficial microorganisms, the intestinal barrier can be improved which induces the activity of the immune cells associated to the gut. In recent years, probiotics have been used in foods in order to produce functional foods that have the potential to improve gastrointestinal health. It is known that intestinal microbiota and probiotics can interact in immune system and these interactions provide positive health effects like reducing risk of hypertension, improving gut microbiota, regulating immune system, preventing diabetes, allergies and diarrhea. In this paper, fermented foods having probiotic potential and the effects of consuming these foods on the immune system are revised.

Helicobacter pylori plays a consequential role in gastric inflammations and ulceration. The cure for the same was researched and identified to be the triple therapy regime. Intensive research in the field also proved that altering the food habits during ulcers will be a major factor in the time period that is required for cure. Fermented foods usage dates back to ancient civilizations, but their role in maintaining gastric health are slowly being uncovered. One such major role reported will be the bacterial check that the probiotics in fermented food do in human gastrointestinal tract. Various species of bacteria present in the fermented products will lead to reduction of the H. Pylori infection in the GI tract.Key teaching pointsMicrobes that are active in fermented foods reduce inflammation and improve histological conditions of ulcers caused due to H. pylori.Microbes such as Lactobacillus that were in fermented products when tested showed inhibitory effects, decreasing infection density and reducing mucus depletion.Lactic fermented products showed a decrease in urease activity and reduces H. pylori adhesion through various organic acid secretions.Organisms in fermented products involve various mechanisms like lowering gut pH, improving immunological responses, scavenging free radicals and so on.Fermented foods have many modulatory effects that help fighting and curing gastric ulcers.

Omics tools offer the opportunity to characterize and trace traditional and industrial fermented foods. Bioinformatics, through machine learning, and other advanced statistical approaches, are able to disentangle fermentation processes and to predict the evolution and metabolic outcomes of a food microbial ecosystem. By assembling microbial artificial consortia, the biotechnological advances will also be able to enhance the nutritional value and organoleptics characteristics of fermented food, preserving, at the same time, the potential of autochthonous microbial consortia and metabolic pathways, which are difficult to reproduce. Preserving the traditional methods contributes to protecting the hidden value of local biodiversity, and exploits its potential in industrial processes with the final aim of guaranteeing food security and safety, even in developing countries.

The aim of this review was to present various topics related to lactose intolerance with special attention given to the role of fermented foods and probiotics in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms. Lactose intolerance is a common digestive problem in which the human body is unable to digest lactose, known as milk sugar. Lactose intolerance can either be hereditary or a consequence of intestinal diseases. Recent work has demonstrated that fermented dairy products and probiotics can modify the metabolic activities of colonic microbiota and may alleviate the symptoms of lactose intolerance. We suggest that, lactose free dairy products could be recommended as alternatives for the alleviation of lactose intolerance and for the promotion of human health and wellness.

Sodium salt is a pivotal ingredient in traditional fermented foods, but its excessive consumption adversely affects human health, product quality, and production efficiency. Therefore, reducing sodium salt content in traditional fermented foods and developing low-sodium fermented foods have attracted increasing attention. Given the essential role of sodium salt in the safety and quality of fermented foods, appropriate approaches should be applied in the production of low-sodium fermented foods. In this review, the challenges of sodium reduction in traditional fermented foods are presented, including the possible growth of pathogenic bacteria, the formation of hazardous chemicals, flavor deficiency, and texture deterioration. Physical, chemical, and biological strategies are also discussed. This review provides references for improving the quality and safety of low-sodium fermented foods.

An attempt was made, to characterize natural antibiotics or lantibiotics from unconventional sources and its antibacterial spectrum against food borne pathogens and drug resistant bacteria. Six different traditional fermented foods i.e., fermented fish, fermented soybeans, Soibum (fermented bamboo shoots), milk, idly and dosa batter were used for the isolation of bacteriocin producing Lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Among all bacterial cultures isolated from the various sources, 129 cultures have found to produce antimicrobial compounds. Nisin specific reporter bacteria was utilized as biosensor to identify the Nisin like bacteriocin, where 10 cultures found to be positive Nisin producer. Identified Nisin like bacteriocin was partially concentrated by using ammonium sulphate followed by butanol extraction. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was analyzed against food borne pathogen and drug resistant bacteria. MIC of partially purified Nisin (pp-Nisin) of all the LAB isolates against food-borne pathogens are ranged between 0.5 and 92 µg/ml respected to various Gram-positive bacteria. Similarly, the drug resistant bacteria were also inhibited by pp-Nisin (MIC ranged between 15 and 175 µg/ml). All samples of ppnisin exhibited auto induction ability. Taxonomic identification of the nisin producers was done by whole genome sequencing which reveals that cultures belongs to Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. Also it was found that Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis C2d and Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis SP2C4 harbor nisA gene and Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis FS2 (L. lactis FS2) harbor nisQ gene. The finding of this study highlights the first case of L. lactis FS2 isolated from fermented fish harbor nisQ gene. Antibacterial activity of pp-Nisin against drug resistant LAB is also reported.

Objectives This study aims to determine the characteristics of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri from fermented soursop fruit juice and cow’s milk, respectively as probiotic candidate based on exposure to pH, bile salts, pathogenic bacteria, and antibiotics. Methods In vitro studies were conducted to examine the resistance of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri in pH 2, 2.5, 3.2, and 7.2, resistance to bile salts, resistance to pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and antituberculosis antibiotics. Results Viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri isolates remained unchanged (6.3 × 107 CFU/mL and 5.03 × 107 CFU/mL) at various acidic pH, and had a low survival rate in Ox gall 0.3% (bile salts). These isolates also showed antibacterial properties against pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract. Both of these bacteria are quite safe to be used together with ofloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin, antibiotic for tuberculosis therapy. Conclusions The results showed that Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus reuteri from fermented soursop fruit juice and cow’s milk respectively fulfilled the characteristics of probiotic and could potentially be used as adjunct therapy in tuberculosis drug-resistance.

