1. Introduction
The term functional foods was first introduced in Japan in the
mid-1980s and refers to processed foods containing ingredients
that aid specific body functions, in addition to being nutritious
(Hasler, 1998). One way for producing functional foods is fermentation
using selected microorganisms. The claimed health benefits
of fermented functional foods may be exerted through ingestion of
either live microorganisms (probiotics) or biogenic compounds
(also called biogenics) produced by microorganisms during
fermentation (Gobbetti, Di Cagno, & De Angelis, 2010). Biogenics
are defined as food components derived from microbial activity