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Applied Sciences
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Bioactive Compounds for Functional Foods and Sustainability
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Bioactive Compounds for Functional Foods and Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 1365

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Monika Karaś

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-704 Lublin, Poland
Interests: food science; food bioactive compounds; antioxidant activity; bioactive peptides; protein hydrolysates; functional food; food fortification; functional properties of proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Urszula Szymanowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-704 Lublin, Poland
Interests: food science; food bioactive compounds; antioxidant activity; phenolic compounds; anthocyanins; functional food; food wastes (pomaces); food fortification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various compounds of plant or animal origin possess documented biological activities and could positively affect human health.

A functional food is a dietary item that, in addition to providing nutrients and energy, beneficially controls one or more targeted functions in the body, improving certain physiological responses and/or reducing the risk of diseases. This could be food that contains naturally bioactive components or food fortified with such compounds.

Both kinds of functional food have been of particular interest to consumers in recent years.

For food technologists, dieticians, and producers, the fortification of food with plant ingredients rich in biologically active compounds is still a challenge. The integration of these elements is necessary to develop innovative solutions and implement them.

It is not without significance that the use of various raw materials contributes to the idea of sustainable development in food production. This includes the use of waste products from the food production chain, such as fruit pomace, seed husks, oil plant pomace, etc., which are a source of bioactive compounds with relevant nutritional and pro-health values, as natural additives in the food industry. This is possible when the production process of such food meets three criteria: the process must be environmentally and climate-friendly, economically justified, and socially accepted.

Dr. Monika Karaś
Dr. Urszula Szymanowska
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 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. 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.

Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • functional food
  • food fortification
  • waste products from the food production chain
  • sustainable development in food production
  • health-promoting activity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3190 KiB  
Article
Onion Peel Powder’s Impact on the Leptin Receptors in the Hippocampus of Obese Rats
by Małgorzata Komar, Monika Michalak-Majewska, Radosław Szalak, Agata Wawrzyniak, Waldemar Gustaw, Wojciech Radzki and Marcin B. Arciszewski
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 1768; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15041768 - 9 Feb 2025
Viewed by 883
Abstract
The bioactive components present in onion peel powder are a promising factor in preventing/treating obesity. Overweight/obesity causes metabolic changes, which can lead to leptin resistance in the central nervous system (CNS) and, thus, to structural and functional changes in the brain. Objectives: [...] Read more.
The bioactive components present in onion peel powder are a promising factor in preventing/treating obesity. Overweight/obesity causes metabolic changes, which can lead to leptin resistance in the central nervous system (CNS) and, thus, to structural and functional changes in the brain. Objectives: The presented study focused on evaluating the influence of a diet supplemented with onion peel powder on the immunoexpression of leptin receptors (LepRs) in the hippocampus in obese rats and the potential anti-obesity role of the onion in the brain. Methods: To induce obesity, the animals were given a high-energy chow containing lard and sucrose. Onion skin powder was used to modify the standard and high-energy diets (10.5 g per rat/week) of Wistar rats in a 14-week experiment followed by a brain IHC study. Results: The effect of the onion diet on the expression of neuronal LepRs and astrocytes in the hippocampus was analyzed. Obese animals receiving onion in the diet showed significant growth in the average number of immunoreactive LepR (LepR-IR) neurons (p = 0.00108) and their average size (p = 0.00168) in the CA1 field of the hippocampus. Meanwhile, in obese rats not given onion peel powder, a significant increase in the average density of astrocytes was observed (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The increased density of astrocytes in the hippocampus of obese animals can probably have a beneficial effect on brain changes in overweight individuals. The inclusion of onion in the diet of overweight/obese individuals may lead to increased hippocampal neuroplasticity, manifested by changes in the immunoexpression of LepRs. It can be speculated that the observed changes have a protective effect on the CNS structures during obesity, but this undoubtedly requires further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds for Functional Foods and Sustainability)
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Review

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23 pages, 1237 KiB  
Review
The Health-Promoting Potential of Fruit Pomace and Its Application in the Confectionery Industry
by Anna Tama and Monika Karaś
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 5790; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105790 - 21 May 2025
Abstract
Every year, around 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally, with fruits and vegetables making up a significant portion. One by-product of this waste is pomace—the solid remains after juice extraction—which is rich in valuable nutrients like fiber, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, organic [...] Read more.
Every year, around 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally, with fruits and vegetables making up a significant portion. One by-product of this waste is pomace—the solid remains after juice extraction—which is rich in valuable nutrients like fiber, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, organic acids, vitamins, and minerals. Common sources of pomace are apples, grapes, citrus fruits, and berries. Researchers have highlighted its potential use in the confectionery industry. For example, replacing flour with pomace in cookies can improve antioxidant content and reduce hardness. Adding grape pomace to gummy candies increases levels of anthocyanins, flavanols, and proanthocyanidins while enhancing texture. Fortifying waffles with raspberry pomace boosts their nutritional value and may inhibit enzymes linked to free radical production. As a functional ingredient, pomace could help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and colon cancer. Using fruit waste in food production supports sustainability by reducing waste and improving nutrition. Public awareness efforts, such as the NRDC’s Save the Food campaign, underscore the importance of repurposing food waste. Investing in functional confectionery made with pomace offers both health and environmental benefits, making it a key ingredient for sustainable food innovation. However, despite increasing attention to functional foods, the potential of fruit pomace specifically in confectionery has not been reviewed comprehensively. This review aims to fill this gap, providing a focused synthesis on the use of fruit pomace in the confectionery industry, identifying research trends, challenges, and practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds for Functional Foods and Sustainability)
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