Fermentation to Improve Food Security in Africa and Asia

Fermentation processes used in the production of foods in Africa and Asia are an affordable and effective way to increase their safety and shelf life. In many countries in these regions, most fermented foods are still produced at household or village levels, often by uncontrolled, inefficient and unhygienic fermentation processes that result in products which are highly variable in quality, safety and shelf-life. Given their high potential for improving food security and safety, traditional fermentation processes have been investigated in detail and advanced tools to control the fermentation processes, standardize the overall quality of the final products and enhance their shelf-lives have been provided. In this book chapter we aim to review the most common fermented foods in Asia and Africa that are based on either vegetable, meat, fish and dairy fermentations.