INTRODUCTION Fermented foods have been consumed for millennia and commercially-produced variants are now available in the food supply. The present study aimed to investigate the availability, cost, ingredients, nutritional content and on-pack claims of commercially-available fermented foods in the UK. METHODS All products from seven categories of commercially-available fermented foods were systematically identified at eight national supermarket chains in the UK. Data were extracted from manufacturer and retailer websites and were compared between categories using a Kruskal-Wallis test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS In total, 143 fermented foods were identified, with kombucha (41, 28.7%), kefir drinks (32, 22.4%), sauerkraut (22, 15.4%) and kefir yoghurts (21, 14.7%) being most common. The number of products sold at each retailer differed between categories (p = 0.016), and was greatest for kefir drink (median = 7.0, interquartile range [IQR] = 9.0), kombucha (median = 5.5, IQR = 11.5) and kefir yoghurts (median = 5.0, IQR = 8.5). Kombucha (£1.99 per serving) and kefir drinks (£1.26 per serving) were the most expensive fermented foods and sauerkraut (£0.66 per serving) and miso (£0.20 per serving) were the least expensive. Energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar, protein and salt content varied between fermented foods (p

Background Probiotics are important tools in therapies against vaginal infections and can assist traditional antibiotic therapies in restoring healthy microbiota. Recent research has shown that microorganisms belonging to the genus Lactobacillus have probiotic potential. Thus, this study evaluated the potential in vitro probiotic properties of three strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, isolated during the fermentation of high-quality cocoa, against Gardnerella vaginalis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Strains were evaluated for their physiological, safety, and antimicrobial characteristics. Results The hydrophobicity of L. plantarum strains varied from 26.67 to 91.67%, and their autoaggregation varied from 18.10 to 30.64%. The co-aggregation of L. plantarum strains with G. vaginalis ranged from 14.73 to 16.31%, and from 29.14 to 45.76% with N. gonorrhoeae. All L. plantarum strains could moderately or strongly produce biofilms. L. plantarum strains did not show haemolytic activity and were generally sensitive to the tested antimicrobials. All lactobacillus strains were tolerant to heat and pH resistance tests. All three strains of L. plantarum showed antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens. The coincubation of L. plantarum strains with pathogens showed that the culture pH remained below 4.5 after 24 h. All cell-free culture supernatants (CFCS) demonstrated activity against the two pathogens tested, and all L. plantarum strains produced hydrogen peroxide. CFCS characterisation in conjunction with gas chromatography revealed that organic acids, especially lactic acid, were responsible for the antimicrobial activity against the pathogens evaluated. Conclusion The three strains of L. plantarum presented significant probiotic characteristics against the two pathogens of clinical importance. In vitro screening identified strong probiotic candidates for in vivo studies for the treatment of vaginal infections.

Objectives: Although fermented food use is ubiquitous in humans, the ecological and evolutionary factors contributing to its emergence are unclear. Here we investigated the ecological contexts surrounding the consumption of fruits in the late stages of fermentation by wild primates to provide insight into its adaptive function. We hypothesized that climate, socioecological traits, and habitat patch size would influence the occurrence of this behavior due to effects on the environmental prevalence of late-stage fermented foods, the ability of primates to detect them, and potential nutritional benefits. Materials and methods: We compiled data from field studies lasting at least 9 months to describe the contexts in which primates were observed consuming fruits in the late stages of fermentation. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models, we assessed the effects of 18 predictor variables on the occurrence of fermented food use in primates. Results: Late-stage fermented foods were consumed by a wide taxonomic breadth of primates. However, they generally made up 0.01%–3% of the annual diet and were limited to a subset of fruit species, many of which are reported to have mechanical and chemical defenses against herbivores when not fermented. Additionally, latestage fermented food consumption was best predicted by climate and habitat patch size. It was more likely to occur in larger habitat patches with lower annual mean rainfall and higher annual mean maximum temperatures. Discussion: We posit that primates capitalize on the natural fermentation of some fruits as part of a nutritional strategy to maximize periods of fruit exploitation and/or access a wider range of plant species. We speculate that these factors contributed to the evolutionary emergence of the human propensity for fermented foods. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research/[]/CIFAR/Canadá UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biología

Lactobacilli probiotics have been suggested to reduce cholesterol with low side effects to host. Bacteriocins and exopolysaccharides (EPSs) production are two meaningful examples of functional applications of lactobacilli in the food industry. Eight Lactobacillus strains were isolated from some Egyptian fermented food and tested for their probiotic properties. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition by thin layer chromatography showed the presence of glucose, galactose and unknown sugar. The main functional groups of EPSs were elucidated by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Their fermentation cultures displayed powerful antioxidant activities extending from 97.5 to 99%, 40–75% for their EPSs and free cells, respectively, and exhibited in vitro cholesterol downgrading from 48 to 82% and 72 to 91% after 48 and 120 h, respectively. Their EPSs showed good anticancer activities against carcinoma cells with low IC50 values for HCT–116, PC–3 and HepG–2 cells. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports on the potential of Lactobacillus EPSs activity against PC–3. The selected strains, L. plantarum KU985433 and L. rhamnosus KU985436 produced two different bacteriocins as detected by gel permeation chromatography with good antimicrobial activities. In vivo study demonstrated that feeding Westar rats with fermented milk exhibited greater cholesterol, LDL and blood triglyceride reduction for both strains. Whereas, HDL was increased by about 43 and 38%, respectively, and the atherogenic indices decreased.

The word “bamboo” reminds us of “a hollow stick,” but it is filled with a plethora of health benefits. The tribals of northeastern India ferment these beneficial bamboo shoots for the goodness of mankind. Fermentation is an important age-old biotechnological procedure used for the preservation of food products. Fermented bamboo shoots form the niche for many microorganisms, and this confers positive effects and advantages in many ways. These magical shoots have tremendous health benefits like anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, cardioprotective, weight loss, probiotics, to name a few. Apart from health benefits, fermented bamboo shoots form important functional foods and have industrial and economical values. Though these are commonly found and started in the tribal area, and local markets, today, they are valuable all around the world, as popular as gold. Hence, fermented bamboo shoots are referred as “green gold” of India. This review briefs about various health benefits, advantages, disadvantages, future scope, and finally the economic values of fermented bamboo shoots, the “green gold” of the twenty-first century.

