Application of Response Surface Methodology for Food Optimization Processes

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is an international forum for researchers in the area of analysis, evaluation, and development of solutions using mathematical tools such as response surface methodology to optimize biological, chemical, cellular, molecular, and immunological responses, among others. We search for studies describing theoretical problems and/or experimental results where molecules with relevant properties for the industrial sector are extracted/identified/quantified/concentrated in food processes systems and employed in the development of novel products in different sectors, such as nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. This Special Issue will present recent results, to identify and explore directions for future research of analytical tools to aid and guide the decision-making process, and to foster collaborations.

The applications of the chemometric tools in food analytical chemistry can be divided into two approaches: optimization of the experimental conditions during the sample preparation step and also optimization of the instrumental variables of analytical techniques. The employ of chemometric tools for the optimization of sample preparation procedures in food analysis is quite diverse. Between these, we can report analytical strategies using microwave assisted radiation, ultrasound assisted extraction, high pressure, among others. Moreover, the application of experimental designs allows to optimize instrumental variables of analytical techniques. Therefore, chemometric tools allow the determination of the critical conditions of experimental factors of the analytical methods, considering the interaction between these, with lower consumption of reagents and lower time spent during the optimization step.

This can be achieved using response surface methodology (RSM), which is a technique widely used to optimize various processes. This special issue intends to collect chemometric tools used in RSM in the optimization of different food processes such as extraction, drying, blanching, enzymatic hydrolysis and clarification, production of microbial metabolites, and formulation. The principles of RSM, its implementation steps, and different designs (full factorial design (FFD), Box-Behnken design (BBD), and central composite design (CCD)) are described. Furthermore, this work presents a comprehensive study of RSM literature recently published about the various food process fields and evaluating their RSM elements summarized in tables. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of using this statistical technique in the food industry processes are welcome. RSM is an appropriate approach and widely used to optimize food industry processes. However, some researchers are not familiar with this approach. This misusing can be attributed to perform inappropriate experimental design, inappropriate screening of independent variables, and improper selection of levels for independent variables. We have tried to address these issues in this study. In addition, this paper presents a comprehensive summary of literature recently published on optimization of food processes by using RSM. “Can RSM be utilized for optimization of all food industry processes without any limitation?” Before addressing this challenge, the principles of the approach are first presented.

We invite researchers to contribute to this special issue. Submissions should have relation to all related themes, including but not restricted to:

• New bioactive molecules found;
• Analysis of bioactive compounds;
• Scientific studies assessing the properties of molecules;
• Innovative applications in the nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industry;

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Chemosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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.

• Chemosensors in bioactive compounds analysis
• Mathematical tools
• Response surface methodology
• Optimization processes
• Plant food discards
• Industrial applications