THE MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND ITS DYNAMICS IN THE ETHNIC FERMENTED FOODS OF THE BLACK SEA REGION

Abstract

Homemade fermented food is a valuable source of biologically active prebiotic substances and probiotic microorganisms. Five prioritized ethnic fermented foods from the Black Sea region: Bosa (Bulgaria), Socata (Romania), Kvass (Russia), fermented beans (Turkey) and Sauerkraut (Ukraine), based on the original recipes using unique microbial starters were studied. The dynamics of microbial compositions during the fermentation process of each product was clarified and the best combination of lactobacilli starters needed to reproduce the original formulations were defined. In addition to our earlier published data these results demonstrate the opportunity to design novel food products which might be used in the practical implementation of personalized diets.