This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
Indira P. Sarethy,
Anubha Gupta,
- Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Reseach Scholar, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
Traditional fermented edible products have been in the food industry since ancient times. Today, the fermentation process has become most common in the health food industry. Due to the microorganisms present in fermented food products, the health benefits have been helpful in many ways. Fermentation helps in enhancing gut health, blood sugar, blood pressure, and brain health. These food products also play a major role in lowering cancer risk and heart disease. The processed and fermented food manufacturing sector has been gaining in CAGR over the years, and especially with onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many different food types are amenable for fermentation, such as tea, rice, meat, some vegetables, and many dairy products. To address the issue of prolonged storage of fermented products, it is essential to solve the issue of packaging and enhance the usage/shelf life of these products. Advancement in packaging technologies now play a key role in extending shelf life, preserving quality, and ensuring the safe delivery of fermented foods. This review focuses on some of the fermented products, global regulations for fermented edible items, health benefits, packaging and global regulatory frameworks and challenges associated with it.
Keywords: Fermentation, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-nutritive compounds, anti-inflammatory, regulatory framework, packaging
Indira P. Sarethy, Anubha Gupta. Fermented Foods: Functional and Regulatory Insights. Research and Reviews : A Journal of Biotechnology. 2025; 15(03):-.
Indira P. Sarethy, Anubha Gupta. Fermented Foods: Functional and Regulatory Insights. Research and Reviews : A Journal of Biotechnology. 2025; 15(03):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjobt/article=2025/view=228759
References
- Valentino V, Magliulo R, Farsi D, Cotter PD, O’Sullivan O, Ercolini D, et al. Fermented foods, their microbiome and its potential in boosting human health. Microb Biotechnol. 2024;17(2). doi:10.1111/1751-7915.14428.
- Future Market Insights. Fermented food and beverage market. 2024 Mar 19. Available from: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/fermented-foods-and-beverages-market.
- Trends in food production and consumption in India. Karnataka PCS Free Notes. 2020 Jul 9. Available from: https://karnataka.pscnotes.com/agriculture-booster/trends-in-food-production-and-consumption-in-india/.
- Cuamatzin-García L, Rodriguez-Rugarcia P, El-Kassis EG, Galicia G, Meza-Jimenez MDL, Banos-Lara MDR, et al. Traditional fermented foods and beverages from around the world and their health benefits. Microorganisms. 2022;10(6):1151. doi:10.3390/microorganisms10061151.
- Materia VC, Linnemann AR, Smid EJ, Schoustra SE. Contribution of traditional fermented foods to food systems transformation: Value addition and inclusive entrepreneurship. Food Secur. 2021;13(5):1163–77. doi:10.1007/s12571-021-01185-5.
- Voidarou C, Antoniadou M, Rozos G, Tzora A, Skoufos I, Varzakas T, et al. Fermentative foods: Microbiology, biochemistry, potential human health benefits and public health issues. Foods. 2020;10(1):69. doi:10.3390/foods10010069.
- Leeuwendaal NK, Stanton C, O’Toole PW, Beresford TP. Fermented foods, health and the gut microbiome. Nutrients. 2022;14(7):1527. doi:10.3390/nu14071527.
- Litopoulou-Tzanetaki E, Tzanetakis N. The microfloras of traditional Greek cheeses. Microbiol Spectr. 2014;2(1). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.cm-0009-2012.
- Rezac S, Kok CR, Heermann M, Hutkins R. Fermented foods as a dietary source of live organisms. Front Microbiol. 2018;9:1785. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.01785.
- Chong AQ, Lau SW, Chin NL, Talib RA, Basha RK. Fermented beverage benefits: A comprehensive review and comparison of kombucha and kefir microbiome. Microorganisms. 2023;11(5):1344. doi:10.3390/microorganisms11051344.
- Lau SW, Chong AQ, Chin NL, Talib RA, Basha RK. Sourdough microbiome comparison and benefits. Microorganisms. 2021;9(7):1355. doi:10.3390/microorganisms9071355.
- Munekata PES, Pateiro M, Tomasevic I, Domínguez R, Santos EM, Lorenzo JM, et al. Functional fermented meat products with probiotics—A review. J Appl Microbiol. 2021;133(1):91–103. doi:10.1111/jam.15337.
