Application of Antioxidants in Meat Products

Dear Colleagues,

Antioxidants comprise a group of chemical compounds of natural or synthetic origin that, among other mechanisms, have the ability to scavenge free radicals or function as chelators. Their addition in the meat industry is intended to prevent the oxidation of lipids, proteins and pigments. Hence, they are useful to extend the shelf-life of meat products and preserve their quality and sensory attributes, preventing, for example, the appearance of undesired off-colours, off-flavours and off-aromas. Moreover, antioxidants have been associated to health benefits, which include the prevention of the exposure to harmful free radicals that arise during food processing and storage, as well as their potential role as functional food additives in meat products.

Ascorbic acid, flavonoids, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), as well as nitrites and nitrates are good examples of antioxidants that are used in the manufacturing of meat products. However, some of these synthetic antioxidants have been recently reported as dangerous to human health, and it is recommended that they should be replaced by natural antioxidants in the near future.

Based on this, this Special Issue intends to gather a selection of reviews and relevant original research papers dealing with emergent and innovative antioxidant applications for better, safer, and healthier meat products.

Dr. Ana Gomes-Bispo
Dr. Marta Laranjo
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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.