Fermented food products are consumed by about 30% of the world's
population due to their high nutritional value and health properties. The use of LAB in
the fermentation process has resulted in a variety of fermented food products derived
from both plant and animal sources. LAB have been used as starter cultures for food
fermentation both traditionally and industrially, having certain specific characteristics
such as rapid growth, product yield, higher biomass and also unique organoleptic
properties, and are employed in food fermentation. The advancement of highthroughput genome sequencing methods has resulted in a tremendous improvement in
our understanding of LAB physiology and has become more essential in the field of
food microbiology. The complete genome sequence of Lactococcus lactis in 2001
resulted in a better understanding of metabolic properties and industrial applications of
LAB. Genes associated with β-galactosidase, antimicrobial agents, bile salt hydrolase,
exopolysaccharide, and GABA producing LAB have received a lot of attention in
recent years. Genome editing techniques are required for the development of strains for
novel applications and products. They can also play an important part as a research
method for acquiring mechanistic insights and identifying new properties. The genome
editing of lactic acid bacterial strains has a lot of potential applications for developing
functional foods with a favourable influence on the food industries.
Keywords: Functional food, Genes, Genome editing, Lactic acid bacteria, LAB genome, Metagenomics, Sequencing-approaches, Starter culture.
