COST PIMENTO Workshop in Bratislava: A Successful Gathering for the Future of Fermented Foods

Published: Sep 20, 2024 by FME Lab

From September 16 to 19, Bratislava hosted the latest COST PIMENTO workshop, bringing together key members of the management committee, core group, and working groups. This fruitful event, organized by the National Agricultural and Food Centre (Food Research Institute), provided an opportunity to discuss the future direction of fermented foods research.

Highlights of the workshop included preparations for the upcoming Fermented Foods Forum in Malaga, set for February 5-7, 2025, in collaboration with the DOMINO project. Discussions ranged from scientific insights to organizational details, laying the groundwork for an impactful forum next year.

Marie and Stéphane also had the chance to explore the rich diversity of local fermented foods in Bratislava, showcasing how tradition and innovation can come together. As we learned, the future of fermented foods truly does “lie in the barrel.”

From food spontaneous fermentations to food designed consortia

Our new article entitled “Microbiome metabolic modeling as a tool for innovation in fermented foods” has been published in in Current Opinion of Food Science¹.

Elham Karimi, Julien Tap, Marie-Christine Champomier-Vergès, Stéphane Chaillou. Microbiome metabolic modeling as a tool for innovation in fermented foods. Current Opinion of Food Science. 2025 ↩

The FME lab communicates about the links between the microbiome, nutrition and health.

On Thursday 27 November, the FME lab took part in the Food System Microbiomes Conference in Wageningen during the session dedicated to the connections between microbiomes, nutrition and health. The session was co-chaired by Stéphane Chaillou (INRAE, Micalis) and Prof. Christophe Courtin (KU Leuven), and provided an opportunity to showcase advances from two major European projects: DOMINO and HealthFerm.

Understanding How Fermented Foods Shape Health Insights From a New PIMENTO Review

A new scoping review published in Frontiers in Nutrition¹ as part of the COST Action PIMENTO initiative provides a comprehensive assessment of what is currently known about the health effects of fermented foods in specific human populations. This work reflects a substantial collective effort. We conducted an extensive and rigorous screening of the scientific literature, reviewing and selecting studies across many categories of fermented foods and health outcomes.

Humblot Christèle, Alvanoudi Panagiota, Alves Emilia, Assunçao Ricardo, Belovic Miona, Bulmus-Tuccar Tugce, Chassard Christophe, Derrien Muriel, Karagöz Mustafa Fevzi, Karakaya Sibel, Laranjo Marta, Mantzouridou Fani Th, Rosado Catarina, Pracer Smilja, Saar Helen, Tap Julien, Treven Primož, Vergères Guy, Pertziger Eugenia, Savary-Auzeloux Isabelle, A scoping review of the health effects of fermented foods in specific human populations and their potential role in precision nutrition: current knowledge and gaps. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2025 doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1650633 ↩