Recent Advances in Microbial Fermentation in Foods and Beverages

The interest in food microbial fermentation has progressively increased in recent decades. This Special Issue collected original research and review articles dealing with the use of microbial cultures aimed at improving the organoleptic and nutritional properties of both traditional and innovative foods, as well as the use of microbial cultures for health purposes. In detail, three research articles investigated specific aspects of fermentation in the production of traditional foods such as kombucha, Chinese Baijiu and sauerkraut, whereas another study suggested pollen and bee bread as a reservoir of functional yeasts. The effect of a symbiotic beverage on body composition and some biochemical parameters of overweight, obese, or type-2 diabetic women has also been evaluated in the remaining research article. The couple of review articles assessed relevant and timely aspects of microbial fermentation: the first one started from the increasing demand of low-alcohol beverages to analyze current and future biotechnological approaches to reduce alcohol content in wine, whereas the second paper focused on how microbial processes can increase both nutritional and functional value of plant-based fermented foods.