Introduction
Today, the role of fermentation has expanded far beyond its historical usage, to a much broader range of new processes and products. Industrialised fermentation can serve to extend shelf-life, enrich flavour, aroma and texture, enhance nutritional benefits (e.g. microbially-produced vitamins and essential amino acids; better digestibility of macronutrients) and reduce antinutrients. It can also contribute to new agrifood production systems that are more diverse and sustainable, with less impact on the environment.
Fermentation is being seen as a powerful technological platform for taking future food and ingredient production to the next level. It combines the wisdom of traditional food preservation, the learnings from biofuels, the precision fermentation pioneered by biopharmaceuticals, and the break-through of the plant-based industry.
