Bioactive Molecules in Foods and Plant-Based Materials: Chemistry, Functionality, and Applications in Health-Promoting Products
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 157
Special Issue Editors
Interests: functional foods; food preservation; phenolic compounds
Interests: food chemistry; food authenticity; detection of food fraud and adulteration by molecular biology and chromatographic approaches; plant food supplements; characterization of bioactive compounds in foods in natural products; valorisation of agri-food by-products; evaluation of biological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, prebiotic activity)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bioactive molecules naturally present in foods and plant-based materials have drawn significant attention due to their potential to promote health and prevent chronic diseases. Compounds such as polyphenols, peptides, terpenes, carotenoids, and phytosterols play crucial roles in modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic regulation, making them key targets for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Advances in food chemistry, green extraction technologies, and biotechnological processing have greatly improved the identification, recovery, and stabilization of these compounds. Moreover, the valorization of agri-food by-products as sustainable sources of bioactive molecules has become a major research trend, supporting circular economy principles in the food sector.
This Special Issue aims to bring together the recent progress in the chemistry, bioactivity, and applications of food-derived and plant-based bioactive compounds, focusing on their role in health-promoting formulations, functional ingredients, and innovative food products.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Identification, extraction, and structural characterization of bioactive compounds;
- Evaluation of bioactive properties in plant matrices;
- Application of bioactive compounds in food products or formulations;
- Valorization of agri-food residues and by-products as sustainable sources of bioactives;
- Encapsulation, stabilization, and delivery systems for bioactive ingredients;
- Green and emerging technologies for compound recovery and formulation;
- Interactions between food matrices and bioactive molecules affecting functionality or stability.
Original research articles, reviews, and short communications are all welcome.
Dr. Rafael M. Sprea
Dr. Joana S. Amaral
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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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
- bioactive compounds
- functional foods
- nutraceuticals
- food chemistry
- polyphenols
- peptides
- food by-products
- green extraction
- sustainability
- health-promoting properties
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