fmicb-09-02278 October 11, 2018 Time: 15:28 # 1 PERSPECTIVE published: 15 October 2018 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02278 Prospects for Food Fermentation in South-East Asia, Topics From the Tropical Fermentation and Biotechnology Network at the End of the AsiFood Erasmus+Project Edited by: Yves Waché1,2,3*, Thuy-Le Do4, Thi-Bao-Hoa Do5, Thi-Yen Do6,7, Maxime Haure1,2,3,8, Qingli Dong, Phu-Ha Ho6,7, Anil Kumar Anal9, Van-Viet-Man Le10, Wen-Jun Li11, Hélène Licandro1,2,3, University of Shanghai for Science Da Lorn1,2,3,12, Mai-Huong Ly-Chatain13, Sokny Ly12, Warapa Mahakarnchanakul14, and Technology, China Dinh-Vuong Mai1,2,3,6,7, Hasika Mith12, Dzung-Hoang Nguyen10, Thi-Kim-Chi Nguyen1,2,3, Reviewed by: Thi-Minh-Tu Nguyen6,7, Thi-Thanh-Thuy Nguyen15, Thi-Viet-Anh Nguyen4, Digvijay Verma, Hai-Vu Pham3,16, Tuan-Anh Pham6,7, Thanh-Tam Phan6,7, Reasmey Tan12, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Tien-Nam Tien17, Thierry Tran3,18,19, Sophal Try1,2,3,12, Quyet-Tien Phi20, University, India Dominique Valentin3,21, Quoc-Bao Vo-Van22, Kitiya Vongkamjan23, Duc-Chien Vu4, Carmen Wacher, Nguyen-Thanh Vu4 and Son Chu-Ky6,7* Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico 1 Tropical Bioresources & Biotechnology International Joint Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté/AgroSup 2 *Correspondence: Dijon- Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Dijon, France, PAM UMR A 02.102, Université Bourgogne 3 4 Yves Waché Franche-Comté/AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France, Agreenium, Paris, France, Food Industries Research Institute, Hanoi, 5 6 [email protected] Vietnam, National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi, Vietnam, Tropical Bioresources & Biotechnology International Joint Son Chu-Ky Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté/AgroSup Dijon- Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, 7 [email protected] Vietnam, School of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, 8 Atelier du Fruit, Longvic, France, 9 Food Engineering and Bioprocess Technology, Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Thailand, 10 Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Specialty section: Minh City, Vietnam, 11 School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, 12 Institute of Technology This article was submitted to of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 13 VetoPhage, Lyon, France, 14 Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty Food Microbiology, of Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand, 15 Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Vietnam National a section of the journal University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam, 16 CESAER, AgroSup Dijon/INRA/Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, Frontiers in Microbiology France, 17 Center of Experiment and Practice, Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Received: 08 May 2018 18 International Center for Tropical Agriculture, CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas, Cali, Colombia, Accepted: 06 September 2018 19 Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR Qualisud, CGIAR Published: 15 October 2018 Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas, Montpellier, France, 20 Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy Citation: of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, 21 Le Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation – AgroSup Waché Y, Do T-L, Do T-B-H, Do T-Y, Dijon/INRA/CNRS/Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France, 22 College of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue Haure M, Ho P-H, Kumar Anal A, University, Hue, Vietnam, 23 Department of Food Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand Le V-V-M, Li W-J, Licandro H, Lorn D, Ly-Chatain M-H, Ly S, Mahakarnchanakul W, Mai D-V, Fermentation has been used for centuries to produce food in South-East Asia and some Mith H, Nguyen D-H, Nguyen T-K-C, foods of this region are famous in the whole world. However, in the twenty first century, Nguyen T-M-T, Nguyen T-T-T, issues like food safety and quality must be addressed in a world changing from local Nguyen T-V-A, Pham H-V, Pham T-A, Phan T-T, Tan R, Tien T-N, Tran T, business to globalization. In Western countries, the answer to these questions has Try S, Phi Q-T, Valentin D, been made through hygienisation, generalization of the use of starters, specialization Vo-Van Q-B, Vongkamjan K, Vu D-C, Vu N-T and Chu-Ky S (2018) of agriculture and use of long-distance transportation. This may have resulted in a loss Prospects for Food Fermentation in the taste and typicity of the products, in an extensive use of antibiotics and other in South-East Asia, Topics From chemicals and eventually, in a loss in the confidence of consumers to the products. the Tropical Fermentation and Biotechnology Network The challenges awaiting fermentation in South-East Asia are thus to improve safety at the End of the AsiFood and quality in a sustainable system producing tasty and typical fermented products and Erasmus+Project. Front. Microbiol. 