Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Extracts for Food Preservation: Recent Views and Future Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

The vast array of natural compounds found in nature is an inexhaustible subject of intensive research, particularly regarding their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The increasing concerns for safe and natural food preservation solutions have driven extensive research into plant-based compounds as viable alternatives to synthetic preservatives. It has been well established that the antimicrobial action of plant-based compounds (preventing and limiting microbial growth) and their antioxidant properties (reducing oxidation) offer a promising eco-friendly approach to enhancing the safety and quality of food products without harming the environment. This Special Issue aims to highlight applications of plant extracts, essential oils, and their bioactive compounds as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents in the food industry. It covers the antimicrobial and antioxidant efficacy of plant-derived compounds, elucidates their modes of action, and examines the factors influencing their activity. Additionally, it addresses extraction methods for the isolation of bioactive compounds, stabilization techniques to enhance the stability of these extracts, explores their use in different food matrices, and assesses the integration of plant extracts into various hurdle technologies, the potential sensory impacts on food products, safety aspects, and regulations related to the use of plant extracts. The utilization of plant-derived antimicrobials holds promise for significantly extending the shelf life of highly perishable foodstuffs while simultaneously ensuring their microbiological safety. Furthermore, the successful development of these techniques could lead to novel and expanded applications within the food science sector.

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Extracts for Food Preservation: Recent Views and Future Challenges”.

Dr. Ivana Čabarkapa
Guest Editor

Dr. Zorica Tomičić
Guest Editor Assistant

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.

• plant extracts
• essential oils
• bioactive compounds
• plant-based antimicrobials
• antimicrobial efficacy
• antioxidant efficacy
• mode of action