Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods
A section of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158).
Section Information
Papers that qualify for the “Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods” Section are expected to be studies focusing mainly on nutritional, functional, and nutraceutical topics. Broadly, the categories include research focusing on the study of nutraceuticals (phytocomplexes of vegetal origin, or pools of active secondary metabolites when originating from an animal matrix) as well as active compounds present in vegetal- and animal-origin matrices (foods, byproduct recovery, waste recovery and reuse with a view to sustainability, botanicals, and natural products), in the form of extracts, pure compounds, or mixtures.
The study of nutraceuticals and functional foods should cover physical and chemical properties, their formulation, identification, and quantification in foods, vegetal matrices, products thereof, waste recovery and possible reuse as supplements/nutraceuticals, food supplements, functional preparations, complex food matrices, natural products, studies in vitro, in cells, and in animals, and the mechanisms of action of food supplements and nutraceuticals in humans, substantiating their beneficial effects on health conditions, including their bioavailability and beneficial impacts on health.
This Section also includes novel foods, which represent an emerging area in the framework of foods and are a challenge for academia, industry, and consumers. Novel foods include foods and ingredients that have not been used significantly prior to a specific date, depending on local food regulations.
Their study and evaluation impact, but not limited to, the following: genetically modified foods, foods new to a particular region of the world, foods processed using a new technology or novel production processes, newly developed and innovative food, newly produced nutrients, extracts from existing food, or food consumed as part of the diet in different parts of the world and which qualify to be used as food and part of the diet for their specific characteristics according to current local and international regulations and safety regulations.
Of utmost importance are the safety and nutritional quality of food and novel foods. It is also essential that authors address the impact of the regulatory aspects of nutraceuticals and functional as well as novel foods.
In conclusion, papers should be innovative in the approach or methods used. The significance of the results for the science community or food industry applications should also trigger the reader’s interest in the comprehensive framework of Foods.
Keywords
- Nutraceuticals and their impact.
- Functional foods.
- Food supplements.
- Novel foods.
- Sensorial perception.
- Phytocomplexes, their properties, and extraction.
- The pool of secondary metabolites and their action.
- New dietary ingredients and formulations.
- Food and health: prevention through medicinal food and supplements.
- Clinical data supporting the efficacy of nutraceuticals.
- Novel foods' uses and applications.
- In vitro and in vivo data.
- Therapeutic beneficial effects of nutraceuticals and functional foods.
- Mechanisms of action and impact.
- Food contaminants and safety.
- Regulatory aspects of novel foods, functional foods, supplements, and nutraceuticals.
- Clinical tests that substantiate effects and mechanisms of action.
- Formulation and nanoformulation.
- Analytical aspects and new approaches.
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- The Role of Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, and Food Supplements in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Edible Mushroom Processing and Functional Food Development (Deadline: 10 May 2026)
- Processing, Nutritional and Antibacterial Properties of Honey and Bee Products (Deadline: 10 May 2026)
- Animal-Derived Food Resources: Advancing Innovations and Functional Applications (Deadline: 10 May 2026)
- Food–Microbiome Interplay: Engineering the Gut for Health (Deadline: 10 May 2026)
- Impact of Functional Ingredients on Technological, Sensory and Health Properties of Bakery Products: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 15 May 2026)
- Postbiotics from Fermented Plant Extracts: Chemistry, Functionality, and Food Applications (Deadline: 15 May 2026)
- New Insights into Nutraceuticals in the Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome—2nd Edition (Deadline: 15 May 2026)
- Biofortified Foods for a Healthier Future: Analytical Tools and Technological Advances (Deadline: 20 May 2026)
- Advances in Sources, Extraction, Encapsulation, Bioavailability and Health Benefits of Functional Food Ingredients—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- The Hidden Treasure in Agri-Food By-Products: Bioactives and Health Benefits (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Nutraceuticals and Medicine Foods: Processing Technologies, Metabolic Mechanisms, and Human Health (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Starch: Properties and Functionality in Food Systems (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Bioactive Compounds in Food: Sources, Health Benefits and Mechanisms (Deadline: 5 June 2026)
- Bioactive Compounds in Fruits and Vegetables: Processing, Bioavailability and Functional Properties (Deadline: 5 June 2026)
- Bioactive Compounds in Bee Products: From Analysis to Health Benefits (Deadline: 10 June 2026)
- Development and Characterization of Innovative Food Matrices and Ingredients (Deadline: 10 June 2026)
- Functional Food and Safety Evaluation: Second Edition (Deadline: 10 June 2026)
- Chemical Properties and Functional Roles of Bioactive Compounds in Natural Foods (Deadline: 10 June 2026)
- Recent Research on the Extraction and Characterization of Phenolic Compounds from Foods and Their Potential Antioxidant Activities (Deadline: 15 June 2026)
- Emulsion-Based Encapsulation and Delivery Systems for Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods (Deadline: 15 June 2026)
- Recent Trends in Designing Novel Foods: Nutritional Profiles and Consumer Perceptions: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 June 2026)
- Insights into the Mechanisms of Higher-Order Structure Formation in Honey and Its Impact on Functional and Rheological Properties Using Other Foods as Models (Deadline: 20 June 2026)
- Food Waste as Ingredients in Functional Food Development: Sources, Extractions and Functionality (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Edible-Medicinal Foods: Functional Food Innovation and Mechanistic Health Efficacy Evaluation (Deadline: 9 July 2026)
- Food Bioactives for Health Promotion: Mechanisms, Metabolism, and Applications (Deadline: 10 July 2026)
- Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods: From Food Preservation to Health Benefits (Deadline: 16 July 2026)
