title: Health benefits of fermented foods: microbiota and beyond.
abstract: Fermented foods and beverages were among the first processed food products consumed by humans. The production of foods such as yogurt and cultured milk, wine and beer, sauerkraut and kimchi, and fermented sausage were initially valued because of their improved shelf life, safety, and organoleptic properties. It is increasingly understood that fermented foods can also have enhanced nutritional and functional properties due to transformation of substrates and formation of bioactive or bioavailable end-products. Many fermented foods also contain living microorganisms of which some are genetically similar to strains used as probiotics. Although only a limited number of clinical studies on fermented foods have been performed, there is evidence that these foods provide health benefits well-beyond the starting food materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis, USA.
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis, USA.
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heeney
authors.affiliation: Danone Nutricia, Centre Daniel CArasso, Avenue de la Vauve - Route Départementale 128, 91120 Palaiseau, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Binda
authors.affiliation: National Dairy Council, 10255 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont, IL 60018, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cifelli
authors.affiliation: Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark and APC Microbiome Institute, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.affiliation: Lille Inflammation Research International Center, Inserm U995, University of Lille, CHRU de Lille, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Foligné
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gänzle
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Microbiology and Systems Biology, Zeist and VU University Amsterdam, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Remco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kort
authors.affiliation: California Dairy Research Foundation, 501 G Street, #203, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Gonca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasin
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Institute Finland, Myllytie 1, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pihlanto
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University, Laboratory of Food Microbiology, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eddy J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Smid
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, 258 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-6205, USA. Electronic address: rhutkins1@unl.edu.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hutkins
mesh_terms: D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D055951:Functional Food / Q000382:microbiology*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*