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Functional Foods for Human Health—Product Development and Analysis

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 184

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, 15-17 Lucsony Street, 9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
Interests: food production; product development; analytical chemistry; functional foods; sensory properties

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, 15-17 Lucsony Street, 9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
Interests: extraction; HPLC; plant bioactive compounds; food chemistry

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Guest Editor
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: organic food; nutrition; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Foods that can prevent disease or promote health are known as functional foods, and are typically processed foods with a health-promoting ingredient. Functional foods offer health benefits that extend beyond their nutritional value. They contain supplements (herbs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.) or other ingredients (minerals, dietary fibers, vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidants, extracts, etc.) designed to improve health. Natural antioxidants and polyphenols have a beneficial effect on human health because they may prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, and due to their color, can be used in the manufacture of food supplements and food colors.

This Special Issue, “Functional Foods for Human Health—Product Development and Analysis”, aims to present studies that focus on the product development and analysis of functional foods to prove that the different product categories in the food industry can promote human health through technological advancements.
We welcome original research papers and reviews on the following topics:

  • The development of food industry products with functional properties;
  • The impact of product processing on foods’ functional attributes;
  • Functional food recipes with the addition of active ingredients and supplements;
  • Laboratory analyses to determine the functionality of foods;
  • In vivo and in vitro research to prove the beneficial effects of functional foods on human health;
  • Storage and shelf-life tests to determine the biological activity of functional food ingredients;
  • The development of analytical methods for the analysis of bioactive compounds from functional foods.

Dr. Rita Székelyhidi
Dr. Beatrix Sik
Prof. Dr. Ewelina Hallmann
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 recipes
  • product development
  • food additives
  • bioactive compounds
  • analytical chemistry

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 577 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Selected Polish and Slovak Honeys
by Stanisław Kowalski, Zuzana Ciesarová, Kristína Kukurová, Blanka Tobolková, Martin Polovka, Łukasz Skoczylas, Małgorzata Tabaszewska, Karolina Mikulec, Anna Mikulec and Krzysztof Buksa
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 5810; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115810 - 22 May 2025
Abstract
In this study, the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of 19 honey samples from Poland and Slovakia were assessed and models describing the relationship between antioxidant activity and the determined physicochemical features were developed. All tested honeys met the regulatory criteria of EU standards [...] Read more.
In this study, the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of 19 honey samples from Poland and Slovakia were assessed and models describing the relationship between antioxidant activity and the determined physicochemical features were developed. All tested honeys met the regulatory criteria of EU standards for the content of water, hydroxymethylfurfural, and diastase activity. Honey samples from Poland and Slovakia had similar glucose-to-fructose ratios, but differences were observed in diastase activity, electrical conductivity, and antioxidant potential. Polish forest honey samples showed the highest antioxidant activity, and Polish rapeseed honey showed higher antioxidant potential than the Slovak honey. Color analysis showed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.849) between the browning index and antioxidant capacity. Cluster analysis effectively distinguished honey types based on their chemical composition, although some sample overlap was attributed to environmental influences. Regression models identified key predictors of antioxidant potential, and polyphenol content evidenced by color parameters (a*, b*). This study provides valuable information on honey characteristics and demonstrates the feasibility of using statistical models to predict antioxidant properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods for Human Health—Product Development and Analysis)
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