The Rendering of Traditional Fermented Foods in Human Diet: Distribution of Health Benefits and Nutritional Benefits

Abstract

Most fermented foods are based on the cultural preferences of different geographical areas and the heterogeneity of traditions from where they are produced. For instance, many consumers in Asian countries prefer fermented seafood, while consumers in Europe prefer fermented cereal and dairy food products. Even though the food industry has developed various novel techniques in order to produce novel foods (genetic modification, nanotechnology and other processing techniques), traditional foods still represent a significant proportion of the food industry, which has recently appeared to develop further. In addition, the progress in various developed analytical techniques has revealed new knowledge that documents and corroborates certain benefits of traditional foods, mostly regarding their nutritional and health benefits. In this context, the main target of this Special Issue is to deliver new data on how traditional foods exhibit their health-promoting properties and ameliorate the nutritional value of fermented food systems. In addition, the involvement of wild starter culture in the production of traditional foods is a subject area that must be highlighted.