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Functional and Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Chemical Complexities and Transformative Opportunities

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 1417

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, ‘Functional and Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Chemical Complexities and Transformative Opportunities’ aims to collate articles that delve into the intricate world of functional and bioactive compounds present in various foods. We aim to shed light on their chemical intricacies while highlighting the potential they hold for driving innovation in the food industry and promoting human health.

The Special Issue brings together cutting-edge research from experts around the globe and across diverse disciplines, including chemistry, nutrition, engineering, and food science. We welcome articles within a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from the identification and characterization of bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, glucosinolates, saponins, phytosterols, capsaicinoids, and prebiotics) to the exploration of their physiological and health-promoting effects. Additionally, by addressing challenges related to analysis, extraction, encapsulation, and incorporation into food products, contributing authors can unveil the underlying complexities associated with these compounds.

This collection will also underscore the opportunities that these compounds present for food product development and formulation, as the exploration of functional and bioactive compounds paves the way for novel ingredients, enhanced nutritional profiles, and innovative approaches to food preservation and processing.

We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Ali Rashidinejad
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. 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.

Keywords

functional foods
bioactive compounds
food chemistry and functionality
nutritional profiles
food product development
health and well-being

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lipase-Catalyzed Preparation and Optimization of Structured Phosphatidylcholine Containing Nervonic Acid

by Xun Ang, Hong Chen, Jiqian Xiang, Fang Wei and Siew Young Quek

Molecules 2024, 29(7), 1539; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29071539 - 29 Mar 2024

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Abstract

This study investigated the incorporation of nervonic acid into the chemical structure of phosphatidylcholine via a lipase-catalyzed acidolysis reaction to obtain a functional phospholipid. Lipase immobilization was conducted, and Amberlite XAD7-HP was selected as a carrier to immobilize phospholipase A₁ (PLA₁) for subsequent experiments. The main acidolysis reaction parameters, including enzyme load, substrate ratio, temperature, and water content, were studied against the reaction time. The optimum reaction conditions obtained were enzyme load, 20%; reaction temperature, 55 °C; water content, 1%; and reaction time, 9 h. The maximum incorporation of nervonic acid into phosphatidylcholine was 48 mol%, with PC recovery at 61.6 mol%. The positional distribution of structured phosphatidylcholine shows that nervonic acid was found in the sn-1 position due to enzyme specificity and in the sn-2 position, possibly due to acyl migration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional and Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Chemical Complexities and Transformative Opportunities)

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Review

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31 pages, 6310 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Biosurfactants: A Review

by Salome Dini, Alaa El-Din A. Bekhit, Shahin Roohinejad, Jim M. Vale and Dominic Agyei

Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2544; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112544 - 28 May 2024

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Abstract

Surfactants, also known as surface-active agents, have emerged as an important class of compounds with a wide range of applications. However, the use of chemical-derived surfactants must be restricted due to their potential adverse impact on the ecosystem and the health of human and other living organisms. In the past few years, there has been a growing inclination towards natural-derived alternatives, particularly microbial surfactants, as substitutes for synthetic or chemical-based counterparts. Microbial biosurfactants are abundantly found in bacterial species, predominantly Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. The chemical structures of biosurfactants involve the complexation of lipids with carbohydrates (glycolipoproteins and glycolipids), peptides (lipopeptides), and phosphates (phospholipids). Lipopeptides, in particular, have been the subject of extensive research due to their versatile properties, including emulsifying, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. This review provides an update on research progress in the classification of surfactants. Furthermore, it explores various bacterial biosurfactants and their functionalities, along with their advantages over synthetic surfactants. Finally, the potential applications of these biosurfactants in many industries and insights into future research directions are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional and Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Chemical Complexities and Transformative Opportunities)

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