Volume 8 Number 1 2025
Hidden Microbial Ecosystems in Traditional Chinese Fermented Foods: Multi-Omics Insights Into Fermentation, Gut Health, and Food Safety Risks
Ravi Goyal 1*, Rajni Bala 1, Reecha Madaan 1
Microbial Bioactives 8 (1) 1-12 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.8110656
Submitted: 20 November 2024 Revised: 18 January 2025 Accepted: 26 January 2025 Published: 28 January 2025
Traditional Chinese fermented foods (TCFFs) have long occupied a complicated, almost paradoxical place within both cultural history and nutritional science. They are simultaneously ancient and remarkably contemporary—foods shaped by centuries of empirical knowledge yet increasingly interpreted through the lens of microbiome research and omics-driven biotechnology. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding the hidden microbial ecology of TCFFs, with particular attention to microbial succession, viable but non-culturable (VBNC) microorganisms, fermentation-associated metabolites, and the evolving role of multi-omics technologies in decoding these complex systems. Across products such as sufu, Baijiu, Huangjiu, soy sauce, and fermented vegetables, fermentation appears less like a simple preservation method and more like a dynamic ecological process governed by cooperative microbial interactions. Metagenomics and metaproteomics increasingly reveal that low-abundance and uncultured microorganisms may exert disproportionate influence on flavor development, substrate conversion, and fermentation stability. At the same time, this biological richness introduces important safety concerns, including biogenic amine accumulation, mycotoxin production, and potential dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. Emerging evidence further suggests that fermented foods may influence gut microbial homeostasis, immune regulation, and metabolic resilience, although these benefits remain context-dependent and incompletely understood. Ultimately, TCFFs represent a convergence of cultural heritage, microbial ecology, and food biotechnology, highlighting the need for precision fermentation strategies capable of balancing artisanal authenticity with safety, sustainability, and industrial reproducibility.
Keywords: Traditional Chinese fermented foods; microbial ecology; metagenomics; viable but non-culturable microorganisms; lactic acid bacteria; food safety; gut microbiota
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