Natural Ingredients for Functional Foods: Advances in Composition, Bioactivity, and Applications
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2025 | Viewed by 19
Special Issue Editor
Interests: phytochemistry; plant secondary metabolites; chromatography; spectral methods; development of quantitative methods; exploration of pharmacological activity mechanisms; structure–activity relationships; food supplements; cosmetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural ingredients with health-promoting properties are at the forefront of functional food innovation. Sourced from botanical origins such as herbs, fruits, and other traditional food materials, these bioactive compounds—including, but not limited to, polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, essential oils, and dietary fibers—are increasingly valued for their potential to enhance human health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the discovery, characterization, and application of natural ingredients in functional foods, with a strong emphasis on both efficacy and safety. Relevant topics include chemical composition, extraction methods, bioactivity (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, metabolic effects), stability, bioavailability, safety assessment, and regulatory considerations. Studies addressing sustainable sourcing, formulation strategies, and integration into food systems are also welcome. We invite original research, reviews, and short communications that support the development of safe and effective natural functional food ingredients.
Prof. Dr. Daniela Ilieva Batovska
Guest Editor
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.
Keywords
- functional foods
- natural ingredients
- plant-based bioactives
- phytochemicals
- nutraceuticals
- food antioxidants
- food safety
- essential oils
- phenolic compounds
- clean-label products
- bioavailability
- sustainable food ingredients
- traditional food sources
- health-promoting compounds
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