Terpou Antonia, Dahiya Divakar, Nigam Poonam Singh
Department of Agricultural Development, Agri-Food, and Natural Resources Management, School of Agricultural Development, Nutrition & Sustainability, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evripos Campus, 34400 Evia, Greece.
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke RG24 9NA, UK.
Foods. 2025 Jul 3;14(13):2361. doi: 10.3390/foods14132361.
The growing interest in health-promoting diets has brought fermented foods into the spotlight due to their unique microbial compositions and bioactive metabolites. Fermented foods and their beneficial microbiota are expected to stimulate the overall industry's expansion over the next few years as their beneficial health effects become established. This narrative review explores the evolving dynamics of fermented food microbiota and their interactions with the gut microenvironment, emphasizing strategic pathways to enhance human health. Fermented foods, both industrially produced and traditionally prepared, serve as carriers of beneficial microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and certain fungi that transform food substrates into bioactive compounds including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), exopolysaccharides, and bioactive peptides. Simultaneously, their bioactive metabolites are the subject of passionate investigation by the scientific community, uncovering novel beneficial aspects that have not been elucidated until now. These metabolites contribute to improved gut barrier function, modulation of immune responses, and overall metabolic health. Notably, microbial fermentation can reshape the intrinsic properties of food, offering therapeutic potential beyond basic nutrition. The interactions between food-derived microbes and the host gut microbiota suggest a synergistic mechanism influencing gastrointestinal and systemic health outcomes. Nevertheless, there remains a significant gap in the comprehensive evaluation of the existing literature in this specific research area. Further research is needed to standardize fermented food formulations, validate the effects of individual microbial strains, and optimize their application in personalized nutrition and functional food development. Accordingly, this review highlights the association between the microbiota of fermented foods and their metabolites with the gut microenvironment, emphasizing their potential health-promoting properties.
对促进健康饮食的兴趣日益浓厚，使发酵食品因其独特的微生物组成和生物活性代谢产物而备受关注。随着发酵食品有益健康的作用得到确认，预计在未来几年里，发酵食品及其有益微生物群将推动整个行业的扩张。这篇叙述性综述探讨了发酵食品微生物群的动态变化及其与肠道微环境的相互作用，重点阐述了增强人类健康的策略途径。无论是工业化生产还是传统制作的发酵食品，都是有益微生物的载体，如乳酸菌、酵母和某些真菌，它们将食物底物转化为生物活性化合物，包括短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）、胞外多糖和生物活性肽。同时，它们的生物活性代谢产物是科学界热切研究的对象，不断揭示出迄今尚未阐明的新的有益方面。这些代谢产物有助于改善肠道屏障功能、调节免疫反应和整体代谢健康。值得注意的是，微生物发酵可以重塑食物的内在特性，提供超越基本营养的治疗潜力。食物来源的微生物与宿主肠道微生物群之间的相互作用表明存在一种协同机制，影响胃肠道和全身健康结果。然而，在这一特定研究领域对现有文献的综合评估仍存在重大差距。需要进一步研究来规范发酵食品配方，验证单个微生物菌株的效果，并优化它们在个性化营养和功能性食品开发中的应用。因此，本综述强调了发酵食品微生物群及其代谢产物与肠道微环境之间的关联，突出了它们潜在的促进健康特性。
