Fermented Foods

Not all fermented foods contain probiotics.

Fermented foods are foods made using desirable microorganisms that change the properties of the food components. Throughout human history, fermentation has served as a way to preserve and transform foods, creating more stable and diverse foods with unique tastes and textures.

All fermented foods require microbes for their creation, but not all fermented foods contain live microorganisms at the time of consumption. When they do, the number of microorganisms can vary significantly depending on how products were manufactured and processed, as well as conditions and duration of storage. Fermented foods are generally safe to eat because the fermentation process typically keeps harmful microorganisms at bay.

Few microorganisms in fermented foods meet the criteria for probiotics because they have not been specifically named and tested for health benefits. Instead, microorganisms in fermented foods typically fall under the category of live dietary microbes.

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  • Fermented Foods and Health — Does Today’s Science Support Yesterday’s Tradition?
    ISAPP and Today’s Dietitian collaborated on a free webinar in which Hannah Holscher, PhD, RD, and Jennifer Burton, MS, RD, LDN discussed the foundational elements of fermented foods, the role of microbes in fermentation, and more.

  • Examining fermented foods for potential cardiometabolic health benefits, with Prof. Ben Willing PhD
    This episode features Prof. Ben Willing PhD from the University of Alberta, Canada, speaking about his work investigating fermented foods such as kefir for potential cardiometabolic health benefits. The microorganisms associated with fermented foods are not standardized – for example, traditional kefirs have some microorganisms in common, but other microorganisms that are present sporadically. Moreover, kefir…

  • An overview of precision fermentation, with Prof. William Chen PhD
    This episode features Prof. William Chen from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, speaking with the ISAPP hosts about precision fermentation. In Singapore, enhancing national food security is of interest and one of the technologies used to achieve this is precision fermentation. Prof. Chen describes the differences between traditional fermentation, biomass fermentation, and precision fermentation. In…

  • Precision fermentation for animal-free milk, with Dr. Abigail Thiel PhD
    This episode features Dr. Abigail (Abbey) Thiel PhD, who works remotely (from the US) with Wageningen University to manage a project focused on developing animal-free milk proteins using precision fermentation. Dr. Thiel explains that the motivation for the project is to find alternatives to animal-produced foods using microorganisms to produce key components of dairy products….

  • Archive Highlight: An evolutionary perspective on fermented foods, with Assoc. Prof. Katie Amato
    Continuing in the series on the latest fermented food science, we are highlighting Episode 9 from our archives. In this episode, the ISAPP hosts talk about fermented foods and non-human primates with Katie Amato of Northwestern University, USA. Amato describes what she has learned from studying the gut microbiota of non-human primates and how it…

  • Fermented foods and their health benefits, with Dr. Paul Cotter PhD
    This episode features Dr. Paul Cotter PhD of TEAGASC in Ireland, talking about the creation of fermented foods and how they can lead to health benefits. A huge array of foods can be fermented, and historically fermentation was used to extend the shelf life of a food that people had an abundance of. Dr. Cotter’s…

  • How fermented foods can support health and sustainability, with Prof. Christophe Courtin PhD
    In this episode, Prof. Christophe Courtin PhD from KU Leuven in Belgium discusses the potential of fermented foods to provide health benefits and create more sustainable food systems. His work focuses in particular on fermenting cereal grains as a way to create products with better properties or enhanced health impact. Fermentation is a form of…

  • Archive Highlight: The science of fermented foods, part 2, with Prof. Bob Hutkins
    Continuing in the series on the latest fermented food science, we are highlighting Episode 3 from our archives. The hosts continue their discussion of fermented foods with Prof. Bob Hutkins, University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Prof. Hutkins elaborates on how the microbes associated with fermented foods may confer health benefits, as well as how food…

  • Archive Highlight: The science of fermented foods, part 1, with Prof. Bob Hutkins
    Welcome to the first episode of our new series on the latest fermented food science. We are highlighting Episode 1 from our archives with guest Prof. Bob Hutkins, University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Prof. Hutkins wrote a popular textbook on fermented foods and has had a 40-year career in fermentation science. He shares why he…

  • 2024 in Review: Important Advances in Biotic and Microbiome Science
    By the ISAPP Editorial Team, with contributions from the ISAPP Board of Directors 2024 was another banner year in the…