Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety
A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Aberrant Oxidation of Biomolecules".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 47294
Special Issue Editors
Interests: antioxidant systems; plant defense responses; secondary metabolites; light in post-harvest; shelf-life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: redox-active enzymes; phenols; antioxidant activity; food safety; biological methods for mycotoxin reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, plant antioxidants have attracted considerable attention due to their many biological activities and their ability to counteract oxidative stress. Plant antioxidants belong to a broad range of compounds, such as carbohydrates and derivatives (ascorbic acid, oligosaccharides), polyphenols (flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins), terpenoids (carotenoids, saponins, tocopherols), and essential oil components. In vivo, antioxidants quench radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other triggers of oxidation. Oxidative species are normally produced by the cellular metabolism in every living organism and act as signal molecules in several physiological pathways, such as apoptosis, gene expression, and ion transportation. Nonetheless, an excessive ROS production or imbalance may lead to oxidative damage of biological membranes (proteins and lipids), damage to nucleic acids, vitamins oxidation, and irreversible cellular alterations and, ultimately, cell death. Indeed, a diet rich in antioxidants has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to inflammation process, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as to improve the cardiovascular and gut health.
A high antioxidant content is also beneficial to foods, whether they are naturally present or artificially added, because they reduce the oxidation of lipids, proteins, vitamins, and other compounds prone to oxidation. Oxidation of food components is responsible for the generation of off-flavors, off-odors, change in color, and decrease in shelf life and nutritional value. Eventually, due to their antimicrobial and antifungal properties, some plant antioxidants have the potential to be used as natural preservatives together with mild preservation technologies.
Owing to the great interest in our previous Special Issue “Plant Antioxidants for Food Safety and Quality” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants/special_issues/food_safety_quality), this second edition aims to bring together novel, innovative research and critical thinking on plant antioxidants. We encourage the submission of new contributions to increase knowledge and further investigate this topic, which would be of great interest to scientists, stakeholders, and consumers.
In particular, we welcome original research papers and reviews dealing with the characterization and use of plant antioxidants as pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, or food additives, as well as with innovative agronomic, molecular, biochemical, or technological approaches to improve the content or reduce the loss of antioxidants at harvest or during shelf life, also in foods of animal origin. The effects of plant antioxidants on human health, studies on bioavailability and bioaccessibility are also included in the topics of this Special Issue.
We look forward to your contribution.
Dr. Costantino Paciolla
Dr. Martina Loi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- plant antioxidants
- antimicrobial compounds
- food safety
- food quality
- antioxidant mechanism
- shelf life
- oxidation
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