Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a central role in many fermented foods, including sourdough, kimchi, pickles, olives, zha cai, kefir, ogi, and cheese, among others. These microbes produce lactic acid, which acidifies the fermented food, making it both safe and tasty. Specific LAB strains have also been characterized as probiotics. But how do LAB found in fermented foods differ from probiotics? And what exactly defines a probiotic?

We spoke with Dr. Maria Marco, a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis. Her lab primarily focuses on lactic acid bacteria in food systems and the mammalian digestive tract. She has authored and collaborated on numerous important papers covering fermentation and health, probiotics, and the future of the fermented food field.

Join our conversation on hybrid fermentation, probiotics, and the open questions in health and fermentation studies.

Dr. Chantle Swichkow, a postdoc in Leonid Kruglyak’s lab at UCLA, has been exploring the role of yeast in these symbiotic interactions. By applying her background in mouse genetics to yeast, she studies how yeast strain diversity impacts microbial community composition and the final organoleptic properties of wine, bread, and kombucha.

Join our conversation on the history of Saccharomyces, strain diversity in fermented food production, blue Takis, and the power of Reddit.

One way to characterize fermented foods is based on where the fermentation microbes come from: either spontaneously acquired from the environment (also known as wild fermentation), from a previous ferment (back-slopping), or from a commercial starter community. But how do we identify which microbes are involved in this process in the first place?

Paul Cotter, an Adjunct Professor at University College Cork and Head of Food Biosciences, as well as a Senior Principal Research Officer at Teagasc Food Research Centre, has spent his career addressing this question through tool development, collaborating with a global team of scientists, and exploring the diversity of the fermented food landscape.

Join our conversation on mapping fermented food metagenomes, personalized fermented foods, and lab kefir.