Significance of traditional fermented foods in the lower Mekong subregion: A focus on lactic acid bacteria

African Sorghum-Based Fermented Foods: Past, Current and Future Prospects

“…Other beneficial effects of sorghum and its derived products include their ability to improve glycemic response, prevent cancer and confer anti-inflammatory effects. Other studies in the literature have also reported that sorghum phenolic extracts exert a protective effect to help prevent the onset of neurodegenerative related diseases, confer antidiabetic and anticancer effects, reduce swelling (oedema) and lower the incidence of oesophageal cancer [83][84][85][86][87][88][89]. Evidence for this has been demonstrated in previous studies and recently summarized in the reviews of Girard & Awika [70] and Aruna & Visarada [65].…”

“…LABs are generally recognized to be safe and beneficial, with some strains having health-promoting (probiotic) features. These group of microorganisms reduce the risk of fermentation failure and the fermentation period, while improving the value of the end product, as they have the ability to synthesize organic acids, inhibit food poisoning and spoilage bacteria through their antimicrobial, bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects [84,91,98]. The presence of other microorganisms is noteworthy, and they could have possibly participated in the fermentation process and/or are opportunistic microorganisms in the fermentation process.…”

Identification, Classification and Screening for γ-Amino-butyric Acid Production in Lactic Acid Bacteria from Cambodian Fermented Foods

“…The samples were taken to the Food Microbiology and Hygiene Laboratory of the Department of Food Science and Technology at BOKU in Vienna, Austria, and kept in their original containers at 4 • C until analysis. Cambodian fermented foods have mostly no shelf-life indicated and these foods are usually stored until completely consumed [1]. Generally, fermented fish can be stored for a few months up to a year and fermented vegetables are still fine up to two or three weeks if they are stored at 4 • C. To cover the purpose of the project, all analyses were carried out as soon as possible within the usual shelf life of the products (e.g., three months for fermented fishery products and two weeks for fermented vegetables after purchasing).…”

“…The majority of small-scale fermentations and even some industrial processes are still done as natural processes involving lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are indigenously present in raw materials and the production environment. This represents a low-cost and reliable preservation technique [1]. Although LAB are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and partly have the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) status provided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) [2,3], the growth of this group is completely uncontrolled and unpredictable, resulting in less uniform sensory characteristics and compositions [4].…”

“…Such cultures, however, are tailored to the needs of other markets and are not typical for Cambodian foods [4]. Moreover, many small-scale manufacturers are unwilling to accept changes and to modify fermentation processes [1]. Using autochthonous starter cultures, which can effectively preserve typical characteristics of fermented products, would be better accepted by producers [5].…”