Sustainable Innovations in Food Microbiology: Fermentation, Biocontrol, and Functional Foods

• Published in: Foods Vol. 14; no. 13; p. 2320
• Main Authors: Nascimento, Amanda Priscila Silva, Barros, Ana Novo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.06.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural wastes; Amino acids; Artificial intelligence; Bacteriocins; Biological control; Carbohydrates; CRISPR; Enzymes; Fermentation; Fermented food; Food; Food microbiology; Functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Genetic engineering; Green technology; Industrial wastes; Innovations; International regulations; Intestinal microflora; Metabolites; microbial biocontrol; Microbiology; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Natural resources; Pests; Phages; Preservatives; Probiotics; probiotics and postbiotics; protective cultures; Review; Safety and security measures; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; sustainable fermentation; Sustainable food systems; Sustainable practices; Trends; omics technologies; sustainable fermentation; functional foods; microbial biocontrol; protective cultures; food microbiology; probiotics and postbiotics; food bioeconomy
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• 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.