# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Probiotics and Fermented Foods Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/probiotics-and-fermented-foods/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Probiotics and Fermented Foods research in the Class of 2026?

Encapsulation and delivery systems for probiotics are the most dominant topics in the Class of 2026, alongside therapeutic applications for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and ulcerative colitis. Notably, specific strains such as Limosilactobacillus reuteri saw massive growth compared to the previous cohort, while interest in general short-chain fatty acids declined.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Probiotics and Fermented Foods |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 9,605 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Encapsulation, Gastrointestinal stress tolerance, Edible coating |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 39–116 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved July 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Bacteroides uniformis degrades β-glucan to promote Lactobacillus johnsonii improving indole-3-lactic acid levels in alleviating colitis | Shanshan Zhang, Qixing Nie, Yonggan Sun, Sheng Zuo, Chunhua Chen, Song Li, Jingrui Yang, Jielun Hu, Xingtao Zhou, Yongkang Yu, Ping Huang, Lu Lian, Mingyong Xie, Shaoping Nie | Mingyong Xie, Shaoping Nie | Nanchang University, China | Microbiome | 116 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01896-9 |
| 2 | Unexplored microbial diversity from 2,500 food metagenomes and links with the human microbiome | Niccolò Carlino, Aitor Blanco-Míguez, Michal Punčochář, Claudia Mengoni, Federica Pinto, Alessia Tatti, Paolo Manghi, Federica Armanini, Michele Avagliano, Coral Barcenilla, Samuel Breselge, Raul Cabrera-Rubio, Inés Calvete-Torre, Mairéad Coakley, José F Cobo-Díaz, Francesca De Filippis, Hrituraj Dey, John Leech, Eline S Klaassens, Stephen Knobloch, Dominic O'Neil, Narciso M Quijada, Carlos Sabater, Sigurlaug Skírnisdóttir, Vincenzo Valentino, Liam Walsh, MASTER EU Consortium, Avelino Alvarez-Ordóñez, Francesco Asnicar, Gloria Fackelmann, Vitor Heidrich, Abelardo Margolles, Viggó Thór Marteinsson, Omar Rota Stabelli, Martin Wagner, Danilo Ercolini, Paul D Cotter, Nicola Segata, Edoardo Pasolli | Niccolò Carlino | University of Trento, Italy | Cell | 93 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.039 |
| 3 | A Gram-negative-selective antibiotic that spares the gut microbiome | Kristen A Muñoz, Rebecca J Ulrich, Archit K Vasan, Matt Sinclair, Po-Chao Wen, Jessica R Holmes, Hyang Yeon Lee, Chien-Che Hung, Christopher J Fields, Emad Tajkhorshid, Gee W Lau, Paul J Hergenrother | Paul J. Hergenrother | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States | Nature | 87 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07502-0 |
| 4 | Galactooligosaccharides and Limosilactobacillus reuteri synergistically alleviate gut inflammation and barrier dysfunction by enriching Bacteroides acidifaciens for pentadecanoic acid biosynthesis | Yujun Wu, Xiangyu Zhang, Xiaoyi Liu, Zhenguo Zhao, Shiyu Tao, Qian Xu, Jinbiao Zhao, Zhaolai Dai, Guolong Zhang, Dandan Han, Junjun Wang | Junjun Wang | China Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 81 | 10.1038/s41467-024-53144-1 |
| 5 | Reinforcement of the intestinal mucosal barrier via mucus-penetrating PEGylated bacteria | Yanmei Chen, Sisi Lin, Lu Wang, Yifan Zhang, Huan Chen, Zhenzhen Fu, Mengmeng Zhang, Huilong Luo, Jinyao Liu | Jinyao Liu | Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China | Nature Biomedical Engineering | 71 | 10.1038/s41551-024-01224-4 |
| 6 | Responsively Degradable Nanoarmor‐Assisted Super Resistance and Stable Colonization of Probiotics for Enhanced Inflammation‐Targeted Delivery | Limeng Zhu, Tiantian Yu, Wenchao Wang, Tong Xu, Wujun Geng, Na Li, Xingjie Zan | Na Li, Xingjie Zan | Wenzhou Medical University, China | Advanced Materials | 65 | 10.1002/adma.202308728 |
