Abstract
Fermented food products, especially those derived from cereals and legumes are important contributors to diet diversity globally. These food items are vital to food security and significantly contribute to nutrition. Fermentation is a process that desirably modifies food constituents by increasing the palatability, organoleptic properties, bioavailability and alters nutritional constituents. This review focuses on deciphering possible mechanisms involved in the modification of nutritional constituents as well as nutrient bioavailability during the fermentation of cereals and legumes, especially those commonly consumed in developing countries. Although modifications in these constituents are dependent on inherent and available nutrients in the starting raw material, it was generally observed that fermentation increased these nutritive qualities (protein, amino acids, vitamins, fats, fatty acids, etc.) in cereals and legumes, while in a few instances, a reduction in these constituents was noted. A general reduction trend in antinutritional factors was also observed with a corresponding increase in the nutrient bioavailability and bioaccessibility. Notable mechanisms of modification include transamination or the synthesis of new compounds during the fermentation process, use of nutrients as energy sources, as well as the metabolic activity of microorganisms leading to a degradation or increase in the level of some constituents. A number of fermented products are yet to be studied and fully understood. Further research into these food products using both conventional and modern techniques are still required to provide insights into these important food groups, as well as for an overall improved food quality, enhanced nutrition and health, as well as other associated socioeconomic benefits.
Highlights
Fermented food products are notable all around the world and are sometimes categorized as “functional foods” due to their purported health benefits
The decrease in tannin (50%) was attributed to milling, which removed most of the tannin-related fractions, while phytate (19–69%) was reduced due to the increased activities of phytases during fermentation [137], and the reduction in antinutritional factors (ANFs) in sorghum fermented for 72 h at room temperature was due to the ability of microorganisms to use them up [169]
An increase of 15.2% was reported in in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of chickpea fermented into tempeh flour and the authors attributed this to the elimination of undesirable factors as well as protein hydrolysis during fermentation, which resulted in proteins that were more vulnerable to enzyme action [178]
Summary
Fermented food products are notable all around the world and are sometimes categorized as “functional foods” due to their purported health benefits. The SSF process involves the growth of microorganisms on moist substrates in the absence of free-flowing water, while SmF occurs in the presence of free-flowing liquid medium/water (i.e., SmF has more fluids compared to SSF) [11,12] Irrespective of these classifications, the primary purpose of food fermentation is to preserve perishable produce; recently, with the advent of numerous technologies, different types of fermented foods are being manufactured to meet consumer needs [2,13]. The fermentation of cereals and legumes into subsequent products involves the interaction of plant tissues with available fermenting microorganisms These fermented foods mostly contain a complex mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc., undergoing a simultaneous modification or in some sequence under the action of a variety of microorganisms and enzymes [16]. Constituents, conditions under which the fermentation process was performed, the fermented products as well as the percentage differences after fermentation were summarized in Tables 3 and 4, with reported mechanisms of modification described (Figures 1 and 2) in the ensuing sections
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