ABSTRACT
Fermentation is a traditional age-old practice wherein microbial action brings about certain changes in food which result in addition of diverse bioactive molecules, including many useful enzymes. Apart from enhancing the shelf-life, the secreted microbial metabolites contribute to the functionality of foods. Fermented foods are found to alleviate many disease conditions, like lactose intolerance, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, allergy, hypertension, metabolic syndromes including improvement in cardiovascular health. The limitations of conventional thrombolytic agents and the discovery and understanding of health benefits associated with nattokinase, an effective fibrinolytic enzyme found in fermented food natto, have opened many new avenues for scientific research to tap various health-promoting properties in fermented foods with the main focus to find new sources of fibrinolytic enzymes. Foods associated with fibrinolytic enzymes have been known to show promising effects in preventing and maintaining good cardiovascular health, possibly by limiting thrombosis-related disorders. The understanding of fibrinolytic enzymes and their microbial production may help in their possible application in the food system by formulation of functional foods with improved cardiovascular health. This chapter highlights the potentialities of food-bacilli for their ability to produce fibrin-degrading enzymes that can be exploited for functional food formulation.
