Knowledge Landscape of Starter Cultures: A Bibliometric and Patentometric Study

Background: Starter cultures are essential in food industry biotechnology, consisting of microorganism preparations inoculated to produce safe fermented foods with desirable sensory characteristics. Objective: This study aims to identify and analyze the growth and flow of knowledge regarding starter cultures by creating scientific and technological profiles using patentometric and bibliometric indicators. Methods: A search for patents and scientific articles was conducted in December 2020 following a proposed 10-step methodology using the Scopus® and Patentinspiration databases. The search strategy was based on the keywords “starter culture” and “fermentation” considering publications up to 2020. Results: A total of 3035 articles and 719 patents were published until 2020, presenting a more significant number in the last ten (10) years due to the development of biological sciences and molecular biology involving enzymes and microorganisms. Italy leads the scientific production while China leads the technological. It was also possible to determine the most productive author and inventors, the most influential articles and inventions, and the main scientific journals and patent offices. Conclusion: Scientific and technological activities have an exponential behavior showing that the knowledge about starter cultures continues to grow, becoming a field of interest for optimizing industrial processes related to food fermentation, thus achieving diversification of products that can satisfy the demand for food in an increasingly competitive global market.