In recent decades, the development of new functional foods with health-promoting properties has aroused the scientific community's attention. The formulation of functional foods is mostly based on microbial fermentations, especially lactic acid bacteria. The added value resulting from fermentation can be both direct (probiotic effect) and indirect (biogenic effect). The first is due to the growth of functional microorganisms that make fermented food a carrier of functional microorganisms. The second results from the metabolic conversions carried out by microorganisms and, consequently, from microbial metabolites ingestion (e.g. organic acids, peptides, amino acids, γ-amino butyric acid), synthesized during fermentation.

Fermentation has recently been also applied as a new sustainable strategy to reduce food intolerances and anti-nutritional factors. In addition to functional aspects, fermentations represent effective biotechnology to modulate and improve the organoleptic properties of foodstuffs (e.g. leavened bakery products, dairy products, and fermented vegetables/fruits) and to extend their shelf life. 

The Centre aims to become a generator of innovative fermentation processes for the functionality, nutrition and preservation of food, optimising the process parameters and generating new or improved fermented foods. The mission is to transform the experience and established technologies of the Micro4Food research group of unibz (evidenced by numerous publications in the field and patents) into new opportunities to create innovative food solutions for the health and well-being of consumers by enabling the functionalisation of food. This process reflects a holistic approach comprising several steps: 

• the ad hoc selection of starter cultures based on metabolic capabilities and pro-technological properties;
• the modelling and assembly of the microbiome to realise and guide custom-made food fermentations through omics techniques;
• the optimisation of fermentation and subsequent prototyping;
• the developed prototypes microbiological, nutritional, functional and sensory characterisation.