Mapping the Innovation Landscape of Fermented Foods for Gut Health: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends, Gaps, White Spaces, and Technology Pathways
Abstract
Fermented foods are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to gut health through interactions among food matrices, microorganisms, fermentation-derived metabolites, gut microbiota, and host health. However, research remains uneven across food matrices, microbial systems, geographical settings, conceptual domains, and gut-health mechanisms, making research gaps and innovation opportunities difficult to identify. This study mapped the research landscape of fermented foods and gut health from 2010 to 2025, identified research gaps and potential innovation white spaces, and developed the GAP-TO-GROWTH Technology Innovation Pathways Framework. A bibliometric analysis of 642 Scopus-indexed articles was conducted using R, Bibliometrix, and Biblioshiny. Performance analysis examined scientific production, authorship, citation influence, corresponding-author countries, affiliations, and authors, while science mapping included co-citation, country production and collaboration, thematic mapping, three-field analysis, trend topics, and conceptual structure. Results showed substantial growth in research activity, particularly after 2020, with dominant themes centered on fermentation, fermented foods, probiotics, microorganisms, gut microbiota, and functional foods. Emerging themes included microbiome-related concepts, metabolites, bioactive compounds, and health-oriented mechanisms. Potential white spaces involved food-matrix diversification, indigenous fermentation resources, novel microbial systems, metabolites and postbiotics, food–microbe–gut integration, mechanistic validation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings informed the GAP-TO-GROWTH Framework, linking established knowledge and research gaps to potential technology opportunities and innovation pathways. The study provides an evidence-informed basis for future research, technology development, collaboration, and innovation planning in fermented foods and gut health.
Keywords
References
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