Research progress on enantiomers detection in fermented foods

Fermented foods are an important part of global traditional diets, featuring unique flavors and health benefits. Enantiomers, as mirror-image molecules with different biological activities, play a crucial role in flavor, health functions and overall quality of fermented foods. Therefore, accurately detecting enantiomers in fermented foods is essential for quality control and process optimization of fermented foods. This review summarizes the recent advances, challenges and future prospects in the detection of enantiomer in fermented foods. Firstly, the effects of fermentation material factors (including fermentation raw material and exogenous additives) and fermentation process factors (including microbial metabolism and fermentation process condition) on enantiomers in fermented foods are analyzed. The detailed summary of methods for enantiomer detection in fermented foods is provided in this review, including chromatographic methods (gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis) and rapid detection methods (chemiluminescence, surface-enhanced Raman scatting, fluorescence and electrochemistry). The discussion encompasses practical detection applications across both animal-derived fermented foods (including dairy product and fermented meat) and plant-derived fermented foods (including fermented cereal, fermented vegetable, fermented fruit and fermented tea). Finally, in response to challenges of complex matrices and insufficient enantiomers separation materials, the review proposes specific and actionable future prospects, such as integrating interdisciplinary technologies, developing new separation methods and intelligent detection platforms, in order to achieve the detection of enantiomers in fermented foods. This review provides valuable references for the accurate detection of enantiomers in fermented foods.