Systems biology and metabolic engineering of lactic acid bacteria for improved fermented foods

Lactic acid bacteria have long been used in industrial dairy and other food fermentations that make use of their metabolic activities leading to products with specific organoleptic properties. Metabolic engineering is a rational approach to steer fermentations toward the production of desired compounds. Here we review recent progress in the metabolic engineering of industrial lactic acid bacteria for the production of a range of products, varying from chemicals, and flavor and texturizing compounds, to vitamins, sweeteners, and other neutraceuticals. Moreover, we describe the recent progress in developing metabolic models that capitalize on functional genomics approaches. Finally, we provide an overview of the modeling approaches and discuss the future outlook for applying systems biology approaches to lactic acid bacteri