Humulus lupulus: From Field to Glass and Beyond
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (2 April 2023) | Viewed by 11987
Special Issue Editor
Interests: natural products; bioactive food components; phytotherapy; antioxidants; natural products chemistry; green chemistry; biomaterials; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hops (Humulus lupulus L.), a perennial climbing herbaceous plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family, is an essential ingredient in beer production, where its female inflorescence (cone or strobile) is used. The plant is native to many temperate areas, including Europe, Asia and North America. Depending on the area of production and aromatic characteristics, different types of hops can be distinguished, differing in aroma and percentage of alpha-acids, a set of chemical compounds that define the bitterness imparted to beer. However, its therapeutic properties have been known since ancient times. The Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia recommends hops as a sedative, to treat headaches and in cases of indigestion. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to treat insomnia, restlessness, and lack of appetite. Germany has authorised hops as a standard medicinal tea and markets several sedative drugs containing hop extract. In Germany and the US, hop infusions, tinctures and dry extracts are used in sedative preparations for anxiety and agitation. Strobile and hop extract have been included in the US National Formulary for the formulation of sedative preparations for the treatment of anxiety symptoms. All these properties are due to the plethora of bioactive compounds that characterise hop cones. However, the mechanisms of action are not well understood, and human studies are still few.
The aim of this special issue is therefore to present up-to-date studies on various aspects of Humulus lupulus. Agronomic, physiological, biochemical, qualitative, and ethnobotanical aspects will be considered, as well as the various application aspects for brewing and botanical uses. Particular attention will be paid to studies concerning the extraction, formulation, and characterisation of hop extracts for various fields of use. Economic and social studies related to this fascinating plant will also be included.
Dr. Katya Carbone
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- hops
- Humulus lupulus
- agronomic traits
- yield and quality improvement
- plant pathology
- hop biochemistry
- hops bioactive compounds
- bioactive extracts
- extract formulation
- botanicals
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