Background As a Chinese traditional flavor condiment, Pixian Douban (PXDB) is produced using a traditional open fermentation process. In this study, an experimental fermentation of PXDB was conducted at 40 °C for 90 days in a closed system, which has not been applied to PXDB production. The flavor, microbial community and correlations of the samples in the closed system were compared with those in the traditional fermentation. Results The content of organic acids and free amino acids in the closed fermentation of constant temperature (CFCT) achieved the standards of product quality, although they were lower than those in the traditional fermentation. Of the 140 detected aroma components, 98 were shared in the two fermentation processes. Enterobacter, Bacteroides and Megamonas were the core microbial genera related to 26 flavor components in the traditional fermentation, while Pantoea was the core microbial genus related to 18 flavor components in CFCT. The CFCT has its own unique advantages over traditional fermentation in forming aromas. It produced a greater impact on the succession of fungi than those of bacteria after changing traditional fermentation to CFCT. The influence of microorganisms on the formation of flavor components was relatively more balanced in CFCT, while the changed fermentation process impacted greatly on the functions of Zygosaccharomomyces and Pichia but little on those of Sphingomonas, Megamonas and Parabacteroides. Conclusion The study indicated that it was feasible to ferment PXDB in the closed system, and provides a basis to realize controllable PXDB production. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

An expert panel was convened in September 2019 by The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) to develop a definition for fermented foods and to describe their role in the human diet. Although these foods have been consumed for thousands of years, they are receiving increased attention among biologists, nutritionists, technologists, clinicians and consumers. Despite this interest, inconsistencies related to the use of the term ‘fermented’ led the panel to define fermented foods and beverages as “foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components”. This definition, encompassing the many varieties of fermented foods, is intended to clarify what is (and is not) a fermented food. The distinction between fermented foods and probiotics is further clarified. The panel also addressed the current state of knowledge on the safety, risks and health benefits, including an assessment of the nutritional attributes and a mechanistic rationale for how fermented foods could improve gastrointestinal and general health. The latest advancements in our understanding of the microbial ecology and systems biology of these foods were discussed. Finally, the panel reviewed how fermented foods are regulated and discussed efforts to include them as a separate category in national dietary guidelines., Although fermented foods have been consumed for thousands of years, a clear definition has been lacking. This Consensus Statement outlines a definition for the term ‘fermented foods’ as determined by an expert panel convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics in September 2019.

Fermented foods and drinks derived from animals as well as plants play an important role in diets. These foods usually contain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) grown during fermentation, and these naturally contain compounds, including organic acids, ethanol, or antimicrobial compounds with the ability to inhibit spoilage organisms and pathogenic bacteria in fermented foods. Furthermore, these bacteria are able to adapt well to the spontaneous fermentation process and play a role in human as well as animal health, especially in digestive tract, commonly known as probiotics. This study therefore aims to describe the microorganisms produced by fermented foods suitable for development as probiotics to improve human health, as these generally have the ability to improve the immune system against pathogenic bacteria. Several genera are used as probiotics, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, Pediococcus, and several yeasts. Therefore, LAB produced from fermented foods were concluded to be suitable potential candidates for probiotics, to replace antibiotics in overcoming pathogenic bacteria, and to possess the ability to improve the immune system and strengthen the body against pathogenic bacteria.

The microbial community during fermented vegetable production has a large impact on the quality of the final products. Lactic acid bacteria have been well-studied in such processes, but knowledge about the roles of non-lactic acid bacteria is limited. This study aimed to provide useful knowledge about the relationships between the microbiota, including non-lactic acid bacteria, and metabolites in commercial pickle production by investigating Japanese pickles fermented in rice-bran. The samples were provided by six manufacturers, divided into two groups depending on the production conditions. The microbiological content of these samples was investigated by high-throughput sequencing, and metabolites were assessed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and enzymatic assay. The data suggest that Halomonas, halophilic Gram-negative bacteria, can increase glutamic acid content during the pickling process under selective conditions for bacterial growth. In contrast, in less selective conditions, the microbiota consumed glutamic acid. Our results indicate that the glutamic acid content in fermented pickle is influenced by the microbiota, rather than by externally added glutamic acid. Our data suggest that both lactic acid bacteria and non-lactic acid bacteria are positive key factors in the mechanism of commercial vegetable fermentation and affect the quality of pickles.

Rye is among the cereals with the highest content of dietary fibre. A high rye food intake has been associated with improved metabolic risk factors in some but not all observational and intervention studies. Whole-grain rye has also been suggested to affect the gut microbiota in individuals with metabolic syndrome. However, it is yet unclear to what extent effects on the gut microbiota mediate the beneficial metabolic responses of whole-grain rye intake. We hypothesized that a high intake of whole grain rye products containing fermented rye bran (FRB) vs. refined wheat based products (RW) could alter the gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) composition towards a phenotype associated with beneficial metabolic effects in a population not used to such foods. For this purpose, we conducted a post hoc analysis of a 12-week randomized controlled trial in Chinese adults with Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection, with 53 participants consuming RW and 31 participants consuming FRB included in the analysis. Anthropometric measurements and fasting blood and fecal sample analyses as well as 13C-urea breath test were performed at baseline and after a 12-week intervention. At week 12, we observed a higher serum insulin concentration (P-value = 0.038) in the FRB group (n = 31) versus the RW group (n = 53), and this difference was corroborated with alterations in the genus-level relative abundances of the gut microbiota, represented by an increase in Romboutsia and a reduction in Bilophila in the FRB group (n = 22) versus the RW group (n = 46). Compared to the RW group (n = 53), fecal acetic acid concentration was significantly higher in the FRB group (n = 31) at week 12. We also found that fecal acetic and butyric acids positively, while isobutyric, isovaleric and 2-methylbutyric acids inversely, correlated with the gut Romboutsia level among all participants (n = 68) at week 12. We found positive correlations of fecal isobutyric, isovaleric and 2-methylbutyric acids with gut Bilophila (n = 68). In conclusion, our results suggest that the intake of high-fibre rye products could modify gut Romboutsia and Bilophila in a Chinese population with HP infection. These effects are paralleled with favorable modifications of the SCFA concentration and are associated with altered glycemic traits.

Traditional Chinese fermented foods are favored by consumers due to their unique flavor, texture and nutritional values. A large number of microorganisms participate in the process of fermentation, especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are present in almost all fermented foods and contribute to flavor development. The formation process of flavor is complex and involves the biochemical conversion of various food components. It is very important to fully understand the conversion process to direct the flavor formation in foods. A comprehensive link between the LAB community and the flavor formation in traditional Chinese fermented foods is reviewed. The main mechanisms involved in the flavor formation dominated by LAB are carbohydrate metabolism, proteolysis and amino acid catabolism, and lipolysis and fatty acid metabolism. This review highlights some useful novel approaches for flavor enhancement, including the application of functional starter cultures and metabolic engineering, which may provide significant advances toward improving the flavor of fermented foods for a promising market.

