ABSTRACT
Fermented foods have gained interest among consumers because of their possible nutritional and health-promoting characteristics. Microorganisms that carry out the fermentation process of such foods elicit the functionality of the foods. Safety and functional characteristics of traditional fermented foods is paramount to their general acceptability. The quality attributes of indigenous microorganisms are constantly explored to enhance their use as starter cultures for traditional fermentation process. This will assist in the enhancement of the nutritional, bioprotective, and sensory attributes. Food safety issues are essentially reliant on the recognition and adequately imploring the necessities of public health protection. Development of food laws should resolutely be centered on the hazard present in a food, which poses risks to human health and life. The non-compliance of food legislation in developing nations is because of the laxity in applying the principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) policies in the cottage food processing industries. Food legislation is a tool that employs enforcement of these quality parameters. Governmental and non-governmental policies aid in the enactment of these legislations for food safety and general well-being of the populace who consume the food. This chapter has contributed to the functional and quality attributes of the employment of indigenous microbes in a fermentation process. In conclusion, the safety and challenges accompanied in the making of fermented foods and how to surmount them to meet today’s consumer acceptability through the 238enactment of food legislation policies is important to the sustainable use of indigenous microorganism.
