Circular Economy: Agri-Food Byproducts as Source of Bioactive Compounds, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Molecules is pleased to announce the 2nd Edition of the Special Issue titled “Circular Economy: Agri-Food Byproducts as Source of Bioactive Compounds”. This issue aims to explore the re-evaluation of agri-food byproducts within the framework of the circular economy. These byproducts, often discarded as waste if left unprocessed, represent a significant opportunity due to the vast amount of biomass generated. Industries are increasingly recognizing the potential for these materials to be repurposed, not only for animal feed and biofuels but also as valuable raw materials for the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and bio-pesticide sectors. In light of this, this Special Issue welcomes manuscripts focusing on natural sources of secondary metabolites—such as essential oils, plant or food extracts—derived from agri-food byproducts. Some non-exhaustive examples include spent materials like hulls, peels, pressing residues, seed remnants, vegetation waters, and pruning waste. Submissions presenting novel research perspectives on the utilization of these materials are particularly encouraged. Priority will be given to innovative and multidisciplinary studies contributing to advancing these topics, which are increasingly relevant to the industrial sector.

Prof. Dr. Domenico Trombetta
Dr. Antonella Smeriglio
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. Molecules 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 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.