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This narrative review synthesizes research up to 2025 on Eastern European fermented foods, including sauerkraut, kefir, bryndza, kvass, and sourdough, highlighting fermentation-derived bioactive compounds and reported health-relevant activities. Findings suggest bioactive peptides, transformed polyphenols, microbial-synthesized vitamins, organic acids, and live or non-viable microorganisms with antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and metabolic effects, while variability in artisanal production and limited standardized human studies constrain conclusions.",{"@graph":69,"@context":127},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/eastern-european-fermented-foods-nutritional-value-functional-potential-and-cultural-heritage/461192/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/eastern-european-fermented-foods-nutritional-value-functional-potential-and-cultural-heritage/461192.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanford","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",11,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119,123],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the main purpose of this review?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"To synthesize evidence on the nutritional value, functional potential, and cultural heritage of Eastern European fermented foods, focusing on composition, microbiology, bioactive compounds, and related health outcomes.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Which bioactive components are highlighted as fermentation-derived?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The review reports fermentation-derived bioactive peptides, transformed polyphenols, microbial-synthesized vitamins, organic acids, and live or non-viable microorganisms.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What health effects are described in experimental studies?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Experimental studies describe generation of ACE-inhibitory peptides and polyphenol biotransformation, with reported antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and metabolic effects.",{"name":124,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":125},"What limitations prevent definitive conclusions?",{"text":126,"@type":114},"Substantial variability in artisanal production practices and a limited number of standardized human studies constrain definitive conclusions.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":129,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":131,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":133,"site_id":62},461192,1791237465,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":136},{"doc_id":133,"user_id":137,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":138,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":139,"file_id":140,"file_url":141,"file_type":142,"file_size":143,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":144,"language":145,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":146,"faqs":147,"seo_title":148,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":149,"read_time":150,"preview_page_count":4},2336477552062,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Review  \nEastern European Fermented Foods: Nutritional Value, Functional Potential, and Cultural Heritage  \nCorina-Aurelia Zugravu 1, * and Ciprian Constantin 2,3  \n1 Department of Hygiene and Nutrition,“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy,  \n050463 Bucharest, Romania  \n2 Research Metabolism Center—Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania; [ciprian_constantin@yahoo.com](ciprian_constantin@yahoo.com)  \n3 “Carol Davila” Emergency Hospital, Bucharest 1, 88 M. Vulcanescu Street, 010825 Bucharest, Romania  \n* Correspondence: [corina.zugravu@umfcd.ro](corina.zugravu@umfcd.ro)  \nAbstract  \nAcademic Editor: Svetoslav Dimitrov Todorov  \nReceived: 12 November 2025  \nRevised: 17 December 2025  \nAccepted: 19 December 2025  \nPublished: 22 December 2025  \nCopyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.  \nBackground: Fermentation is among the oldest and most versatile food processing techniques, enhancing not only shelf life but also nutritional and functional value. While Asian and Western fermented foods are extensively studied, traditional Eastern European fermentations—such as sauerkraut, kefir, bryndza, kvass, and sourdough—remain largely unexplored despite their enduring cultural and dietary importance. These foods combine spontaneous or mixed-culture fermentations, diverse substrates, and unique microbial consortia that may yield distinct bioactive profiles with potential health benefits. Methods: This narrative review synthesizes data from scientific articles, regional reports, and ethnographic sources retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to 2025 . Studies were selected for relevance to composition, microbiology, bioactive compounds, and human or experimental health outcomes related to Eastern European fermented foods. Results: Available evidence indicates that traditional fermented dairy, cereal, and vegetable products from Eastern Europe contain fermentation-derived bioactive compounds, including specific bioactive peptides, transformed polyphenols, microbial-synthesized vitamins, organic acids, and live or non-viable microorganisms. Experimental studies describe the generation of ACE-inhibitory peptides, polyphenol biotransformation, and prebiotic or postbiotic metabolites with reported antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and metabolic effects. However, substantial variability in artisanal production practicesand the limited number of standardized human studies currently constrain definitive conclusions. Conclusions: Eastern European fermented foods represent a culturally unique yet scientifically undercharacterized component of functional nutrition. Their complex microbial ecosystems and diverse substrates offer valuable models for studying diet–microbe interactions. Further omics-based and clinical research is warranted to clarify bioavailability, mechanisms of action, and their potential integration into evidence-based dietary strategies.  \nKeywords: Eastern Europe; fermented foods; functional foods; probiotics; postbiotics; bioactive peptides; traditional diets; nutrition science  \n1. Introduction  \nFermentation is one of the oldest and most widespread methods of food preservation and transformation, practiced for a long time across different cultures. First evidences of producing fermented beverages are many millennia old [1] . Food fermentation originated in spontaneous biochemical processes in which native microorganisms transform moist  \nsubstrates through enzymatic activity. Depending on the outcome, this process produces either edible fermented foods or inedible spoiled products. Over time, human societies refined these natural phenomena into controlled techniques, developing regionally specific fermentation systems adapted to local environments and raw materials. The earliest known examples l","cbCaijNFeCNfBNCg","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijNFeCNfBNCg","pdf",466589,27,"English","# Introduction\n## Role of fermentation in nutrition and functionality\n## Focus of existing research and the Eastern Europe gap\n# Methods\n## Data sources and selection criteria\n# Results\n## Fermentation-derived bioactive compounds\n## Reported antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and metabolic effects\n## Constraints from variability and study standardization\n# Conclusions\n## Scientific undercharacterization and future research needs","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of this review?\",\"answer\":\"To synthesize evidence on the nutritional value, functional potential, and cultural heritage of Eastern European fermented foods, focusing on composition, microbiology, bioactive compounds, and related health outcomes.\"},{\"question\":\"Which bioactive components are highlighted as fermentation-derived?\",\"answer\":\"The review reports fermentation-derived bioactive peptides, transformed polyphenols, microbial-synthesized vitamins, organic acids, and live or non-viable microorganisms.\"},{\"question\":\"What health effects are described in experimental studies?\",\"answer\":\"Experimental studies describe generation of ACE-inhibitory peptides and polyphenol biotransformation, with reported antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and metabolic effects.\"},{\"question\":\"What limitations prevent definitive conclusions?\",\"answer\":\"Substantial variability in artisanal production practices and a limited number of standardized human studies constrain definitive conclusions.\"}]","Eastern European Fermented Foods - Nutritional Value, Functional Potential, and Cultural Heritage | PDF",1790760894,68]