Work

Functional fermented foods in public health nutrition: key biomolecular mechanisms, gut microbiota interactions, and implications for metabolic disease prevention

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Functional fermented foods are increasingly recognized in public health nutrition for their potential to reduce the burden of metabolic diseases through fermentation-derived bioactive biomolecules. Fermentation enhances the nutritional and functional properties of foods by generating peptides, short-chain fatty acids, organic acids, exopolysaccharides, enzymes, and transformed phytochemicals with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and metabolic regulatory activities. Despite growing interest, the biomolecular pathways linking these compounds to metabolic health, particularly through gut microbiota modulation, remain insufficiently clarified. This review focuses on representative functional fermented foods such as dairy, cereal, legume, vegetable, tea, and traditional mixed fermented foods and key fermentation-derived biomolecules, including bioactive peptides, short-chain fatty acids, polyphenols, exopolysaccharides and organic acids, with emphasis on their mechanistic roles in gut microbiota modulation and metabolic disease prevention. By linking biomolecular mechanisms with public health outcomes, it positions functional fermented foods as promising, sustainable tools for metabolic disease prevention and health promotion.

Source: Frontiers in Nutrition

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1818528

Author: Saleh A. Alsanie

Institution: Qassim University

Language: English

Topic: Probiotics and Fermented Foods

Subfield: Food Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801