Lactic Acid Bacteria: Microbial Metabolism and Expanding Applications

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a group of lactic acid-forming bacteria that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), facultatively anaerobic, non-respiring and non-sporulating. They are ubiquitous in nature, present from plant materials, milk and meat to the intestine of mammals. The metabolism of LAB is diverse and in this collection, Wang et al. reviewed LAB metabolism with a particular focus on carbon (polysaccharide) and nitrogen (protein) degradation as well as their metabolic activities to produce a large number of valuable metabolites, including organic acids, flavors, vitamins, exopolysaccharides, antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds.