Araújo, Jayuri Susy Fernandes deNeto, Genésio José da SilvaFeitosa, Bruno FonsêcaLuciano, Winnie AlencarSantos, Bárbara Fernanda Figueiredo dosPereira, Emmanuel MoreiraGonçalves, Mônica CorreiaCavalcanti, Mônica TejoPintado, Maria ManuelaSilva, Osvaldo Soares da2026-03-232026-03-232026-02-11Araújo, J. S. F. D., Neto, G. J. D. S., Feitosa, B. F., & Luciano, W. A. et al. (2026). Recent updates on autochthonous lactic acid bacteria in the food industry: a bibliometric analysis. Fermentation, 12(2), Article 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation120201042311-563779bfa975-0a87-4aed-b052-ecf94d2fd2b4http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/57389This bibliometric review aimed to map recent scientific production (2020–2026) on autochthonous bacterial strains applied to the food industry, focusing on experimental studies retrieved from the Scopus® database. Boolean operators and truncation were applied to refine searches and exclude yeast-related terms, and keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed using VOSviewer (v1.6.20). A total of 44,095 experimental articles were analyzed. Results revealed a stable annual output exceeding 8000 papers between 2021 and 2024, indicating sustained scientific interest in the topic. China and the United States accounted for over 55% of total publications, with Chinese institutions and funding agencies showing predominant activity. Research was mainly distributed across Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Medicine, and Microbiology, reflecting applied and mechanistic approaches. Two major thematic clusters were identified: one focused on gastrointestinal health and microbiota modulation and another centered on microbial metabolism, probiotic functionality, and biochemical characterization. The findings confirm the growing scientific and technological relevance of autochthonous strains in improving food quality, safety, and functionality, especially in fermented products, and provide valuable insights for guiding future research and innovation in food microbiology and biotechnology.engAutochthonous bacteriaFermented foodsIndigenous strainsMicrobial terroirProbioticreview article10.3390/fermentation12020104105031241054001701144400001