Fermented Foods, Lactobacillus, and Health

The earliest development of fermented foods, among the most ancient agricultural products, coincided with the rise of civilizations around the world. According to archeological records, wine was produced during the Neolithic Period from 8500 to 4000BC,while beer andbreadweremassproduced shortly thereafter. These foods, as well as others such as cheese, yogurt, and miso, are mentioned in ancient texts, including the Bible, the Iliad, and the Odyssey. Although modern preservation andprocessingmethods reduced reliance on these products, fermented foods and beverages remain an important part of diets throughout the world. In the United States, there is renewed interest in fermented foods for both their artisanal manufacture and their capacity to benefıt human health. New companies are popping up to produce a wide range of fermented foods and beverages, including pickles, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, artisanal cheeses, yogurts and kefır, craft beers, and kombucha (fermented tea). These foods are not only popular, but they are also considered healthy. Indeed, in the absence of scientifıcally confırmed health benefıts for most fermented foods, consumers are being told that some are “probiotic” and “prebiotic.” Many of these claims revolve aroundLactobacillus species, which are widely used to ferment foods, and the role that these bacteria play as probiotics. Lactobacillus and closely related lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most abundant bacteria consumed within regular US diets, with an individual consumer eating between 10 to 10 living bacterial cells from various fresh and fermented food sources each day. Adding probiotic Lactobacillus strains to that mix would provide an opportunity for increasing those numbers considerably. However, the study of host-microbe interactions of ingested probiotic bacteria in the intestine is a relatively new fıeld, much in line with efforts to understand how the indigenous gut microbiome influences its host. Because Lactobacillus species are generally regarded as safe for consumption and do not permanently colonize the intestine, studying these bacteria serves as a gateway for investigating transitory hostmicrobe interactions in the digestive tract. Ultimately, doing so will help us to appreciate not only the microbes on our bodies but also those that join us at the dinner table.