The progression of life in all forms is not only dependent on agricultural and food security but also on the soil characteristics. The dynamic nature of soil is a direct manifestation of soil microbes, bio-mineralization, and synergistic co-evolution with plants. With the increase in world's population the demand for agriculture yield has increased tremendously and thereby leading to large scale production of chemical fertilizers. Since the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural fields have caused degradation of soil quality and fertility, thus the expansion of agricultural land with fertile soil is near impossible, hence researchers and scientists have sifted their attention for a safer and productive means of agricultural practices. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been functioning as a co-evolution between plants and microbes showing antagonistic and synergistic interactions with microorganisms and the soil. Microbial revitalization using plant growth promoters had been achieved through direct and indirect approaches like bio-fertilization, invigorating root growth, rhizoremediation, disease resistance etc. Although, there are a wide variety of PGPR and its allies, their role and usages for sustainable agriculture remains controversial and restricted. There is also variability in the performance of PGPR that may be due to various environmental factors that might affect their growth and proliferation in the plants. These gaps and limitations can be addressed through use of modern approaches and techniques such as nano-encapsulation and micro-encapsulation along with exploring multidisciplinary research that combines applications in biotechnology, nanotechnology, agro biotechnology, chemical engineering and material science and bringing together different ecological and functional biological approaches to provide new formulations and opportunities with immense potential.

Different types of fermented foods such as chongkukjang, doenjang, ganjang, gochujang, and kimchi are plentifully available and widely consumed in north eastern Asian countries including Korea. Among them, kimchi is one of the most popular Korean traditional food. It is prepared by fermenting the baechu cabbage together with other vegetables and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with functional potential. Many types of ingredients are added to kimchi to enhance its taste, flavor, nutritional value, texture etc. A number of bacteria are involved in the fermentation of kimchi, but LAB are the dominant species in the fermentation process. The addition of other sub ingredients and formation of different by-products during fermentation eventually leads to eradication of putrefactive and pathogenic bacteria, and also increase the functionalities, nutritional and nutraceutical potential of kimchi. Kimchi possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity, probiotic properties, cholesterol reduction, and antiaging properties. In the present review an attempt has been made to review the different types of fermented foods found in the Korean peninsula with detailed scientific research regarding preparation, processing, structure of the microecosystem, and health benefits of kimchi.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from Greek traditional wheat sourdoughs manufactured without the addition of baker's yeast. Application of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total cell protein, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR, DNA-DNA hybridization, and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, in combination with physiological traits such as fructose fermentation and mannitol production, allowed us to classify the isolated bacteria into the species Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus paralimentarius, and Weissella cibaria. This consortium seems to be unique for the Greek traditional wheat sourdoughs studied. Strains of the species W. cibaria have not been isolated from sourdoughs previously. No Lactobacillus pontis or Lactobacillus panis strains were found. An L. brevis-like isolate (ACA-DC 3411 t1) could not be identified properly and might be a new sourdough LAB species. In addition, fermentation capabilities associated with the LAB detected have been studied. During laboratory fermentations, all heterofermentative sourdough LAB strains produced lactic acid, acetic acid, and ethanol. Mannitol was produced from fructose that served as an additional electron acceptor. In addition to glucose, almost all of the LAB isolates fermented maltose, while fructose as the sole carbohydrate source was fermented by all sourdough LAB tested except L. sanfranciscensis. Two of the L. paralimentarius isolates tested did not ferment maltose; all strains were homofermentative. In the presence of both maltose and fructose in the medium, induction of hexokinase activity occurred in all sourdough LAB species mentioned above, explaining why no glucose accumulation was found extracellularly. No maltose phosphorylase activity was found either. These data produced a variable fermentation coefficient and a unique sourdough metabolite composition.Bread is a staple food in many European diets. Moreover, it contributes to cultural and geographical identity. Artisan bread production, which often employs sourdough processes or the use of pre-ferments, provides a wide regional variety of breads and specialty products. Sourdough is a mixture of wheat or rye flour and water that is fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts (16,56). It is used as an inoculum for sourdough bread and sometimes also for bread making. Sourdough fermentations improve dough properties and bread texture and flavor, retard the staling process, and protect bread from mould and bacterial spoilage (8,23,40). Sourdough can be prepared in bakeries or obtained from commercial suppliers (3,26). Due to their artisan and region-dependent handling, sourdoughs are an immense source of diverse LAB and yeast species and strains. Unfortunately, LAB from traditional sourdoughs cannot be properly identified by phenotypic approaches, such as fermentation patterns and cell wall analysis, due to the physiological, biochemical, and ecological specificity of these bacterial strains (56, 59). Molecular techniques...

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A total of 266 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been isolated from minced beef stored at 0, 5, 10 and 15 °C aerobically and under modified atmosphere packaging consisting of 40% CO(2)-30% O(2)-30% N(2) in the presence MAP (+) and absence MAP (-) of oregano essential oil. Sequencing of their 16S rRNA gene along with presence of the katA gene demonstrated dominance of the LAB microbiota by Leuconostoc spp. during aerobic storage at 5, 10 and 15 °C, as well as during MAP (-) and MAP (+) storage at 10 and 15 °C; Lactobacillus sakei prevailed during aerobic storage at 0 °C, as well as at MAP (-) and MAP (+) storage at 0 and 5 °C. The sporadic presence of other species such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Weisella viridescens, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus curvatus has also been determined. Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis of high molecular weight genomic DNA revealed the dynamics of the isolated LAB strains. Prevalence of Leuconostoc spp. was attributed to one strain only. On the other hand, packaging conditions affected Lb. sakei strain spoilage dynamics.