Cereal-Based Food and Beverage Quality and Safety: Emerging Exploitation of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Applications of Microbial Starter Cultures

Dear Colleagues,

Cereal grains are a worldwide source of dietary nutrients throughout a wide range of staple foods and beverages. Fermentation is the oldest biotechnology process used to enhance the safety, nutritional value, functional properties, and organoleptic attributes of cereal matrices.

In recent years, innovative trends have involved the market of cereal-based foods and beverages. Here, a few examples: (i) the growing interest in functional cereal-based fermented foods and beverages as innovative carriers to vehicle probiotic microorganisms in alternative to traditional dairy products, (ii) the exploitation of so-called “minor cereals” as a new source of bioactive compounds and of prebiotics (i.e., beta-glucans), (iii) the design of new products for specific targets of the population, and (iv) the development of new biotechnological strategies to avoid contamination by pathogenic bacteria, spoilage filamentous fungi, and mycotoxins. At the same time, it is possible to highlight a continuous exploration and characterization of microbial diversity associated to (eastern and western) traditional cereal-based fermented foods and beverages as a source of advanced biotechnological solutions in the field. 

In this Special Issue, scientific contributions covering the more innovative applications of food-grade microorganisms in the fermentation of cereal-based products, including their employment as starter cultures, probiotic cultures, as well as protective cultures, are welcome.

In particular, in order to propose innovations susceptible to strengthening the competitiveness of cereal-based fermented products, the topics will include the employment of microbial-based biotechnological approaches (i) to develop innovative formulations; (ii) to improve nutritional quality; (iii) to enhance the sensorial complexity; (iv) to elaborate new functional products (e.g., probiotics and synbiotics); and (v) to prolong shelf life and ensure safety standards.

Dr. Pasquale Russo
Dr. Vittorio Capozzi
Guest Editors

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• Cereal-based
• Fermentation
• Starter cultures
• Probiotic
• Prebiotic
• Bioprotective cultures
• Lactic acid
• acteria
• Antimicrobial activity