Data-driven innovation and 4th industrial revolution concepts for the development and improvement of fermented foods

Although there have been technological advances in the age-old process of fermented food and beverage production, most recently, the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has brought about a paradigm shift in this area. Technological advancements in inter alia, data analytics, machine learning, internet-of-things, sensing, and computing lend themselves to novel developments and improvements in the area. These advancements are leading to new innovation and capabilities in the knowledge discovery, engineering, production, quality, and safety aspects of fermented food and beverages. This chapter describes the recent technological advances in fermented food and beverage production and aims to elucidate how applications of data analytics and other 4IR concepts are progressively applied in the field. The details of current developments and future trajectories in knowledge discovery, engineering, production, quality, and safety aspects of fermented foods and beverages are also appraised. This chapter provides researchers with an in-depth understanding of the current and future developments in the fermented food and beverage sector through equipping them with knowledge of the technological state-of-the-art, limitations and challenges, and opportunities.