| 7 | Lactobacillus acidophilus suppresses non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-associated hepatocellular carcinoma through producing valeric acid | Harry Cheuk-Hay Lau, Xiang Zhang, Fenfen Ji, Yufeng Lin, Wei Liang, Qing Li, Danyu Chen, Winnie Fong, Xing Kang, Weixin Liu, Eagle Siu-Hong Chu, Queena Wing-Yin Ng, Jun Yu | Jun Yu | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China | EBioMedicine | 63 | 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104952 |
| 8 | Targeted delivery of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii to the extracellular matrix enhances gut residence time and recovery in murine colitis | Mairead K Heavey, Anthony Hazelton, Yuyan Wang, Mitzy Garner, Aaron C Anselmo, Janelle C Arthur, Juliane Nguyen | Janelle C. Arthur, Juliane Nguyen | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States | Nature Communications | 55 | 10.1038/s41467-024-48128-0 |
| 9 | Microencapsulation of probiotics in chitosan-coated alginate/gellan gum: Optimization for viability and stability enhancement | Korlid Thinkohkaew, Veasarach Jonjaroen, Nuttawee Niamsiri, Atikorn Panya, Inthawoot Suppavorasatit, Pranut Potiyaraj | Pranut Potiyaraj | Chulalongkorn University, Thailand | Food Hydrocolloids | 54 | 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.109788 |
| 10 | Encapsulation method of probiotic embedded delivery system and its application in food | Wenyan Bu, David Julian McClements, Zipei Zhang, Ruojie Zhang, Zhengyu Jin, Long Chen | Long Chen | Jiangnan University, China | Food Hydrocolloids | 52 | 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110625 |
| 11 | Chitosan and its derivatives: A novel approach to gut microbiota modulation and immune system enhancement | Great Iruoghene Edo, Alice Njolke Mafe, Ali B M Ali, Patrick Othuke Akpoghelie, Emad Yousif, Jesse Innocent Apameio, Endurance Fegor Isoje, Ufuoma Augustina Igbuku, Yasal Garba, Arthur Efeoghene Athan Essaghah, Dina S Ahmed, Huzaifa Umar, Dilber Uzun Ozsahin | Great Iruoghene Edo | Delta State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules | 51 | 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.138633 |
| 12 | Antibacterial mechanisms of diacetyl on Listeria monocytogenes and its application in Inner Mongolian cheese preservation via gelatin-based edible films | Haiying Cui, Yangyang Chen, Tariq Aziz, Fahad Al‐Asmari, Maher S. Alwethaynani, Ce Shi, Lin Lin | Ce Shi, Lin Lin | Jiangsu University, China | Food Control | 48 | 10.1016/j.foodcont.2024.110920 |
| 13 | Primary succession of Bifidobacteria drives pathogen resistance in neonatal microbiota assembly | Yan Shao, Cristina Garcia-Mauriño, Simon Clare, Nicholas J R Dawson, Andre Mu, Anne Adoum, Katherine Harcourt, Junyan Liu, Hilary P Browne, Mark D Stares, Alison Rodger, Peter Brocklehurst, Nigel Field, Trevor D Lawley | Yan Shao, Trevor D. Lawley | Wellcome Sanger Institute, United Kingdom | Nature Microbiology | 47 | 10.1038/s41564-024-01804-9 |
| 14 | <i>Clostridium sporogenes</i> -derived metabolites protect mice against colonic inflammation | Felix F Krause, Kira I Mangold, Anna-Lena Ruppert, Hanna Leister, Anne Hellhund-Zingel, Aleksandra Lopez Krol, Jelena Pesek, Bernhard Watzer, Sarah Winterberg, Hartmann Raifer, Kai Binder, Ralf Kinscherf, Alesia Walker, Wolfgang A Nockher, R Verena Taudte, Wilhelm Bertrams, Bernd Schmeck, Anja A Kühl, Britta Siegmund, Rossana Romero, Maik Luu, Stephan Göttig, Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, Ulrich Steinhoff, Burkhard Schütz, Alexander Visekruna | Alexander Visekruna | Philipps-University, Germany | Gut Microbes | 47 | 10.1080/19490976.2024.2412669 |
