Synopsis
Fermentation is one of the oldest and most widely used methods for enhancing the nutritional value of food. From an early point in the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, microbial fermentation has been used to preserve grains, dairy, fish and meat products from bacterial contamination, to extend their shelf life and to enrich their flavour. While the creation of traditional functional foods such as yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, pickles and fermented grain dishes and beverages (including beer) have a long history, more modern scientific research has analysed the microbial species responsible for these processes and established the value of probiotic bacteria due to the production of health-promoting metabolites. This book discusses the history of the origin and evolution of fermented foods, giving an overview of the microorganisms involved in food fermentation and their physiological and metabolic properties. Different chapters are devoted to the major fermented foods produced around the world with coverage including microbiological and technological features for the manufacture of these foods, such as cereal-based foods and beverages, legume-based foods, fish fermentation, fermented vegetables, fermented milk and dairy products, kombucha fermentation and more. Additional chapters cover the safety aspects of fermented foods, the health benefits of fermented food consumption related to healthy gut microbiota, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, mental health and the management of metabolic disorders. The use of innovative packaging technology for fermented foods and beverages is also covered. Aimed at those dedicated to studying fermented food technology and those with a more general interest in the area, this book is a must have for anyone wanting to increase their knowledge of fermented foods and the benefits of their consumption.
About the Authors
Ramesh C. Ray, Ph.D., is an agriculture and food microbiologist, author, editor and is currently serving as an adjunct professor in industrial biotechnology at Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA), deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India. He is a former distinguished member of Agricultural Research Service of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, and Head of the Regional Centre, ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute at Bhubaneswar, India. Dr. Ray has over 45 years of research experience in agriculture, food, and industrial microbiology. He has published around 250 research and scientific articles including 80 book chapters, edited and co-edited 26 books, and co-authored three books. Dr. Ray was a visiting professor and scientist at several universities and research institutes in India and abroad and a consultant on sweet potato with the International Potato Center (CIP). He was a guest faculty member in Applied Microbiology at Utkal University, India, from 2000 to 2010. Dr. Ray is a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, and the National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai, India. His name is included among the top 2% of scientists in the world (in the year 2020-2024) in the database prepared by Stanford University.
Prof. Vasco Azevedo is a senior professor at the Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Science and a Knight of the National Order of Scientific Merit of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. He is also a researcher 1A of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), which is the highest position. Professor Azevedo graduated from veterinary school at the Federal University of Bahia, in 1986. He earned his master's in 1989 and Ph.D. in 1993 in molecular genetics from the Institute National Agronomique Paris-Grignon (INAPG) and Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France. Dr. Azevedo conducted post-doctoral research at the Microbiology Department of Medicine School at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 1994. In 2017, he earned another Ph.D. in the field of bioinformatics. His total research publications include more than 500 research articles, nine books, and more than 52 book chapters. Professor Azevedo is a pioneer in the genetics of lactic acid bacteria, Probiotics, and Corynebacterium genomics in Brazil.
Professor Oluwafemi Adebo is Vice Dean of Global Engagement (Faculty of Science), a Professor of Food Technology and Director of the Centre for Innovative Food Research (CIFR), in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in South Africa. His research involves the improvement of various traditional food processes, enhancing the health-promoting constituents of food, developing nutrient-dense food products and adding value to underutilized food sources using conventional, novel and innovative approaches, including 3D food printing, in an effort to ensure zero hunger as well as good health and well-being. He has contributed to over 148 journal articles, 29 book chapters, and is the lead editor of several books. He has received over 20 million South African rands in grant funding and won prestigious awards, including the 2019 Institute of Food Technologists Emerging Leader Award, the 2021 National Research Foundation Emerging Researcher of the Year, 2021 UJ's Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Award as an Outstanding Young Researcher, UJ's Faculty of Science Top Research Award in 2021 and 2022, a 2023 Young Affiliate of The World Academy of Sciences and a Member of the South African Young Academy of Science. He has given several invited talks and keynote presentations and has a patent (registered in Kenya and South Africa). He was the immediate past Deputy Head of Department (Research) and as of October 2025, his Google Scholar and Scopus h-indices were 39 and 32, respectively. From the SciVal Researchers ranking metrics in Food Science, he is ranked 1st in South Africa and 7th on the African continent. For four consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025), Prof. Adebo has been included in the Stanford University's List of Top 2% Scientists Globally.
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