Advances in Functional Foods: Bioactive Compounds, Processing and Nutritional Quality

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the global food sector has experienced a significant transformation, largely driven by increasing consumer awareness of the close relationship between dietary habits, health, wellbeing and disease prevention. Functional foods, which are either naturally rich in bioactive constituents or enhanced with health-promoting compounds, have become an important component of preventive nutrition and sustainable food systems. Nevertheless, converting the functional properties of emerging bioactive compounds into food products that are stable, bioaccessible, safe and imbued with enhanced sensorial properties remains a major scientific and technological challenge.

Recent developments in advanced extraction methods, environmentally friendly processing technologies, micro- and nano-encapsulation and approaches for predicting bioavailability provide valuable opportunities to address these challenges. Applied research is essential for connecting the discovery and characterization of bioactive compounds with their practical incorporation into food products. In particular, it is important to ensure that functional ingredients maintain their chemical stability, biological activity, nutritional value and safety during processing, storage, oral processing and gastrointestinal digestion.

This Special Issue aims to highlight and disseminate latest scientific advances in the isolation, characterization, processing techniques, optimization, organoleptic and nutritional assessment of bioactive compounds and functional foods. We welcome high-quality original research articles, comprehensive reviews and short communications covering innovative food processing technologies, sustainable sources of bioactive ingredients, structure–function relationships, bioavailability and the implications of functional foods for human health and nutritional quality.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Innovative approaches for the extraction, identification and characterization of bioactive compounds from natural resources, marine materials and agricultural and food-processing by-products
• Emerging and sustainable low heat processing and preservation technologies, including ultrasound-assisted processing, pulsed electric fields and high-pressure processing, for the development of functional foods
• Advanced encapsulation and delivery systems, including micro- and nanoemulsions, complex coacervation and liposomal systems, for improving the stability, controlled release, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds
• Effects of thermal and non-thermal processing on nutritional properties, bioactive compound retention and sensory quality
• Interactions between food matrices and bioactive compounds and their influence on bioaccessibility, digestibility, sensorial properties and functional activity
• In vitro, in vivo and clinical investigations of the mechanisms, safety and efficacy of functional foods and bioactive ingredients
• Development of sustainable, plant-based and upcycled functional food products

Dr. Kyriaki (Kiki) Zinoviadou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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