Psychobiotic food systems: fermentation-derived microbes and metabolites modulating the microbiota–gut–brain axis

Psychobiotics are emerging microbiota-targeted interventions with potential relevance for mood, stress resilience, anxiety, sleep, cognition, and neuroimmune regulation. Although initially viewed mainly as probiotic strains acting through the microbiota–gut–brain axis, the concept is now expanding toward food-associated systems integrating live microorganisms, fermented matrices, prebiotic substrates, postbiotic fractions, and neuroactive metabolites. This review examines psychobiotic foods as integrated strain–matrix–metabolite–host systems, emphasizing fermentation as both a source of candidate microorganisms and a biotechnological process generating gut–brain-relevant bioactives.

Fermented dairy products, kefir, sourdough, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, tea, cocoa, coffee, and plant-based products may provide strains and metabolites such as γ-aminobutyric acid, short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan derivatives, bioactive peptides, exopolysaccharides, organic acids, vitamins, and phenolic metabolites. These compounds may influence gut–brain communication through microbial ecology, vagal signaling, HPA-axis regulation, immune modulation, intestinal and blood–brain barrier integrity, oxidative-stress control, and enteroendocrine pathways. However, evidence remains heterogeneous, with stronger support for depressive symptoms than for anxiety, sleep, cognition, or other psychiatric outcomes.

Future development requires strain authentication, genome-based safety screening, controlled fermentation, metabolomics, simulated digestion, undesirable metabolite monitoring, and well-powered human trials linking food composition to validated mental-health-related endpoints. This work was supported by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (DIP-2024-021) and Manipal University College Malaysia. The funders had no role in preparing the manuscript, interpreting the literature, or deciding to submit the article for publication.

Applied Animal Physiology Lab, Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria Djilali Benabdelmoumene, Said Dahmouni, Zineb Bengharbi & Asma Warda Bouhalla Food Technology and Innovation Research Center of Excellence, School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia Wasim S. Qadi, Murni Nazira Sarian, Ahmed Mediani & Hamizah Shahirah Hamezah School of Life Sciences, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Jalan Padang Jambu, Melaka, Malaysia Correspondence to Faidruz Azura Jam or Hamizah Shahirah Hamezah. The authors declare no competing interests.

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