Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives

Food fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is an ancient technique that has been deemed a simple and economical way to modify nutritional contents of plant-based foods. In many cultures, this practice shows a long history with a wide variety of fermented liquid and semi-liquid traditional fo...

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Main Authors: Nicholas Horlacher, Indrawati Oey, Dominic Agyei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Fermentation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/9/5/452
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author Nicholas Horlacher
Indrawati Oey
Dominic Agyei
author_facet Nicholas Horlacher
Indrawati Oey
Dominic Agyei
author_sort Nicholas Horlacher
collection DOAJ
description Food fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is an ancient technique that has been deemed a simple and economical way to modify nutritional contents of plant-based foods. In many cultures, this practice shows a long history with a wide variety of fermented liquid and semi-liquid traditional foods being produced from cereals, legumes, and tubers. Nutritionally relevant benefits of the fermentation process are becoming increasingly evident and can be linked to the accumulation of bioactive compounds (exopolysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids, bioactive peptides), degradation of antinutritional factors, and improved bioavailability of essential nutrients (amino acids, minerals, vitamins). This manuscript discusses the current understanding on the impact of LAB fermentation on plant macro- and micronutrients in traditionally fermented foods and how this knowledge could aid to drive innovation in the emerging research and development (R&D) sector of plant-based dairy alternatives. Key-points include that the improved health-promoting properties and rich sensory appeal found in traditional foods results from a low and slow fermentation (prolonged fermentation time at suboptimal temperatures), which depends on the complex interplay of mixed microbial cultures found in such foods.
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spelling doaj.art-7ea1babc3bdc4e30b4dad34f90d2140e2023-11-18T01:18:03ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372023-05-019545210.3390/fermentation9050452Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy AlternativesNicholas Horlacher0Indrawati Oey1Dominic Agyei2Department of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandDepartment of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandDepartment of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandFood fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is an ancient technique that has been deemed a simple and economical way to modify nutritional contents of plant-based foods. In many cultures, this practice shows a long history with a wide variety of fermented liquid and semi-liquid traditional foods being produced from cereals, legumes, and tubers. Nutritionally relevant benefits of the fermentation process are becoming increasingly evident and can be linked to the accumulation of bioactive compounds (exopolysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids, bioactive peptides), degradation of antinutritional factors, and improved bioavailability of essential nutrients (amino acids, minerals, vitamins). This manuscript discusses the current understanding on the impact of LAB fermentation on plant macro- and micronutrients in traditionally fermented foods and how this knowledge could aid to drive innovation in the emerging research and development (R&D) sector of plant-based dairy alternatives. Key-points include that the improved health-promoting properties and rich sensory appeal found in traditional foods results from a low and slow fermentation (prolonged fermentation time at suboptimal temperatures), which depends on the complex interplay of mixed microbial cultures found in such foods.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/9/5/452plant-based dairy alternativesfermentationlactic acid bacteriamacronutrientshealth-promoting properties
spellingShingle Nicholas Horlacher
Indrawati Oey
Dominic Agyei
Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
Fermentation
plant-based dairy alternatives
fermentation
lactic acid bacteria
macronutrients
health-promoting properties
title Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
title_full Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
title_fullStr Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
title_full_unstemmed Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
title_short Learning from Tradition: Health-Promoting Potential of Traditional Lactic Acid Fermentation to Drive Innovation in Fermented Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
title_sort learning from tradition health promoting potential of traditional lactic acid fermentation to drive innovation in fermented plant based dairy alternatives
topic plant-based dairy alternatives
fermentation
lactic acid bacteria
macronutrients
health-promoting properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/9/5/452
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AT dominicagyei learningfromtraditionhealthpromotingpotentialoftraditionallacticacidfermentationtodriveinnovationinfermentedplantbaseddairyalternatives