| 15 | Clinical Use of Paraprobiotics for Pregnant Women with Periodontitis: Randomized Clinical Trial | Andrea Butera, Maurizio Pascadopoli, Maria Gloria Nardi, Chiara Ogliari, Alessandro Chiesa, Camilla Preda, Giulia Perego, Andrea Scribante | Maurizio Pascadopoli, Maria Gloria Nardi, Andrea Scribante | University of Pavia, Italy | Dentistry Journal | 46 | 10.3390/dj12040116 |
| 16 | Single-cell encapsulation systems for probiotic delivery: Armor probiotics | Runan Zhao, Ting Yu, Jiaheng Li, Ruihao Niu, Donghong Liu, Wenjun Wang | Wenjun Wang | Zhejiang University, China | Advances in Colloid and Interface Science | 44 | 10.1016/j.cis.2024.103270 |
| 17 | Precision fermentation for improving the quality, flavor, safety, and sustainability of foods | Karson Hilgendorf, Yirong Wang, Michael J Miller, Yong-Su Jin | Yong‐Su Jin | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States | Current Opinion in Biotechnology | 43 | 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103084 |
| 18 | Lactobacillaceae differentially impact butyrate-producing gut microbiota to drive CNS autoimmunity | Theresa L Montgomery, Lucinda C Toppen, Korin Eckstrom, Eamonn R Heney, Josephine J Kennedy, Matthew J Scarborough, Dimitry N Krementsov | Dimitry N. Krementsov | University of Vermont, United States | Gut Microbes | 43 | 10.1080/19490976.2024.2418415 |
| 19 | Taking SCFAs produced by Lactobacillus reuteri orally reshapes gut microbiota and elicits antitumor responses | Nannan Li, Lili Niu, Yao Liu, Yang Wang, Xiaomin Su, Ce Xu, Zanya Sun, Huishu Guo, Jingru Gong, Shun Shen | Huishu Guo, Jingru Gong, Shun Shen | Dalian Medical University, China | Journal of Nanobiotechnology | 39 | 10.1186/s12951-024-02506-4 |
| 20 | Functional roles and engineering strategies to improve the industrial functionalities of lactic acid bacteria during food fermentation | Huan Yang, Liying Hao, Yao Jin, Jun Huang, Rongqing Zhou, Chongde Wu | Chongde Wu | Sichuan University, China | Biotechnology Advances | 39 | 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108397 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 for Probiotics and Fermented Foods is heavily defined by research into delivery mechanisms and therapeutic efficacy. Encapsulation (20% normalized frequency) and gastrointestinal stress tolerance (20%) are the top themes, highlighting a major push to ensure probiotics survive digestion to reach the lower gut. Related technologies such as edible coatings have seen significant adoption, appearing in 18% of top papers. Beyond delivery, therapeutic applications are highly prominent, particularly concerning inflammatory bowel diseases. Models like DSS-induced colitis and conditions like ulcerative colitis each feature prominently, underscoring the field's focus on clinical and preclinical models of gut inflammation. Collectively, these topics suggest the field is maturing past general microbiome associations to focus on targeted delivery and specific therapeutic outcomes.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The most striking shift between the cohorts is the massive rise in specific targeted applications and bacterial strains. Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus both jumped from negligible presence to 10% and 8% of top papers respectively, showing a shift towards analyzing specific impactful strains rather than broad microbial communities. Edible coatings also saw a tremendous nearly 9-fold increase, moving from 2% to 18% frequency. On the other hand, broader metabolic concepts like short-chain fatty acids and butyrate experienced declines, with butyrate dropping sharply from 14% to 4%. This pattern mirrors the field's overall trajectory: transitioning from studying broad metabolic byproducts to focusing on specific probiotic strains and the advanced encapsulation materials required to deliver them effectively.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Probiotics and Fermented Foods Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/probiotics-and-fermented-foods/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```