The forgotten role of food cultures.

Olivia McAuliffe, Lorenzo Morelli, Su Yao, Ueli Von Ah, Catherine Stanton, Edward Sliwinski, Dinesh K Sharma, Vania Patrone, Photis Papademas, Marta Hanna Miks, François Bourdichon, Svend Laulund, Rober Kemperman, Duresa Fritz, Alessandra Fontana, Aurélie Dubois, Fabio Dal Bello, Anne Bückle, Andrzej Babuchowski, Emmanuelle Arias

Journal: FEMS microbiology letters 2021;368(14):fnab085

PMID: 34223876

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Abstract

Fermentation is one of if not the oldest food processing technique, yet it is still an emerging field when it comes to its numerous mechanisms of action and potential applications. The effect of microbial activity on the taste, bioavailability and preservation of the nutrients and the different food matrices has been deciphered by the insights of molecular microbiology. Among those roles of fermentation in the food chain, biopreservation remains the one most debated. Presumably because it has been underestimated for quite a while, and only considered - based on a food safety and technological approach - from the toxicological and chemical perspective. Biopreservation is not considered as a traditional use, where it has been by design - but forgotten - as the initial goal of fermentation. The 'modern' use of biopreservation is also slightly different from the traditional use, due mainly to changes in cooling of food and other ways of preservation, Extending shelf life is considered to be one of the properties of food additives, classifying - from our perspective - biopreservation wrongly and forgetting the role of fermentation and food cultures. The present review will summarize the current approaches of fermentation as a way to preserve and protect the food, considering the different way in which food cultures and this application could help tackle food waste as an additional control measure to ensure the safety of the food.

Address: Food Safety, Microbiology, Hygiene, 16 Rue Gaston de Caillavet, 75015 Paris, France.; Facoltà di Scienze agrarie, alimentarie ambientali, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense, Piacenza-Cremona, Italy.; AGROSCOPE, Food Microbial Systems, Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland.; Dairy Industry Innovation Institute, Kormoranow St., Mragowo 11-700, Poland.; Milchprüfring Baden-Württemberg e.V., Marie-Curie-Straße 19, 73230 Kirchheim, u.T., Germany.; Sacco S.r.l., Via Alessandro Manzoni, Cadorago (Co), Italy.; International Dairy Federationiry Federation, 70 Boulevard Auguste Reyers, 1030 Brussels, Belgium.; International Flavors and Fragrances, 20 rue Brunel, Paris 75017, France.; Lesaffre International, 152 rue du Docteur Yersin, 59120 Loos, France.; Chr. Hansen A/S, Agern Allé 24, 2970 Hoersholm, Denmark.; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland.; Glycom A/S, Kogle Allé 4, 2970 Hørsholm, Denmark.; Faculty of Food Science, Food Biochemistry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Cieszynski 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland.; Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, Archiepiskopou Kyprianou, PO BOX 50329, Limassol, Cyprus.; National Dairy Development Board, Anand 388001, India.; The European Federation of Food Science & Technology, Nieuwe Kanaal 9a, 6709 PA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.; China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries, China Center of Industrial Culture Collection, Building 6, No.24, Jiuxianqiaozhong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015, PR China.

DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnab085

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MeSH Terms: Acids, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Antifungal Agents, Bacteriocins, Fermentation, Fermented Foods, Food Microbiology, Food Preservation, Food Safety, Killer Factors, Yeast, Microbial Interactions