- Chan M, Liu D, Wu Y, Yang F, Howell K. Microorganisms in whole botanical fermented foods survive processing and simulated digestion to affect gut microbiota composition. Front Microbiol. 2021;12:759708. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.759708.
- Leech J, Cabrera-Rubio R, Walsh AM, Macori G, Walsh CJ, Barton W, et al. Fermented-food metagenomics reveals substrate-associated differences in taxonomy and health-associated and antibiotic resistance determinants. mSystems. 2020;5(6). doi:10.1128/msystems.00522-20.
- Yumnam H, Hazarika P, Sharma I. Metagenomic insights into traditional fermentation of rice-based beverages among ethnic tribes in southern Assam, Northeast India. Front Microbiol. 2024;15. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1410098.
- Imade EE, Omonigho SE, Babalola OO, Enagbonma BJ. Lactic acid bacterial bacteriocins and their bioactive properties against food-associated antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Ann Microbiol. 2021;71(1). doi:10.1186/s13213-021-01652-6.
- Tamang JP, Shin DH, Jung SJ, Chae SW. Functional properties of microorganisms in fermented foods. Front Microbiol. 2016;7:578. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.00578.
- Gopikrishna T, Kumar HKS, Perumal K, Elangovan E. Impact of Bacillus in fermented soybean foods on human health. Ann Microbiol. 2021;71(1). doi:10.1186/s13213-021-01641-9.
- Sharma R, Garg P, Kumar P, Bhatia SK, Kulshrestha S. Microbial fermentation and its role in quality improvement of fermented foods. Fermentation. 2020;6(4):106. doi:10.3390/fermentation6040106.
- Arsov A, Gjorgjeska B, Sazdovska M, Ganesan K, Jankuloska VS, Nikolova B, et al. Bacterial degradation of antinutrients in foods: The genomic insight. Foods. 2024;13(15):2408. doi:10.3390/foods13152408.
- Francis DV, Dahiya D, Gokhale T, Nigam PS. Sustainable packaging materials for fermented probiotic dairy or non-dairy food and beverage products: Challenges and innovations. AIMS Microbiol. 2024;10(2):320–39. doi:10.3934/microbiol.2024017.
- Suppakul P, Miltz J, Sonneveld K, Bigger SW. Active packaging technologies with an emphasis on antimicrobial packaging and its applications. J Food Sci. 2003;68(2):408–20. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2003.tb05687.x.
- Mukherjee A, Gómez-Sala B, O’Connor EM, Kenny JG, Cotter PD. Global regulatory frameworks for fermented foods: A review. Front Nutr. 2022;9. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.902642.
- Chang F, Eng L, Chang C. Food allergy labeling laws: International guidelines for residents and travelers. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2023;65(2):148–65. doi:10.1007/s12016-023-08960-6.
- Pettoello-Mantovani C, Olivieri B. Food safety and public health within the frame of the EU legislation. Glob Pediatr. 2022;2:100020. doi:10.1016/j.gpeds.2022.100020.
- Lunze K, Yurasova E, Idrisov B, Gnatienko N, Migliorini L. Food security and nutrition in the Russian Federation – a health policy analysis. Glob Health Action. 2015;8(1):27537. doi:10.3402/gha.v8.27537.
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Guidance & regulation (food and dietary supplements). 2024 Jan 11. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements.
- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Canada adopts new food safety law. [cited n.d.]. Available from: https://www.cseindia.org/canada-adopts-new-food-safety-law-4748.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Food safety and standards regulations. [cited n.d.]. Available from: https://www.fssai.gov.in/cms/food-safety-and-standards-regulations.php.
- Lssgb Pcqi DKBMBA. Food safety challenges in foodservice environments. Food Saf Mag. 2021 Jun 8. Available from: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/7163-food-safety-challenges-in-foodservice-environments.
- Xing Y, Huang M, Olovo CV, Mgbechidinma CL, Yang Y, Liu J, et al. Traditional fermented foods: Challenges, sources, and health benefits of fatty acids. Fermentation. 2023;9(2):110. doi:10.3390/fermentation9020110.

Research and Reviews : A Journal of Biotechnology
| Volume | 15 |
| 03 | |
| Received | 25/07/2025 |
| Accepted | 12/09/2025 |
| Published | 06/10/2025 |
| Publication Time | 73 Days |
PlumX Metrics
