Folate is an essential micronutrient involved in numerous vital biological reactions. The dietary consumption of naturally occurring vitamin B9 is often inadequate in many countries, and supplementation or fortification programs (using synthetic folic acid) are implemented to alleviate folate deficiency. Other food-based alternatives are possible, such as the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to synthesize folate during fermentation. Many studies have been conducted on this topic, and promising results were reported for some fermented dairy products. However, in other studies, folate consumption by LAB or rather low folate production were observed, resulting in fermented foods that may not significantly contribute to the recommended B9 intake. In addition, the optimum conditions for folate biosynthesis by LAB are still not clear. The aim of this review was thus to (i) clarify the ability of LAB to produce folate in food products, (ii) check if the production of folate by LAB in various fermented foods is sufficient to meet human vitamin B9 requirements and (iii) suggest ways to optimize folate production by LAB in fermented food products.

叶酸是参与多种重要生物反应的必需微量营养素。在许多国家，饮食中天然维生素B9的饮食摄入通常不足，因此实施了补充或强化计划（使用合成叶酸）以减轻叶酸缺乏。其他基于食物的替代品也是可能的，例如在发酵过程中使用乳酸菌（LAB）合成叶酸。关于该主题已经进行了许多研究，并且报道了一些发酵乳制品的有希望的结果。然而，在其他研究中，观察到乳酸菌消耗的叶酸或叶酸产量较低，导致发酵食品可能对推荐的B9摄入量没有显着贡献。另外，通过LAB进行叶酸生物合成的最佳条件仍不清楚。