Traditionally fermented pickles: How the microbial diversity associated with their nutritional and health benefits?

TLDR

Pickling, an ancient preservation method, imparts flavor, texture, and color changes, with microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcaceae, Bacilli, yeasts, and filamentous fungi playing a pivotal role in product quality and safety. This review examines traditional fermented pickles, highlighting their nutritional, therapeutic, and economic benefits, the advances in microbial community screening, and their potential to enhance food security, safety, and biofortification. Technological progress in screening microbial communities associated with traditional pickles is summarized.

Abstract

Historically, pickling is one of the oldest preservation methods of several foodstuffs such as vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat. Pickling imparts unique and desirable changes in flavor, texture and color that take place over time in fermented pickles. Microorganisms (mainly lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcaceae, Bacilli, yeasts, and filamentous fungi) play a pivotal role in the pickling of foodstuffs while affecting the quality and safety of the final product. This review focuses on the common traditional fermented pickles and their nutritional, therapeutic, and economic potentials. Furthermore, the technological progress in screening microbial communities associated with the traditional pickles is summarized. Finally, this paper will tackle with the role of pickles in filing the gap in food security, the safety aspect of traditional pickles and biofortication as an interesting technique to improve the quality of traditional pickles.