Ecological factors that drive microbial communities in culturally diverse fermented foods.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fermented foods are increasingly recognized for their health benefits. Historically, cultures worldwide have relied on fermentation to preserve foods and enhance their digestibility, flavor, aromas, and taste. Despite the abundance of global diversity of fermented foods, the microbial communities in traditionally fermented non-European foods remain largely understudied. Here, we characterized the bacterial and fungal communities in 90 plant and animal based fermented foods from Nepal, South Korea, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan, all traditionally prepared for household consumption.

Results

Our results reveal that these foods host diverse and intricately interconnected ecosystems of bacteria and fungi. Beyond the well-known fermenters such as lactic acid bacteria (LABs),

SUBMITTER: Gautam A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12523157 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature