Bioactive Compounds in Food: Extraction and Characterization
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: traditional, regional and organic foods; bioactive compounds in foods; enriched bakery products; food product development; food quality; food authentication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food proteins; secondary plant metabolites; compound stability and interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bioactive compounds naturally present in food matrices are crucial not only for nutritional value but also for promoting health and preventing degenerative diseases. It is well-known that their beneficial effects are strongly related to their chemical structure, concentration, and interactions with other food components. Identifying, isolating, and characterizing these compounds is therefore essential to fully understand their functionality, the (biochemical) molecular mechanisms behind them, and potential applications.
Recent advances in analytical methodologies, extraction techniques, and separation technologies have opened up new opportunities for the recovery and precise characterization of bioactive compounds from a wide range of food sources. Innovative approaches such as green extraction techniques, advanced chromatographic and spectroscopic tools, as well as omics-based strategies allow for us to better understand their diversity, stability, and bioavailability. At the same time, challenges remain regarding the optimization of extraction yields, preservation of biological activity, and ensuring reproducibility and scalability for industrial applications.
This Special Issue of Molecules aims to gather cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews addressing the extraction, isolation, purification, and structural characterization of food bioactive compounds. We warmly welcome contributions that focus on the following topics:
- Novel and sustainable extraction techniques for bioactive compounds from plant, animal, and microbial sources;
- Analytical methods for identification, quantification, and structural elucidation;
- Studies on stability, interactions, and transformations during processing and storage;
- Case studies linking extraction and characterization with potential health benefits or functional food applications.
We invite the submission of both original research articles and reviews that broaden our understanding of the extraction and characterization of food bioactive compounds and the role that they play in food science and human health.
Dr. Michał Halagarda
Prof. Dr. Sascha Rohn
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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
- food matrices
- extraction techniques
- green technologies
- analytical characterization
- structural elucidation
- stability and bioavailability
- functional food applications
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