{
  "abstract": "GABA is a principal inhibitory neurotransmitter with systemic regulatory roles. This review synthesizes the health-promoting functions of GABA and the molecular mechanisms of its production in LAB. GABA regulates neuronal excitability via GABA receptors, suppresses inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, and modulates the gut-brain axis through microbiota remodeling. LAB synthesize GABA primarily via the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) system, with an alternative GABA-T-mediated non-GAD pathway that requires further validation, a process tightly coupled to acid resistance. Optimization strategies include genetic engineering, fermentation control, physical stimulation, and synthetic co-culture. These strains are widely applied in dairy, plant-based beverages, and meat, enhancing flavor while sleep-improving, and microbiota-modulating benefits. However, significant challenges persist, including incomplete substrate conversion causing off-flavors, poor GABA stability in food, and genetic instability during scale-up. This work uniquely integrates non-neuronal GABA functions, metabolic diversity beyond the canonical GAD pathway, and practical challenges of GABA incorporation into food matrices.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Food Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China",
    "Hunan Institute of Metrology and Testing, Changsha 410014, China",
    "Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, China",
    "School of Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hui Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wenying Yuan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "JiaoJiao Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mengyao Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jie Luo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Baokun Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiankang Fan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/act511gbgfm7p.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104627",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13717010/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "act511gbgfm7p",
  "issns": [
    "2590-1575"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13717010",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Review Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|GABA and Rice Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222877844",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13717010/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13717010",
  "pmid": "42959253",
  "published": "2026-10-18",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/act511gbgfm7p.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:38Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13717010",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13717010"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:50Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42959253",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959253"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:24Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13717010",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104627"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|GABA and Rice Research",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The health-promoting functions of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lactic acid bacteria metabolism: From biosynthesis to applications in the food industry",
  "title_text": "The health-promoting functions of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lactic acid bacteria metabolism: From biosynthesis to applications in the food industry",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/act511gbgfm7p",
  "venue": "Food chemistry: X",
  "versions": []
}