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

Abstract

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.