Insights into fermented foods : an in-depth exploration of small shops and specialty stores across Malta and Gozo

Abstract

For thousands of years, fermentation has been an essential fundamental preservation technique, now widely commercially available in modern food stores. This research aimed to (a) determine the range and availability of fermented foods in selected specialty stores around the Maltese Islands, (b) compare the pricing structures, (c) evaluate ingredient composition to identity patterns or variations and, (d) assess the nutritional profiles. Products from small specialty shops were categorised into five distinct groups: vegetables, soy-based items, meat, fish, and dairy. Permission for data collection was obtained from shop managers, with ethical clearance granted by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC). A structured data collection list ensured consistency and a quantitative approach with selective sampling was employed. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 to evaluate variations across different categories. A total of 862 non-beverage fermented food products (n=862) were identified, with significant variation in availability across categories (p<0.001). Dairy fermented foods were most prevalent (51.7%), followed by vegetable ferments at 28.6%. Price ranged from €1.02 average price for vegetable-based products to €2.56 for meat-based ferments. Ingredients such as salt (90.0%) and acid (48.7%) were predominantly present in fermented food products. Nutritional analysis revealed that meat and dairy products had the highest caloric content with average values of 367.30 kcal and 286.99 kcal, respectively. All other nutritional metrics from the EU nutritional content table were analysed, with mean values calculated for all the categories identified. This study highlights the widespread availability of fermented foods in specialty stores across Malta however also identifies a research gap concerning the pricing of these products. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive pricing analysis and suggests further research opportunities in areas such as consumer behaviour, health impacts, and market trends related to fermented food consumption and production.