- Advances in Micronutrient Science: Bioavailability, Functional Foods and Precision Nutrition (Deadline: 17 July 2026)
- Quality Characteristics of Traditional and Innovative Foods (Deadline: 20 July 2026)
- The Biological and Functional Properties of Polypeptides and Polysaccharides Isolated from Food Sources (Deadline: 21 July 2026)
- Advances in the Recovery of Bioactive Compounds from Foods and Food Processing By-Products and Their Nutritional Impact (Deadline: 25 July 2026)
- Bioactive Food Components: Exploring Nutritional Value and Disease Prevention Roles (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Innovations in Food Technology for Functional Foods: Exploring Sources, Processing Techniques and Health Benefits (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Feature Review on Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods (Deadline: 3 August 2026)
- Food Innovations: Process Enhancements, Health-Promoting Product Developments, and Value-Adding Strategies (Deadline: 5 August 2026)
- Advances in Functional Foods with Antioxidant Bioactivity: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 10 August 2026)
- Nuts: A Sustainable Raw Material for Food Innovation and Beyond (Deadline: 25 August 2026)
- Non-Dairy Probiotic Food Products: An Emerging Group of Functional Foods (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Bioactive Compounds in the Spotlight: State-of-the-Art Research in Dietary Supplements, Functional Foods, and Nutraceuticals: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Bioactive Food Components in Metabolic Health and Disease Prevention: From Functional Insights to Therapeutic Potential (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Plant By-Products Fortify the Nutritional and Functional Properties of Foods (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Bio-Functional Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Functional Foods—2nd Edition (Deadline: 10 September 2026)
- Emerging Prebiotics: Formation, Potential Activities and Applications in Food (Deadline: 10 September 2026)
- Polysaccharides as Functional Ingredients: Technology, Bioactivity, and Health Benefits (Deadline: 15 September 2026)
- Fermented Foods: Processing, Microbiology and Health Benefits (Deadline: 15 September 2026)
- Bioactive Natural Extracts as Functional Ingredients in Novel Foods (Deadline: 15 September 2026)
- Dietary Protein and Bioactive Peptides in Meat and Seafood: Flavor, Innovative Production and Functional Evaluation (Deadline: 18 September 2026)
- Novel Functional Food Formulations: Properties, Sensory Perception, and Consumer Acceptance (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Functional Food and Beverages with Novel Bioactive Compounds (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Antioxidant Activity and Phenolics in Seaweed (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Engineering Sensory and Function: Bioactives in Food Design (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Designing Safe and Functional Fermented Foods: Integrating Bioactivity, Microbial Control, and Food Safety (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Natural Compounds in Foods: Targeting Cellular Senescence and Metabolic Dysfunction for Muscle Health (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Food-Derived Polysaccharides: Composition, Characterization and Functional Properties (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Fortified Foods and Snacks: Strategies for Immune Enhancement, Healthy Aging, and Public Health (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- The Extraction, Characterization and Application of Functional Ingredients from Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products—2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Nutritional, Biological Activity and Safety Evaluation of Bioactive Phytochemicals in Food (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Algae as a Potential Source of Food Components: Bioactive Ingredients, New Products Development and Sustainability (Deadline: 9 October 2026)
- Discovery and Utilization of Food-Derived Bioactive Polymers: Focusing on Polypeptide, Polysaccharide, and Polyphenol (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Phenolic Compounds in Foods: From Composition to Health Benefits (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Valorizing Food By-Products: Exploring Bioactive Ingredients for Health (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Improving the Nutritional Properties and Health Effects of Functional Food Ingredients by Novel Processing Technology (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Innovative Strategies for Food By-Products Upcycling into Functional Ingredients (Deadline: 10 October 2026)
- Innovations in Functional Foods: From Bioactive Ingredient Design to Stability, Targeted Delivery and Evidence-Based Health Benefits (Deadline: 15 October 2026)
- Fermented Foods and Health Modulation (Deadline: 20 October 2026)
- Functional Foods and Glucose Metabolism: Mechanisms and Health Implications (Deadline: 25 October 2026)
- Advances in the Preventive Role of Food: Functional Foods and Beverages for Human Health (Deadline: 28 October 2026)
- Advanced Research on Eggs and Egg By-Products: Product Development, Nutrition and Bioactivity (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Honey Bee Products: Properties, Applications and Value-Added Utilization in Foods (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Plant Bioactive Compounds and Its Potential as a Functional Food Ingredient (Deadline: 10 November 2026)
- Functional Ingredients and Natural Extractions in Foods: Sources, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention—2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 November 2026)
- Lactic Acid Bacteria: The Functions and Applications in Foods—2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 November 2026)
- Application of Starch and Natural Bioactive Components to Improve the Nutritional and Health-Related Properties of Food Products (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Synergistic Interactions and Bio-Efficacy of Dietary Antioxidants in Models of Metabolic and Physiological Stress (Deadline: 10 January 2027)
- Bioactive Phytochemicals and Antioxidants: Exploring Innovative Technology, Functional Properties and Health Benefits for Edible Fungi and Plant-Based Functional Foods (Deadline: 15 January 2027)
- Upcycled Fruit and Vegetable Bioactives: From By-Product Valorization to Sustainable Functional Foods (Deadline: 15 January 2027)
- Advances in Biological Activities of Functional Food (3rd Edition) (Deadline: 20 January 2027)
- From Waste to Taste: Valorization of Food By-Products and Bioactive Ingredients for Food Quality Improvement (Deadline: 28 February 2027)