Research Progress on Fermentation Metabolism and Functional Characteristics of Edible Fermented Extract

Edible fermented extract is a kind of product which is available for human consumption. Edible fermented extract is made from animal, plant, edible fungus and other raw materials with or without auxiliary materials, fermented by microorganism and with specific biological active ingredient. With the improvement of people's diet, edible fermented extract has been studied deeply by food scholars because of its multi-functional characteristics. Though research progress of edible fermented extract has been made, the understanding of the edible fermented extract is still not comprehensive. This review introduces the fermentation mechanism, microbial composition and function of edible fermented extract, summarizes the potential function and the existing problems of the edible ferment products. The purpose is to provide certain theoretical basis for promoting the development of edible ferment industry.