The possibility of exploiting the human immune response to glycan α-Gal for the control of multiple infectious diseases has been the objective of recent investigations. In this field of research, the strain of Escherichia coli O86:B7 has been at the forefront, but this Gram-negative microorganism presents a safety concern and therefore cannot be considered as a probiotic. To address this challenge, this study explored the identification of novel lactic acid bacteria with a safe history of use, producing α-Gal and having probiotic potential. The lactic acid bacteria were isolated from different traditionally fermented foods (kununn-zaki, kindirmo, and pulque) and were screened for the production of α-Gal and some specific probiotic potential indicators. The results showed that Ten (10) out of forty (40) [25%] of the tested lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produced α-Gal and were identified as Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Levilactobacillus brevis, Agrilactobacillus composti, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Weissella confusa. Four (4) LAB strains with highest levels of α-Gal were further selected for in vivo study using a mouse model (α1,3GT KO mice) to elucidate the immunological response to α-Gal. The level of anti-α-Gal IgG observed were not significant while the level of anti-α-Gal IgM was lower in comparison to the level elicited by E. coli O86:B7. We concluded that the lactic acid bacteria in this study producing α-Gal have potential probiotic capacity and can be further explored in α-Gal-focused research for both the prevention and treatment of various infectious diseases and probiotic development., Research on α-Gal has been partially supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/Agencia Estatal de Investigación MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Spain and EU-FEDER (Grant BIOGAL PID2020-116761 GB-I00). BT was supported by The World Academy of Sciences, Italy (FR number_3240306342) and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India (BT/AB/03/04/2002Timothy).

International audience; Fermented foods (FFs) have been a part of our diets for millennia and comprise highly diverse products obtained from plants and animals all over the world. Historically, fermentation has been used to preserve food and render certain raw materials edible. As our food systems evolve towards more sustainability, the health benefits of FFs have been increasingly touted. Fermentation generates new/transformed bioactive compounds that may occur in association with probiotic bacteria. The result can be specific, advantageous functional properties. Yet, when considering the body of human studies on the topic, whether observational or experimental, it is rare to come across findings supporting the above assertion. Certainly, results are lacking to confirm the widespread idea that FFs have general health benefits. There are some exceptions, such as in the case of lactose degradation via fermentation in individuals who are lactose intolerant; the impact of select fermented dairy products on insulin sensitivity; or the benefits of alcohol consumption. However, in other situations, the results fail to categorically indicate whether FFs have neutral, beneficial, or detrimental effects on human health. This review tackles this apparent incongruity by showing why it is complex to test the health effects of FFs and what can be done to improve knowledge in this field.

Background: India is a land of diverse food culture and habits and has a plethora of ethnic fermented foods to boast of. Ranging from the north east to the western part of the country and from northern Indian states to the southern tip of the country, fermented ethnic foods have become part of everyday meals and have been able to bridge nutritional gaps and improve general immunity of the people. Most ethnic fermented foods have a rich content of protein, vitamins, fibres and minerals. Aim: Our review attempts to bring forth and summarise the most popular, immune boosting fermented foods of various regions in India, the role microbes’ play in their making and how they have impacted the nutritional aspects and immunity of people in various regions of the country. It also highlights the lack of clinical findings in proving the effectiveness of most fermented foods. Methods: Pubmed central and Google scholar were extensively searched from inception to July 2021 for study concepts and topic related keywords. Results: Ethnic fermented food of various Indian regions has shown a definitive role in improving health and immunity. Conclusion: The diverse ethnic fermented foods maybe be meat based, cereal based, pulses based and even vegetable based. Their health benefits and immune boosting abilities are still to be explored to its maximum potential. Often the role of microbes in these fermented foods have also been underplayed and left unexplored.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibly of using traditional milk kefir grains for the production of water kefir-like beverages and assess the changes in the physicochemical characteristics and the microbial populations of the fermented beverages. To this end, experiments of milk fermentation were primarily conducted at different temperatures and upon selection of the optimal, a gradual substitution of the substrate was performed by replacing milk from a sucrose-based solution. After the successful fermentation of the sucrose substrate, fruit juices were used as fermentation substrates. Sensory evaluation of the sugar-based beverages was also performed in order to access their acceptability for consumption. According to the results, the transition from milk to water kefir is indeed feasible, leading to the production of beverages with relatively higher ethanol concentrations (up to 2.14 ± 0.12% w/v) than milk kefir and much lower lactic acid concentrations (up to 0.16 ± 0.01% w/v). During the fermentation of the sugary substrates, yeasts seemed to be dominant over lactic acid bacteria, in contrast to what was observed in the case of milk kefir, where LAB dominated. The sensory evaluation revealed that all sugar-based beverages were acceptable for consumption, with the fruit-based ones obtaining, though, a better score in all attributes.

Traditional fermented soybean food has emerged as an important part of people's dietary structure because of the unique flavors and improved health benefit. During fermentation, the nutrients in soybean undergo a series of biochemical reactions catalyzed naturally by microorganism secreted enzymes. Thereafter, many functional and bioactive substances such as bioactive peptides, unsaturated fatty acids, free soy isoflavones, vitamins and minerals are produced, making fermented soy products more advantageous in nutrition and health. This review comprehensively discusses the historical evolution, distribution, traditional fermentation processing, main sources and characteristics of fermented strains, flavor components, nutritional properties, and biological activities of four traditional fermented soybean foods including douchi, sufu, dajiang, and soy sauce. In the end, we introduce four major challenges encountered by traditional fermented soybean foods including high salt content, formation of biogenic amine, the presence of pathogenic microorganisms and mycotoxins, and quality inconsistency. We conclude that the establishment of scientific quality standard and innovated fermentation processing is the potential solutions to combat the issues and improve the safety of traditional fermented soybean products.

