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Functional Foods: Product Development, Technological Trends and Safety

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 November 2025 | Viewed by 62

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Agri-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Carretera de Beniel, km 3.2, Orihuela, 03312 Alicante, Spain
Interests: functional food; probiotics; in vitro digestion; food by-products; sustainability

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Agri-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Carretera de Beniel, km 3.2, Orihuela, 03312 Alicante, Spain
Interests: innovation; AI; novel technology; food safety; consumer; smart packaging; 3D bioprinting

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Escuela de Alimentos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Waddington 716, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2360100, Chile
Interests: new food processing technology; extraction processes for bioactive compounds; food dehydration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional foods are at the forefront of innovation in the food industry, driven by increasing consumer interest in health, wellness, and disease prevention.

This Special Issue aims to focus on current trends in functional foods, such as the incorporation of bioactive compounds (probiotics, prebiotics, polyphenols, peptides) derived from natural sources or produced using advanced biotechnological methods.

Furthermore, there is a strong shift toward clean-label products, plant-based alternatives, and personalized nutrition. Technological innovations, including nanoencapsulation, 3D-food-printing, fermentation, and smart packaging are being used to enhance ingredient stability, improve bioavailability, and deliver targeted health benefits. Artificial intelligence and big data are also being used to tailor functional foods to individual dietary needs and preferences.

Safety remains a priority, with rigorous testing required to ensure that new ingredients do not pose health risks. In summary, the development of functional foods requires a multidisciplinary approach combining food science, technology, and regulatory insight to create innovative, safe, and effective products that meet current consumer demands.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Débora Cerdá-Bernad
Dr. Jesús Clemente-Villalba
Dr. Jessica López Pastén
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

  • functional food
  • health
  • nutrition
  • innovation
  • sustainability
  • AI
  • novel technology
  • food safety
  • consumer
  • value-added compounds

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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