Validation of the fermented food frequency questionnaire to assess consumption across four European regions: a study within the promoting innovation of fermented foods cost action

Magriplis, Emmanuella and Smiliotopoulos, Theodoros and Myrintzou, Niki and Burton-Pimentel, Kathryn Jane and Adamberg, Signe and Adamberg, Kaarel and Agagündüz, Duygu and Atanasova-Pancevska, Natalija and Beglaryan, Meline and M Brouwer Brolsma, Elske and Burtscher, Johana and Cerjak, Marija and Ciesarová, Zuzana and Ciprovica, Inga and De Filippis, Francesca and Gandía, Mónica and Hillesheim, Elaine and Hoxha, Luziana and Borch Ibsen, Daniel and Ivanova, Nastia and Jenssen, Håvard and Jones, Petra and Kalea, Anastasia and Kalyoncu Atasoy, Zeynep Begum and Kitryte-Syrpa, Vaida and Kostic, Aleksandar and Laranjo, Marta and Meslier, Victoria and Emilia Nagybákay, Nóra and Nakov, Gjore and Nikola, Malviina and Pafilas, Christos and Papademas, Photis and Pavli, Foteini and Pitsi, Tagli and Pohjanheimo, Terhi and Pravst, Igor and Rajic, Jelena and Russo, Pasquale and Sar, Taner and Starowicz, Małgorzata and Taljic, Irzada and Trajkovska, Biljana and Vergères, Guy and Vidovic, Bojana and Chassard, Christophe and Syrpas, Michail (2025) Validation of the fermented food frequency questionnaire to assess consumption across four European regions: a study within the promoting innovation of fermented foods cost action. Frontiers in nutrition, 12 (166765).

Text nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1667653/full - Published Version Download (853kB)

Abstract

Background: Fermented foods are an integral part of diets worldwide, and emerging epidemiological data suggest their significant beneficial health effects. However, assessing their intake is challenging since many of these foods are sporadically and/or locally consumed, hence current traditional nutritional assessment tools lack the specificity to capture this variability. To address this gap, the Fermented Food Frequency Questionnaire (3FQ) was developed and this study aimed to evaluate its relative validity and repeatability across European regions.Methods: In the validation study of the 3FQ, 12,646 adult participants were recruited across four European regions to assess consumption of sixteen major fermented food groups. Repeatability was assessed by administering the 3FQ twice, ~6 weeks apart, to a subset of participants (n = 2,315). Validity was evaluated using 24-h dietary recalls (24 h). Statistical analyses included Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and Intra-Class Correlation coefficients (ICC) for repeatability, and Bland-Altman plots for validity.Results: Results showed high repeatability, overall and by region, for estimated quantities and frequencies of consumption for most of the fermented food groups (from 0.4 to 1.0), with a few exceptions for infrequently consumed items (e.g., fermented fish). Validity assessment via Bland-Altman plots revealed excellent agreement between the 3FQ and 24 h for most of the food groups, with over 90% of values falling within the agreement interval. Notably, fermented dairy products, coffee, and bread categories showed the strongest agreement (>95%).Conclusion: The 3FQ is a robust and reliable tool for estimating the consumption of diverse fermented food groups across four European regions and provides valid estimates of the frequency and quantity of intake for specific fermented foods. The 3FQ could be a valuable instrument for epidemiological research aiming to elucidate associations between certain fermented foods and health parameters in European diets.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Agricultural Sciences > Other agricultural sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Biotechnical Sciences
Depositing User:	Prof. d-r Biljana Trajkovska
Date Deposited:	16 Mar 2026 21:41
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2026 21:41
URI:	https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/11453

Actions (login required)

View Item