Dairy and fermented foods are common sources of dietary branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) of chain lengths C13-C18 serving a putative prebiotic role and a component of human integument. Few studies have reported on nonfermented plant-derived BCFA in human diets or cosmetics. A three-ion monitoring method was adapted to confirm branch position of ultratrace (

The rural tribal people of Meghalaya depend mostly on their ethnic fermented foods as a part of their regular diet and these fermented foods are considered to be a hub of healthy microorganisms. However, the efficacy of probiotic microorganisms is considered to be population-specific because of gut microflora variation in food habits and specific host-microbial interactions. Hence, a strong need for exploring novel indigenous microorganisms with rich probiotic potentiality is required. A few indigenous Lactobacillus isolates (from traditional fermented foods of Meghalaya) were studied extensively for its technological and probiotic attributes. The isolates could survive at pH 2–3 (L. fermentum K16 showed high cell count: pH 2–5.12 log CFU/ml; pH 3–5.76 log CFU/ml), against bile salts (L. fermentum K7 showed high cell count-5.36 log CFU/ml), gastric juices (pepsin and trypsin), and intestinal juice (pancreatin). The isolates showed α-galactosidase activity from 0.104-0.412 μM/ml and β-glucosidase activity ranging from 0.122-0.409 μM/ml. Exopolysaccharide production was in between 410 and 950 mg/L. Cell surface hydrophobicity was 71.57% (L. rhamnosus K4E) and auto-aggregation was 83% (L. fermentum K16) during the study. Highest proteolytic activity (0.671 nm) and cholesterol assimilation (52.57%) was exhibited by L. fermentum K16. The isolates showed high free radical scavenging activity by ABTS method up to 80.78% by isolate L. fermentum K7. Antibacterial activity and co-aggregation efficacy was also tested against B. cereus, E. faecalis, S. dysenteriae, S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes, S. typhi. These indigenous Lactobacillus isolates with high probiotic potentials could be exploited in the development of the traditional fermented foods of Meghalaya., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Technological and probiotic attributes (in vitro) of eight indigenous Lactobacillus strains were studied. • Lactobacillus strains were isolated from the traditional fermented foods of Meghalaya, India. • L. rhamnosus K4E, L. fermentum K16, L. fermentum K7 and L. plantarum RD7 were considered predominant over the rest of the strains. • The isolates could be employed for development of novel functional fermented foods.

Trimethylamine (TMA) is a well-known off-odor compound in fish and fishery products and is a metabolic product of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) generated by the enzymatic action of microorganisms. The off-odor is a factor that can debase the value of fish and fishery products. The present study aimed to remove TMA using lactic acid bacteria (LAB). A total of fifteen isolates exhibiting the TMA reduction efficacy were isolated from Korean traditional fermented foods. Among these isolates, five LAB isolates (Lactobacillus plantarum SKD 1 and 4; Lactobacillus paraplantarum SKD 15; Pediococcus stilesii SKD 11; P. pentosaceus SKD 14) were selected based on their high TMA reduction efficacy. In situ reduction of TMA efficacy by the LAB cell-free supernatant was evaluated using a spoiled fish sample. The results showed effective TMA reduction by our selected strains: SKD1 (45%), SKD4 (62%), SKD11 (60%), SKD14 (59%), and SKD15 (52%), respectively. This is the first study on TMA reduction by the metabolic activity of LAB and in situ reduction of TMA using cell-free supernatant of LAB. The present finding suggests an economically useful and ecofriendly approach to the reduction of TMA.

Background Industrial Fuling Zhacai is pickled by a method summarized as 'three times pickled and pressed', in which raw mustard tubers are subjected to three stages of pickling in different salt concentrations, with a pressing operation at the end of each stage to remove brine. This study used Illumina MiSeq technology and multivariate statistical analyses to investigate microbial community succession during the pickling process and its correlation with Zhacai biochemical indices. Results A total of 19 phyla, 208 genera, and 295 species of bacteria were identified. Lactobacillus was the dominant genus of bacteria in all three stages and Lactobacillus sakei was the dominant species in the first and second stages. A total of six phyla, 200 genera and 301 species of fungi were also identified. According to a PICRUSt2 prediction, the main functions of the bacterial and fungal communities were carbohydrate and protein metabolism, while alcohol metabolism was also a function of fungi. Nine bacterial genera closely correlated with Zhacai biochemical indices: Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Pedobacter, Erwinia, Lactobacillus, Chryseobacterium, Flavobacterium, Duganella, and Paenarthrobacter. Six genera of fungi correlated closely: Penicillium, Cystobasidium, Cladosporium, Plenodomus, Aspergillus, and Simplicillium. All these genera probably originated from the surface microorganisms of raw mustard tuber. Conclusion This study reveals the succession patterns of microbial community structures during the pickling process of industrial Zhacai and infers the core functional flora, providing reference data for Zhacai pickling process control. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background Starter cultures are nowadays more and more used to make inoculated pickles (IPs), but it remains unclear whether there are differences in flavors between IPs and naturally fermented pickles. In this study 16 commercial pickles (CPs) produced by spontaneous fermentation method were purchased from markets in Sichuan province and Chongqing. Ten strains of three lactic acid bacteria species - Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Pediococcus ethanolidurans - were selected as single starter cultures to produce IPs. Results Differences in flavor components between the CPs and IPs were monitored using a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and multivariate statistical methods. Higher levels of nonvolatile substances such as glucose, fructose, tagatose, sucrose, lactic acid and mannitol were detected in most IPs than in the CPs. The values of flavor characteristics such as sweetness, umami and astringency, which were correlated positively with consumers' overall preferences for pickles, were higher in the IPs than in the CPs. Volatile compounds such as geranyl acetate, dimethyl trisulfide, eucalyptol and linalool were distinguished as the main compounds that contributed to the flavor characteristics of the CPs. In addition to dimethyl trisulfide, dimethyl disulfide was also an odor contributor to the IPs. Conclusions The CPs and IPs had different flavor characteristics, especially in the composition and content of volatile components, and the inoculation method reflected some fermentation advantages, which could reduce the bitterness and increase umami and lead to a higher score of sensory preference. This will be helpful for industrial production. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

