JOSÉ GUILHERME PRADO MARTIN Guilherme is a Biologist graduated from São Paulo State University (UNESP, Brazil) with a Master and PhD in Food Science and Technology from "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture (ESALQ / USP, Brazil). He was visiting researcher at Agriculture and Food Development Authority (TEAGASC, Ireland) in 2021-2022. Currently, Guilherme is Associated Professor at Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV, Brazil) and advisor in the Agricultural Microbiology Graduate Program (PPGMBA/UFV). Guilherme is the head of the Microbiology of Fermented Products Laboratory (FERMICRO), whose researchers' team have been investigating the microbiome of a large range of fermented products, such as artisanal cheeses, kombucha, sourdough breads, alcoholic beverages, among others, including initiatives for development of biomaterials based on bacterial and fungi for industrial application. Besides that, he is coordinator of the Microbiology of Fermented Foods Research Group at UFV (CNPq). In 2022, Guilherme published the book "Microbiologia de Alimentos Fermentados", the first textbook in Portuguese focused on fermented foods (Blücher Publisher). He is the developer of the board game "Colônia" aimed at teaching the microbiology of bioprocesses for food production. Finally, Guilherme is the creator and coordinator of the itinerant science project named "Fermenta Móvel", financed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) of the Federal Government of Brazil, focused on the popularizing of fermented foods' health benefits. JULIANO DE DEA LINDNER Degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry; Master in Food Safety Technology from the University of Parma (Italy); Quality Controler at Parmalat Italy S.p.A.; PhD in Food Science and Technology from the University of Parma; Post-Doctorate in Agro-food Biotechnology in the Post-Graduate Program in Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology at the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil); Founder of the companies Incorpore Foods Ltda (Brazil), Planttcê Ltda (Brazil), and Nutriplus S.r.l. (Italy). Currently, Associate Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC, Brazil) in the Food Science and Technology Department. Coordinator of the Food Technology and Bioprocess Research Group at UFSC. Permanent professor of the UFSC postgraduate programs in Food Science (PPGCAL) and Biotechnology and Biosciences (PPGBTC). Member of the International Dairy Federation (FIL-IDF) in the permanent international committee for Microbiological Hygiene. Member of the Brazilian Association for Food Protection (ABRAPA) and International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). Ad hoc consultant for Brazilian, Italian, and Polish research support agencies for evaluation of research projects for public funding. Consultant for the food industry in the development of technological processes and products with more than 100 SKUs currently on the world market. GILBERTO VINÍCIUS MELO PEREIRA Gilberto Vinícius de Melo Pereira holds a Bachelor's degree in Food Engineering with Honor and Distinction from the Federal University of Lavras, a Master's degree in Agricultural Microbiology from same institution, and a Ph.D. in Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology with Scientific Merit from the Federal University of Paraná. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology at the Federal University of Paraná. Under his leadership, a dedicated team of researchers is exploring diverse projects related to cocoa, coffee, probiotics, cheeses, kefir, vinegar, fermented beverages of indigenous peoples, microalgae, production of functional biomolecules, and viruses associated with fermented foods. His research portfolio covers a wide array of topics, such as microbiome construction and simulation, advanced techniques for analysing microbial diversity, microorganism selection for biotechnological applications, and fermentation process engineering. He is recognized as a distinguished Productivity Researcher by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology and has authored over 200 publications, including scientific papers, review articles, book chapters, and patents. These works have been cited more than 6,000 times according to Google Scholar (h-index = 38). His significant contributions to the field have earned him recognition as one of the top researchers in the world in 2023 according to the updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators by Elsevier. RAMESH C. RAY Ramesh C. Ray FNAAS, FNABS is currently working as Adjunct Professor, Center for Industrial Biotechnology Research, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) deemed to be University, Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar, India, former principal scientist (Microbiology) and head of the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (Regional Centre), Bhubaneswar, India. He has 40 years of research experience in agriculture, food, and industrial microbiology; published 145 research and review papers in national and international journals; 75 books chapters, edited/co-edited 24 books published by Springer, CRC, and Elsevier; and co-authored three books and received more than 8250 citations. He was a guest faculty to Department of Botany and Microbiology, Utkal University, Orissa (India), and visiting professor/scientist at several universities and research institutes in India and abroad and consultant to International Potato Centre, Lima, Peru, on sweet potato. He is a distinguished fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, and the National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai, India.
