Nascimento Amanda Priscila Silva, Barros Ana Novo
Unidade Académica Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal Campina Grande, Av. Aprigio Veloso, 882, Campina Grande 58429-900, PA, Brazil.
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Foods. 2025 Jun 30;14(13):2320. doi: 10.3390/foods14132320.
The growing demand for more sustainable food systems has driven the development of solutions based on food microbiology, capable of integrating safety, functionality, and environmental responsibility. This paper presents a critical and up-to-date review of the most relevant advances at the interface between microbiology, sustainability, and food innovation. The analysis is structured around three main axes: (i) microbial fermentation, with a focus on traditional practices and precision technologies aimed at valorizing agro-industrial waste and producing functional foods; (ii) microbial biocontrol, including the use of bacteriocins, protective cultures, bacteriophages, and CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR-associated)-based tools as alternatives to synthetic preservatives; and (iii) the development of functional foods containing probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics, with the potential to modulate the gut microbiota and promote metabolic, immune, and cognitive health. In addition to reviewing the microbiological and technological mechanisms involved, the paper discusses international regulatory milestones, scalability challenges, and market trends related to consumer acceptance and clean labeling. Finally, emerging trends and research gaps are addressed, including the use of omics technologies, artificial intelligence, and unexplored microbial resources. Food microbiology, by incorporating sustainable practices and advanced technologies, is positioned as a strategic pillar for building a healthy, circular, science-based food model.
对更可持续食品系统的需求不断增长，推动了基于食品微生物学的解决方案的发展，这些解决方案能够整合安全性、功能性和环境责任。本文对微生物学、可持续性和食品创新交叉领域的最相关进展进行了批判性的最新综述。分析围绕三个主要轴展开：（i）微生物发酵，重点关注旨在使农业工业废弃物增值并生产功能性食品的传统做法和精准技术；（ii）微生物生物防治，包括使用细菌素、保护性培养物、噬菌体以及基于CRISPR-Cas（成簇规律间隔短回文重复序列- CRISPR相关蛋白）的工具作为合成防腐剂的替代品；（iii）含有益生菌、益生元、合生元和后生元的功能性食品的开发，这些食品有可能调节肠道微生物群并促进代谢、免疫和认知健康。除了综述所涉及的微生物学和技术机制外，本文还讨论了国际监管里程碑、可扩展性挑战以及与消费者接受度和清洁标签相关的市场趋势。最后，探讨了新兴趋势和研究差距，包括组学技术、人工智能的应用以及未开发的微生物资源。通过纳入可持续做法和先进技术，食品微生物学被定位为构建健康、循环、基于科学的食品模式的战略支柱。