BACKGROUND Serofluid dish, a traditional Chinese fermented food, possesses unique flavors and health beneficial effects. These properties are likely due to the sophisticated metabolic networks during fermentation, which are mainly driven by microbiota. However, the exact roles of metabolic pathways and the microbial community during this process remain equivocal. RESULTS Here, we investigated the microbial dynamics by next-generation sequencing, and outlined a differential non-targeted metabolite profiling in the process of serofluid dish fermentation using the method of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Lactobacillus was the leading genus of bacteria, while Pichia and Issatchenkia were the dominant fungi. They all accumulated during fermentation. In total, 218 differential metabolites were identified, of which organic acids, amino acids, sugar and sugar alcohols, fatty acids, and esters comprised the majority. The constructed metabolic network showed that tricarboxylic acid cycle, urea cycle, sugar metabolism, amino acids metabolism, choline metabolism, and flavonoid metabolism were regulated by the fermentation. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed that the leading fungi, Pichia and Issatchenkia, were linked to organic acids, amino acid and sugar metabolism, flavonoids, and several other flavor and functional components. Antibacterial tests indicated the antibacterial effect of serofluid soup against Salmonella and Staphylococcus. CONCLUSION This work provides new insights into the complex microbial and metabolic networks during serofluid dish fermentation, and a theoretical basis for the optimization of its industrial production. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The study focused on the production of wine from date palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) using a strain of yeast isolated from selected Nigerian locally fermented beverages (‘pito’, ‘brukutu’ and palm wine). Seven (7) distinct yeasts were isolated and identified using cultural, microscopy and biochemical tests (temperature tolerance, flocculation, ethanol tolerance, H2S production and killer toxin production and the ability to assimilate and ferment sugars. The yeast isolates were screened using refractometric and spectrophotometric methods to select the isolate with the best ability for wine production. This isolate was molecularly characterized, grown in 1 L of potatoes dextrose broth, freeze dried and used for wine production. The population of yeast, bacteria and the physicochemical analysis of the must were monitored during fermentation. Populations of bacteria in the wine were assessed by standard pour plate count. The proximate content and physicochemical properties of the produced wine before and after ageing, as well as the sensorial quality of the produced wine was determined. All the yeast isolates possessed the ability to flocculate, tolerate ethanol concentration of between 5 and 20% and temperature range of 30–45 °C, produced low concentration of H2S and does not produce killer toxins. A palm wine isolate, identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae X01 was selected as the best isolate with the most ability for wine production. The total yeast count increases as the period of fermentation progressed while the total viable bacterial count reduced as the fermentation period progressed. There was a significant difference (P 0.05) between the proximate and physicochemical compositions of the produced wine before and after ageing using Saccharomyces cerevisiae X01 when compared to the control S. cerevisiae QA23. This study revealed that the Nigerian locally sourced S. cerevisiae X01 can be used as an alternative substrate for industrial scale production of wine with a mild alcoholic content.

Traditional fermented foods and beverages (TFFB) are important dietary components. Multi-omics techniques have been applied to all aspects of TFFB research to clarify the composition and nutritional value of TFFB, and to reveal the microbial community, microbial interactions, fermentative kinetics, and metabolic profiles during the fermentation process of TFFB. Because of the advantages of metaproteomics in providing functional information, this technology has increasingly been used in research to assess the functional diversity of microbial communities. Metaproteomics is gradually gaining attention in the field of TFFB research because it can reveal the nature of microorganism function at the protein level. This paper reviews the common methods of metaproteomics applied in TFFB research; systematically summarizes the results of metaproteomics research on TFFB, such as sauces, wines, fermented tea, cheese, and fermented fish; and compares the differences in conclusions reached through metaproteomics versus other omics methods. Metaproteomics has great advantages in revealing the microbial functions in TFFB and the interaction between the materials and microbial community. In the future, metaproteomics should be further applied to the study of functional protein markers and protein interaction in TFFB; multi-omics technology requires further integration to reveal the molecular nature of TFFB fermentation.

Free amino acids (FAAs) participate in the synthesis of quality characteristic ingredients and taste substances in fermented minced peppers (FMPs), and they can be affected by fermentation method and time. In this study, changes in FAAs of FMP during natural fermentation (NF) and inoculated fermentation (IF) process were characterized by HPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that a total of 20 FAAs were identified, including 8 essential amino acids (AAs), 2 semiessential AAs, and 10 nonessential AAs. Comparing with other FAAs, Gln, Arg, and Asn presented higher content in the whole NF or IF periods. The FAAs content of NF and IF samples showed similar tendency during fermentation process, which first increased and then decreased. The highest content of most FAAs in IF and NF samples was obtained on the 18- and 12-day, respectively. Moreover, the FAA content in IF samples was higher than that in NF ones at the same fermentation time. The taste AAs content accounted for 23.3% to 50.0% in total FAAs, and taste activity value of bitter and umami was higher than sweet and aromatic ones. Based on principal component analysis, comprehensive analysis ranking, and heat map clustering analysis, FMP obtained by IF posed better FAAs quality than NF samples during fermentation process. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Free amino acids (FAAs) participate in the synthesis of quality characteristic ingredients and taste substances in fermented minced peppers (FMPs), and they can be affected by fermentation method and time. Changes in FAA varieties and level in FMP during natural fermentation (NF) and inoculated fermentation (IF) process were analyzed using HPLC-MS/MS. Then, they were performed by principal component analysis (PCA), and clustered with the heat map. The results showed that FMP obtained by IF posed better FAAs quality than NF samples in the whole fermentation. HPLC-MS/MS was a reliable and effective mean for determining the FAAs and could provide regulation guidelines for improving the quality of FMP during fermentation process.

The objective is to explore the effects of enhancing the activity of yeast ferulic acid decarboxylase (FDC1) on the level of 4-vinylguaiacol (4-VG) and the consumption of its precursor ferulic acid (FA) in top-fermented wheat beer. Expression of Bacillus pumilus FDC1 in brewer’s yeast showed a better effect on the FDC1 activity than overexpression of the endogenous enzyme. The 4-VG content was increased by 34%, and the consumption time of FA was shortened from 48 to 12 h. Since the intracellular accumulation of the FDC1 substrate did not increase over time, to reduce the FA transport burden on cells and shorten the decarboxylation time, B. pumilus FDC1 was further secreted extracellularly. The resulted strain showed a 65% increase in 4-VG content in the FA-containing medium, and produced about 3 mg L−1 4-VG in the top-fermented wheat beer, increasing by 61% than control. However, further increasing the secretory expression level of FDC1 only accelerated FA consumption. These results suggested that appropriate secretion of bacterial FDC1 into wort could be used as a potential alternative strategy to increase the level of 4-VG in top-fermented wheat beer.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented food prepared via spontaneous fermentation by various microorganisms originating from vegetables such as kimchi cabbage, radishes, and garlic. Recent advances in meta-omics approaches that integrate metataxonomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics have contributed to explaining and understanding food fermentation processes. Kimchi microbial communities are composed of majorly lactic acid bacteria such as Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Weissella and fewer eukaryotic microorganisms and kimchi fermentation are accomplished by complex microbial metabolisms to produce diverse metabolites such as lactate, acetate, CO2, ethanol, mannitol, amino acids, formate, malate, diacetyl, acetoin, and 2, 3-butanediol, which determine taste, quality, health benefit, and safety of fermented kimchi products. Therefore, in the future, kimchi researches should be systematically performed using the meta-omics approaches to understand complex microbial metabolisms during kimchi fermentation. KEY POINTS: • Spontaneous fermentation by raw material microbes gives kimchi its unique flavor. • The kimchi microbiome is altered by environmental factors and raw materials. • Through the multi-omics approaches, it is possible to accurately analyze the diversity and metabolic characteristics of kimchi microbiome and discover potential functionalities.

