High-Value Processing and Utilization of Agro-Food Resources

Dear Colleagues,

The modern food industry increasingly prioritizes sustainability due to environmental concerns and resource scarcity. Agro-food resources, once considered waste, are now recognized as valuable materials for creating a more sustainable food production system, aligning with the principles of the circular economy. Green technologies and innovative methodologies are crucial for harnessing the potential of these resources. Through various extraction processes, fermentation techniques, and biorefinery concepts, bioactive compounds such as antioxidants and plant polysaccharides can be extracted to formulate functional foods and nutraceuticals. Optimizing processes to maximize efficiency and yield is a significant challenge, driving the development of cost-effective and environmentally sustainable processing techniques. Incorporating valuable compounds obtained from a wide range of food resources into food formulations would reduce our reliance on virgin raw materials, thereby lowering production costs and environmental impacts. This approach also mitigates agricultural environmental issues, promoting a closed-loop system of resource upcycling. By adopting these practices, the food industry can enhance sustainability and resource efficiency, thereby developing innovative and resilient food products in line with the principles of the circular economy.

This Special Issue will showcase original research articles and reviews describing current findings on green or emerging methodologies used for the recovery of various bioactive compounds, including dietary fibers, cell-wall polymers, and antioxidant compounds, from agro-food resources, including by-products, as well as their application for developing new food products. We invite authors to submit articles that explore different aspects of bioactive compound recovery from agro-food resources.

Prof. Dr. José Rafael Minjares-Fuentes
Dr. Antoni Femenia
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Foods 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 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.

• agro-food resources
• agro-food by-products
• circular economy
• green technologies
• emergent technologies
• biorefinery processes
• functional foods
• nutraceuticals
• dietary fiber
• bioactive compounds
• plant polysaccharides
• antioxidant compounds