Fermented foods : Products of science and craftsmanship

Inaugural lecture upon taking up the post of Personal Professor of Food Microbiology at Wageningen University on 11 June 2015. 'Microbial cultures deliver the typical characteristics of fermented food products through their metabolic activity, by secretion of enzymes in the food matrix and by their particular growth and survival behaviour. Knowledge of the structural complexity and population dynamics provides explanations for compositional stability and overall performance of such cultures. Especially, insight into microbial interactions delivers new design rules for robust composite starter cultures with predictable and desirable industrial performance.'