Two Faces of Fermented Foods—The Benefits and Threats of Its Consumption

Abstract

In underdeveloped and developing countries, due to poverty, fermentation is one of the most widely used preservation methods. It not only allows extending the shelf life of food, but also brings other benefits, including inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, improving the organoleptic properties and product digestibility, and can be a valuable source of functional microorganisms. Today, there is a great interest in functional strains, which, in addition to typical probiotic strains, can participate in the treatment of numerous diseases, disorders of the digestive system, but also mental diseases, or stimulate our immune system. Hence, fermented foods and beverages are not only a part of the traditional diet, e.g., in Africa but also play a role in the nutrition of people around the world. The fermentation process for some products occurs spontaneously, without the use of well-defined starter cultures, under poorly controlled or uncontrolled conditions. Therefore, while this affordable technology has many advantages, it can also pose a potential health risk. The use of poor-quality ingredients, inadequate hygiene conditions in the manufacturing processes, the lack of standards for safety and hygiene controls lead to the failure food safety systems implementation, especially in low- and middle-income countries or for small-scale products (at household level, in villages and scale cottage industries). This can result in the presence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in the food contributing to cases of illness or even outbreaks. Also, improper processing and storage, as by well as the conditions of sale affect the food safety. Foodborne diseases through the consumption of traditional fermented foods are not reported frequently, but this may be related, among other things, to a low percentage of people entering healthcare care or weaknesses in foodborne disease surveillance systems. In many parts of the world, especially in Africa and Asia, pathogens such as enterotoxigenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus have been detected in fermented foods. Therefore, this review, in addition to the positive aspects, presents the potential risk associated with the consumption of this type of products.

Traditional Fermented Dairy Products in Southern Mediterranean Countries: From Tradition to Innovation

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Duck compound probiotics fermented diet alters the growth performance by shaping the gut morphology, microbiota and metabolism

“…Prior studies showed that cholic acid and other organic acids are critical to the digestion and absorption of fat ( Taheri et al 2023 ). And intestinal metabolites of carbohydrate synthesis and amino acids are closely related to the digestion and absorption of sugars and amino acids in host ( Skowron et al, 2022 ). Current investigation found that FF caused significant changes in hydroxydantrolene, acetylleucine, oxydanesulfonic acid, and cholic acid in duodenum, and deoxyribose 5-phosphate, astragalin, tryptophanamide and xanthosine in the ileum of FF has significantly up-regulated.…”

Fermented foods as alternative functional foods during post-pandemic in Asia

“…After consuming fermented foods, some people may experience side effects, such as bloating, a frequent reaction brought on by a brief rise in gas. Migraines, headaches, histamine intolerance, food-borne illnesses, probiotic infections, and antibiotic resistance are a few more side effects that have been described (Skowron et al, 2022). Food poisoning due to the growth of pathogenic microbes under unhygienic processing conditions can be tackled by food safety assurance systems such as HACCP, GMP, and GHP.…”