Table 1.
A summary of the primary fermentation pathways of relevance to fermented foods, including the main fermentation end products and the microorganisms responsible for their production.
| Fermentation Type | Substrate | End Products | Microorganisms Responsible | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactic Acid * | Sugar | |||
| Homo lactic | Lactic acid | Lactococcus lactis | [18] | |
| Streptococcus thermophilus | ||||
| Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus | ||||
| Lactobacillus acidophilus | ||||
| Lactobacillus helveticus | ||||
| Pediococcus | ||||
| Enterococcus | ||||
| Hetero lactic | Lactic acid, ethanol, CO2 | Leuconostoc | [18] | |
| Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis | ||||
| Levilactobacillus brevis | ||||
| Limosilactobacillus fermentum | ||||
| Limosilactobacillus reuteri | ||||
| Lacticaseibacillus casei | ||||
| Lactiplantibacillus plantarum | ||||
| Latilactobacillus curvatus | ||||
| Ethanol | Sugar | Ethanol, CO2 | Saccharomyces cerevisiae | [19] |
| Zymomonas mobilis | ||||
| Acetic Acid | Ethanol | Acetic acid | Acetobacter | [20] |
| Komagataeibacter | ||||
| Propionic Acid | Lactic Acid | Propionic acid, acetic acid, CO2 | Propionibacterium freudenreichii | [21] |
| Propionibacterium jensenii | ||||
| Propionibacterium thoenii | ||||
| Propionibacterium acidipropionici | ||||
| Propionibacterium cyclohexanicum | ||||
| Citric Acid | Citric Acid | Acetate, Formate, Ethanol, 2,3-butanediol, Diacetyl, Acetoin, CO2, Lactate |
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis | [22] |
| Leuconostoc ** | ||||
| Enterococcus ** | ||||
| Lactobacillus ** | ||||
| Oenococcus oeni | ||||
| Malolactic | Malic Acid | Lactic acid, CO2 | Oenococcus oeni | [23] |
| Lactobacillaceae *** | ||||
| Pediococcus ** |
* Certain LAB, referred to as facultative heterofermentative LAB, can ferment by either the homo- or heterolactic fermentation pathway depending on environmental conditions or substrate availability. ** Certain members of this genus. *** Certain members of this family.