Fermentation is a metabolic process that improves the nutrition density of foods. It can convert food components to small molecules through enzymatic action. Historically, many foods have undergone fermentation, including meat, fish, dairy, vegetable, soybeans, etc. to enhance a variety of qualities, including but not limited to nutrition content, safety and preservation, sustainability, appearance, texture, aroma, and flavor. Fermentation as a processing technology has been utilized for thousands of years; however, limited research is available to develop optimized and cost-effective methods to utilize fermentation to improve nutrient bioavailability, while also considering sustainability and food safety. These gaps limit the development and commercialization of sustainable nutrient-rich fermented foods, and access to these healthy foods. In this Research Topic, we encourage submissions that explore: • Novel fermentation methods for efficiently improving food nutrient content • Cost-effective food pathogen and toxin monitoring• Scalable and sustainable commercial nutrient-dense food production methods • Comparison of natural fermentation and culture-dependent fermentation methods• The impact of fermentation on food safety and shelf-life enhancement• Fermentation as a potential solution for reducing food waste and increasing sustainability• Challenges and opportunities in the commercialization of nutrient-rich fermented foods
Fermentation is a metabolic process that improves the nutrition density of foods. It can convert food components to small molecules through enzymatic action. Historically, many foods have undergone fermentation, including meat, fish, dairy, vegetable, soybeans, etc. to enhance a variety of qualities, including but not limited to nutrition content, safety and preservation, sustainability, appearance, texture, aroma, and flavor. Fermentation as a processing technology has been utilized for thousands of years; however, limited research is available to develop optimized and cost-effective methods to utilize fermentation to improve nutrient bioavailability, while also considering sustainability and food safety. These gaps limit the development and commercialization of sustainable nutrient-rich fermented foods, and access to these healthy foods. In this Research Topic, we encourage submissions that explore: • Novel fermentation methods for efficiently improving food nutrient content • Cost-effective food pathogen and toxin monitoring• Scalable and sustainable commercial nutrient-dense food production methods • Comparison of natural fermentation and culture-dependent fermentation methods• The impact of fermentation on food safety and shelf-life enhancement• Fermentation as a potential solution for reducing food waste and increasing sustainability• Challenges and opportunities in the commercialization of nutrient-rich fermented foods