Antioxidants in Food Matrices: From Analytical Advances to Circular and Sustainable Applications

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1342

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Campus of the Pablo Olavide University, Building 46, Ctra. Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: phytochemicals; bioactivity; food quality; nutrition; olive and oils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Campus of the Pablo Olavide University, Building 46, Ctra. Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: phytochemicals; by-products; food ingredients; biological activities; circular economy; saponins; antioxidants; dietary fiber; asparagus; walnut; date fruit; olive
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore recent advances in the study of natural antioxidants within complex food matrices, with a particular emphasis on their analytical characterization, bioaccessibility, functional efficacy, and sustainable valorization. In light of the growing need for environmentally responsible innovation, this issue will also highlight how antioxidant-rich compounds—especially those derived from agro-industrial by-products and underutilized plant resources—can be integrated into circular economy models and sustainable food systems.

We welcome contributions that address the identification, quantification, stability, and biological relevance of natural antioxidants, as well as their technological applications and environmental impact. Studies that combine food science, green extraction technologies, nutritional biochemistry, and sustainability assessment are particularly encouraged.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced analytical techniques for profiling antioxidants in food matrices.
  • Matrix effects on antioxidant stability, release, and activity.
  • In vitro and in vivo models for assessing antioxidant bioaccessibility and bioavailability.
  • Encapsulation and delivery systems for enhancing antioxidant functionality.
  • Valorization of food waste and by-products as sources of natural antioxidants.
  • Functional efficacy of antioxidants in preventing oxidative stress and related disorders.
  • Integration of antioxidant strategies into circular and sustainable food production models.

Dr. Sara Jaramillo-Carmona
Dr. Rafael Guillén Bejarano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food matrix
  • bioaccesibility
  • bioavailability
  • functionality
  • by-products
  • valorization
  • circular economy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1112 KB  
Article
Small but Mighty: Low Bio-Accessibility Preserves Polyphenols from Mini Purple Carrots for Direct Action Against Colon Cancer Cells
by Amel Hamdi, Emel Hasan Yusuf, Rocío Rodríguez-Arcos, Ana Jiménez-Araujo, Paulina Nowicka, Rafael Guillén-Bejarano and Sara Jaramillo-Carmona
Antioxidants 2026, 15(1), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010113 - 15 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 929
Abstract
Carrots are exceptional sources of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. This study investigated the relationship between the biodiversity of carrot cultivars (colour and size) and their potential chemopreventive properties. Four distinct carrot cultivars (orange, white, yellow, and purple) of normal and miniature [...] Read more.
Carrots are exceptional sources of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. This study investigated the relationship between the biodiversity of carrot cultivars (colour and size) and their potential chemopreventive properties. Four distinct carrot cultivars (orange, white, yellow, and purple) of normal and miniature sizes were comprehensively analysed for polyphenolic composition, bio-accessibility through in vitro simulated digestion, and in vitro antiproliferative activity against the HCT-116 colon cancer cell line. Our findings revealed that vegetable size influenced phytochemical composition more than vegetable colour, with mini purple carrots exhibiting exceptionally high polyphenolic concentrations and superior antiproliferative activity compared to orange, yellow, or white varieties. Notably, the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds remained remarkably low across all samples, suggesting that these phytochemicals reach the colon in intact form, potentially enabling direct interaction with cancer cells. Interestingly, we found no direct correlation between total phenolic content and antiproliferative activity. In vitro cell cycle analysis revealed that mini purple carrot extracts induced S-phase arrest similar to the chemotherapeutic agent 5-FU, whereas other extracts caused G0/G1-phase arrest. The specific polyphenolic composition appears to be fundamentally important for bioactivity, with chlorogenic acid and diferulic acid-derivative isomer 2 potentially acting synergistically. These findings highlight the importance of carrot biodiversity in delivering functional foods with enhanced health-promoting properties, particularly for colorectal cancer prevention. Full article
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