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Quality, Safety, and Bioactive and Functional Properties of Food Products

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 May 2026 | Viewed by 696

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Collection of Microorganisms, National Center for Genetic Resources, National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research, Tepatitlán de Morelos 47600, Mexico
Interests: microbiome; functional foods; microorganisms preservation

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Guest Editor
Center for Studies on Agriculture, Food, and the Climate Crisis, Centro Universitario de los Altos, University of Guadalajara, Tepatitlán de Morelos 47620, Mexico
Interests: food technology; emerging technologies; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, Los Altos University Center, University of Guadalajara, Tepatitlán de Morelos 47620, Mexico
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; microbiome

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Historically, functional foods have been included in the human diet globally; however, in recent years, research has highlighted the potential benefits of these foods and the bioactive compounds that provide their functionality. These compounds contribute, on the one hand, to the sensory experience and unique characteristics of the food that contains them and, on the other hand, promote the physical well-being of consumers. Bioactive compounds can be components of food itself or metabolites produced by microorganisms present before, during, or after food processing. These compounds can contribute to maintaining gastrointestinal function, stimulate the immune system, regulate enzymatic activities, and serve as signaling agents. Some of the challenges associated with the study and development of functional foods include quality and safety parameters, as well as elucidation of the mechanisms by which bioactive compounds act, individually or in synergy with other compounds; description of the bioactive compounds present in potentially functional foods; development of new food products with the inclusion of agents with biological activity; and extraction, purification, characterization, and holistic utilization of bioactive compounds. This Special Issue seeks to compile novel information on bioactive compounds present in foods, as well as to systematize information that demonstrates the state of the art on this topic, contributing to a deeper understanding of these compounds. The aim is to re-evaluate functional foods through the use of science and an understanding of the components that confer functionality.

Dr. José Martín Ruvalcaba-Gómez
Dr. Luis Miguel Anaya-Esparza
Dr. Zuamí Villagrán-De La Mora
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • secondary metabolites
  • microbiome
  • food technology
  • biotechnology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 872 KB  
Article
Valorization of Kinmen Peanut Skin, an Agro-Industrial By-Product: A Polyphenol- and Phytosterol-Rich Extract with Antioxidant and Hypolipidemic Effects in Hamsters
by Cheng-Pei Chung, Shu-Hsien Tsai, Ying-Jang Lai, Ching-Yun Hsu, Chia-Hsin Chang, Bao-Hong Shi and Ming-Yi Lee
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3116; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073116 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 462
Abstract
Kinmen peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. cultivar Kinmen No. 1) is a unique crop used to produce local specialty “peanut candy”; however, the peanut skins (PSs) are treated as waste owing to the bitter taste. To support the valorization of this agro-industrial by-product, [...] Read more.
Kinmen peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. cultivar Kinmen No. 1) is a unique crop used to produce local specialty “peanut candy”; however, the peanut skins (PSs) are treated as waste owing to the bitter taste. To support the valorization of this agro-industrial by-product, peanut skin ethanolic extract (PSE) was prepared and evaluated for its hypolipidemic potential in a cholesterol/fat-fed hamster model, together with its antioxidant capacity and chemical composition. Hamsters were fed a cholesterol/fat-enriched diet supplemented with PSE at 0.1%, 0.2%, or 0.4% (w/w) for 8 weeks. Serum lipid profiles were determined, and derived atherogenic indices were calculated. In parallel, antioxidant activity was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and reducing power assays, while chemical characterization included total phenolics, crude phytosterols, and HPLC profiling of representative phenolic compounds. PSE significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with the cholesterol/fat-enriched control, whereas triglycerides were not significantly altered. The LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was also reduced in PSE-treated groups, with the greatest reduction observed in the 0.1% PSE group (0.33 ± 0.04 vs. 0.56 ± 0.12 in the negative control). In addition, PSE exhibited marked antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 141.3 and 76.2 μg/mL in the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. Chemical analyses showed that PS contained 1098 ± 189 µg β-sitosterol equivalents/g PS and 199.3 ± 4.6 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g PS, and HPLC identified p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, daidzein, catechin, and resveratrol as representative phenolic constituents. Collectively, these findings support Kinmen peanut skin as a promising value-added source of bioactives for functional ingredient development targeting cholesterol dysregulation and oxidative processes. Full article
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