9:2278. valorising by-products. At the end of the “AsiFood Erasmus+ project” (www.asifood.org), doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02278 the goal of this paper is to present and discuss these challenges as addressed Frontiers in Microbiology| www.frontiersin.org 1 October 2018| Volume 9| Article 2278 fmicb-09-02278 October 11, 2018 Time: 15:28 # 2 Waché et al. Food Fermentation in South-East Asia by the Tropical Fermentation Network, a group of researchers from universities, research centers and companies in Asia and Europe. This paper presents current actions and prospects on hygienic, environmental, sensorial and nutritional qualities of traditional fermented food including screening of functional bacteria and starters, food safety strategies, research for new antimicrobial compounds, development of more sustainable fermentations and valorisation of by-products. A specificity of this network is also the multidisciplinary approach dealing with microbiology, food, chemical, sensorial, and genetic analyses, biotechnology, food supply chain, consumers and ethnology. Keywords: prospects, food fermentation, South-East Asia, Tropical Fermentation and Biotechnology Network, hurdle technology INTRODUCTION Laboratory called Tropical Bioresources & Biotechnology to work on the problem of quality, safety, and typicity of South- Fermented foods appeared early in the history of mankind. They East Asian fermented foods (Cao-Hoang et al., 2013). In developed in most cultures as a way to keep food safe and to dress the course of their work, they developed many interactions and make tasty everyday dishes. They were produced mainly with with other laboratories in Asia and Europe resulting in spontaneous fermentation, as for instance grape wines or lactic the creation of an informal network working on tropical acid fermented vegetables, backslopping, for cheese, and starter fermentation. inoculation for beer and rice alcohol. With industrialization, an The activity of this network was first funded by the French- effort was made on pasteurization of raw materials and starter Speaking Universities Agency (AUF). Now, both in food quality inoculation while the scale of production, previously at the and food safety, the network draws on the current Erasmus+ family- or village-scale, increased drastically. This revolution had project called “AsiFood-Universities as key partners for the new a real positive impact on the stabilization of product quality challenges regarding food safety and quality in ASEAN”. After and on safety. However, due to the development of world-scale an audit of the actual situation in Asia, this capacity building companies, the globalization of tastes, the industrialization of project has created training modules on the various aspects of agriculture and the development of transports were promoted, quality and safety and incorporates them now in Masters and contributing to the pollution of the planet, to a loss of diversity continuous training programs. Among the European partners, of raw materials and of food products and to the building of Agreenium is the consortium of agriculture, food science and a distance between producers and consumers, resulting in a veterinary sciences universities, and research centers. It has loss of confidence (Ilbery and Kneafsey, 2000; Sonnino, 2007). a long experience of research in Asia through the CIRAD, Moreover, the increase in the scale of production results in an AgroSup Dijon, and other members. At the end of this training increase in the scale of food safety outbreaks (Pham and Vergote, program, one goal is indeed to strengthens relationships between 2017). partners and develop scientific actions toward quality and safety. In South-East Asia, despite the developments in agriculture, The Tropical Fermentation Network is thus an axis in the fermented products are generally still produced at the family- or perspectives of AsiFood involving Agreenium, the international village-scale with traditional methods. The confidence in safety lab Tropical Bioresources & Biotechnology and several partners and quality is however also low and it is necessary to improve working in fermentation in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and the way of production (Pham and Marie-Vivien, 2017). For China. instance, consumers are not confident in the microbial safety of The strategy of the network to address the problems Nem-chua (fermented sausage) because they are not confident of quality, safety, typicity, and sustainability is based on a in the microbial safety of locally