Background Probiotics have been reported to reduce total cholesterol levels in vitro, but more evidence is needed to determine the clinical relevance of this activity. Chinese traditional fermented pickles are a good source of lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, pickle samples were collected for screening lactic acid bacteria based on their ability to survive stresses encountered during gastrointestinal passage and cholesterol reducing potency. Results Seventy five lactic acid bacteria strains were isolated from 22 fermented pickles. From these bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum E680, showed the highest acid (85.25%) and bile tolerance (80.79%). It was sensitive to five of the eight antibiotics tested, inhibited the growth of four pathogenic bacteria, and reduced the total cholesterol level by 66.84% in broth culture. In vivo testing using hypercholesterolemic mice fed high-fat emulsion, independent of food intake, found that L. plantarum E680 suppressed body weight gain and reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, with no effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions Chinese traditional fermented pickles are a good source for probiotics. L. plantarum E680, isolated from pickles, was acid and bile tolerant, sensitive to antibiotics, and reduced cholesterol levels both in vitro and in vivo. Based on these results, L. plantarum E680 may have potential as a novel probiotic for the development of cholesterol-lowering functional food.

Fermented foods have unique microbiota and metabolomic profiles that can support dietary diversity, digestion, and gut health of consumers. Laowo ham (LWH) is an example of an indigenous fermented food from Southwestern China that has cultural, ecological, economic, and health significance to local communities. We carried out ethnobiological surveys coupled with metagenomic and metabolomic analyses using GC-TOF-MS and UPLC-QTOF-MS to elucidate the microbiota and metabolic profiles of LWH samples at different ripening stages. The results from high-throughput sequencing showed a total of 502 bacterial genera in LWH samples with 12 genera of bacteria and 6 genera of fungi identified as dominant groups. This is the first study to our knowledge to report the bacteria of Lentibacillus and Mesorhizobium along with fungi Eremascus and Xerochrysium on a fermented meat product. Findings further revealed that the metabolite profiles among LWH samples were significantly different. In total, 27 and 30 metabolites from GC-TOF-MS and UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis, respectively, were annotated as highly discriminative metabolites. Among the differential compounds, the relative contents of most amino acids showed the highest in the LWH sample ripened for two years, while some metabolites with potential therapeutic effects such as levetiracetam were the most abundant in the LWH sample ripened for three years. The correlation analysis indicated that the dominant microbes were closely related to differential metabolites, highlighting the importance of their functional characterization. Findings indicate that the consumption of LWH contributes to microbiological and chemical diversity of human diets as well as suggests efficacy of combining GC-MS and LC-MS to study the metabolites in dry-cured meat products.

Published online: 14 Jul 2020, Fermented food has been present throughout history, since fermentation not only helps preserving food, but also provides specific organoleptic characteristics typically associated to these foods. Most of the traditional fermented foods and artisanal beverages are produced by spontaneous generation, meaning no control of the microbiota, or the substrate used. Nevertheless, even not being standardized, they are an important source of bioactive compounds, such as antioxidant compounds, bioactive beeps, short chain fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. This review compiles a list of relevant traditional fermented beverages around the world, aiming to detail the fermentation process itselfincluding source of microorganisms, substrates, produced metabolites and the operational conditions involved. As well as to list the bioactive compounds present in each fermented food, together with their impact in the human health. Traditional fermented beverages from Mexico will be highlighted. These compounds are of high interest for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. To scale-up the home fermentation processes, it is necessary to fully understand the microbiology and biochemistry behind these traditional products. The use of good quality raw materials with standardized methodologies and defined microorganisms, may improve and increase the production of the desirable bioactive compounds and open a market for novel functional products., The authors acknowledge the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT, Mexico) for the financial support (CVU 559365). This study was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte also, Project ColOsH 02/SAICT/2017 (POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030071)., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

To obtain novel glucoamylase from Daqu microbe. A dominant strain known as LZ2 with high activity of hydrolyzing starch was isolated from Luzhou Daqu, a Chinese traditional fermentation starter. The LZ2 was identified as Aspergillus oryzae by 18S rDNA sequence analysis. Glucoamylase from LZ2, named as GA-LZ2, was purified to homogeneity and showed a single band with expected molecular mass of 60 kD. The GA-LZ2 effectively degraded amylose, rice starch and wheat starch. Optimal temperature and pH value of enzyme were 60 °C and pH 4.0 respectively. The GA-LZ2 displayed significant thermal stability and pH stability at moderate temperature and low pH. Intriguingly, the thermostability was enhanced in the presence of starch. In addition, GA-LZ2 exhibited insensitivity to glucose, independence of metal ions and tolerance to organic solvents. The GA-LZ2 retained complete activity in the presence of 100 mM glucose and 5% ethanol and methanol. Glucoamylase GA-LZ2 displayed broad substrate specificity, strong stability and tolerance, suggesting that GA-LZ2 carry potential for industrial application in bioethanol production.

Food additives are artificial or natural substances that are added to food to improve the color, aroma, taste, and other qualities, and to meet processing requirements. For the concern of food health and safety, brewed soy sauce without additives has attracted consumers’ attention. Here, only four necessary raw materials including soybean, wheat, salt, and water were added. High-salt soy sauce fermentation was conducted for six months by sequential inoculation of lactic acid bacteria and yeast under different brine content (18%, 20%, and 22%). By analyzing the physicochemical indicators during moromi, three soy sauces (No. 1: 18% salt, inoculated with Tetragenococcus halophilus and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, No. 5: 20% salt, inoculated with T. halophilus and Z. rouxii, No. 11: 22% salt, inoculated with T. halophilus and Candida versatilis) were selected and sterilized to produce finished products for further comparative investigation. Results showed that the flavor components of these three soy sauces were richer in variety than the commercial soy sauces and No. 11 soy sauce was detected to have the largest total amount of organic acids. Plate count agar analysis revealed that the free amino acid differences of soy sauces were distinct, among which the No. 11 soy sauce had the highest glutamate content of 19.64 g L−1. Besides, it was found that the shelf life of these three soy sauces could reach two years at 4 ℃. This study suggests that the high-salt soy sauce made by rational application of lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and effective sterilization can have high quality and long shelf life without adding any additives.

The bacterial community structure in 29 naturally fermented samples of sunki, an unsalted lactic-fermented pickle in Japan, was determined by 16S rRNA gene-targeted metagenomic analysis. The data revealed that genus Lactobacillus was dominant in all samples and various bacterial species, related to Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus intestinalis, and Lactobacillus gasseri, showed a range of dominance depending on the samples. Comparative analysis of the bacterial composition by principal coordinate analysis and hierarchical clustering classified the varied bacterial composition of the 29 samples into three types of bacterial community structure. These types comprised lactobacilli belonging to different phylogenetic groups: type A had a certain ratio of Lactobacillus fermentum (70.3-22.1%, average 41.2%) in combination with several species belonging to Lactobacillus delbrueckii-phylogenetic group, type B comprised remarkably high levels of species Lactobacillus delbrueckii (average 89.5%), and type C had combinations of species belonging to Lactobacillus plantarum- and Lactobacillus buchneri-phylogenetic groups. Interestingly, these types differed in the compositional profiles of water-soluble and volatile compounds, and statistically significant differences were observed in the levels of acetic acid, succinic acid, ethanol, ethyl acetate, glutamic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and isovaleraldehyde. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis revealed a correlation of Lactobacillus fermentum dominance with pH value and lactic and acetic acid levels, with high R values of 0.643, -0.642, and 0.528, respectively. The data reported in this study showed the characteristics of the bacterial composition in the unsalted sunki pickle and its potential relationship with the compositional profile.

We interpret the domesticated organisms-plants, animals, and the domesticated microbes used for food fermentation-as an extended genotype of humans due to their close relationship with our species. We propose to analyse the role of microbes in traditionally fermented food with the approaches used in the human microbiome project, and we expect to find associations with ethnic groups, explaining part of human (culinary) culture.

Many strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have probiotic properties that can promote consumers’ health. This study aims to find LAB having probiotic properties. Ten isolates of LAB isolated from fermented foods including Nham, PlaSom and fermented vegetables were tested for their tolerance to acid and to bile salt, considered to be major probiotic properties. It was found that LAB F1, isolated from Pla Som, was the most tolerant isolate to acid at pH 2 and to bile salt at the concentration of 2%. Furthermore, the study showed that the LAB isolate had antimicrobial ability against Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. When LAB F1 was identified using16S rDNA sequence analysis, it was found that its16S rDNA sequenceshowed99% homology to that of Lactobacillus plantarum strain JCM 1149 (accession number NR_115605.1). LAB with probiotic properties obtained from this study can be further characterized in order to utilize it in the future.

Constipation is caused by irregular meals and lifestyle, and chronic constipation can cause colon cancer. There are many studies of animal fermented food such as yogurt for the purpose of constipation prevention, however, there are not many studies that have reported on the association between Japanese traditional vegetable fermented food and bowel movement. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the association between intakes of fermented food and the bowel movement state in young women. Most of the fermented food which the subjects consumed were animal fermented foods, such as yogurt or cheese, and there was little vegetable fermented food. Particularly, the constipation group had a higher intake ratio of animal fermented food and vegetable fermented food than the non-constipation group (the control group). In addition, the constipation group had less intake frequency of miso soup than the control group. Therefore, these results suggest the possibility that Japanese food including vegetable fermented food and miso soup increases the influence of bowel movement.

Red oncom, a fermented product from solid waste of soybean curd process, and black oncom, a similar fermented product but made from defatted peanut cake, have been known to have umami taste. Umami fractions of red oncom and black oncom that are responsible for umami taste have not been investigated yet. The objective of this research was to characterize umami fractions obtained by ultrafiltration and chromatography of both oncoms. The first step, water-soluble extracts of oncoms were ultrafiltered using a membrane with cutoff 3,000 Da and followed by gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-25) to obtain umami fractions. Ultrafiltration fractions of red oncom (molecular weight [MW] less than 3,000 Da) and black oncom (MW more than 3,000 Da) had an intense umami taste. The further fractionation by gel filtration chromatography linked to taste dilution analysis yielded umami fractions. Chemical characterization revealed that free glutamic acid, free phenylalanine, and peptides containing their residual amino acids were present in the fractions. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Umami fractions of red and black oncoms can be used as a source of umami compounds for food industries and food services. The information from this paper can be used by other researchers who will explore umami peptides.

The principle of the study was to assess the influence of yeast-fermented cassava pulp (YFCP) as a protein supplement on feed intake, nutrient digestibilities, rumen microbial protein synthesis, fermentation end-products, and N-balance in Thai native beef cattle. The experiment was conducted following the 4 × 4 Latin square design using 4 levels of YFCP supplementation (0, 100, 200, and 300 g/head/day) in 3-year-old Thai native beef cattle crossbreds. The response of YFCP supplementation level using rice straw as a roughage source revealed promising results. The rumen ecology parameters including cellulolytic, amylolytic, and proteolytic bacterial population were significantly increased while the protozoal population were reduced, as affected by increasing level of YFCP supplementation (P

We compared hepatoprotective effects between fermented rice bran (FRB) and fermented rice germ and soybean (FRS) in a Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model of alcohol-induced hepatic injury (AIHI). To establish an SD rat model of AIHI, the SD rats were given 30% ethanol or water without ethanol treatment. Then, they were given 30% ethanol followed by FRB or FRS at concentrations of 15% or 30%. Our results indicate that the FRB might be more effective in lowering serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum and liver mitochondria, serum triglyceride levels and ALDH levels at a concentration of 15%, serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), GSH levels at a concentration of 30% and MDA levels in the liver homogenate and microsome, and hepatic triglyceride levels at both concentrations as compared with the FRS. It can therefore be concluded that FRB might also be considered as an alternative to FRS in improving the AIHI.