Natural Bioactive Compounds from Fruits and Vegetables: Extraction Technologies, Physicochemical Properties and Health Benefits
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 1807
Special Issue Editors
Interests: extraction technologies; isolation of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds from fruits and vegetables; development of food formulations with functional properties; natural substances as substitutes for chemical additives (antioxidants; antimicrobial)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food chemistry; extraction; isolation, and identification of chemical compounds in natural products; plant food supplements; development of nutraceuticals and innovative food formulations with functional properties.
Interests: Plant Foods; Molecular Structure; Molecular Interactions; Nutrition Interventions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fruits and vegetables are a source of many bioactive compounds that have yet to be comprehensively explored. Besides being a food source, plants have been used in traditional medicine for centuries based on empirical knowledge accumulated and transferred from generation to generation. Nowadays, consumers are increasingly concerned about their health, and thus many seek higher-quality, contaminant-free natural products. Food products with natural ingredients are perceived to be of a higher quality those with synthetic ingredients and additives. Therefore, there is great interest in the incorporation of biologically active compounds from natural sources into formulations to promote health benefits; these include functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and medicinal supplementations, whose bioactive compounds interfere in the chemical and biological processes that cause diseases. This has created a demand in the production sector for approaches that minimize environmental impacts and either reduce or eliminate toxic waste production.
The food industry has attached importance to the use of plant extracts, essential oils, and/or their components as possible alternatives to synthetic food additives.
Although available at a low cost, many plants are still unknown and underused by a large portion of the population. In the context of current climate change, it is increasingly accepted that monoculture production will not be sufficient to feed the growing world population. Complementary alternatives could become essential tools for establishing sustainable production systems, contributing to human diet and providing a source of extra income for rural populations via added-value products.
Furthermore, consumer preference for healthier foods, with a particular focus on foods from the plant kingdom, is a global trend.
This Special Issue hopes to further disseminate the existing research on extraction and isolation techniques and the nutritional and functional properties of bioactive compounds from various fruits and vegetables, aiding the food industry in finding new ingredients and natural additives that can meet consumer expectations for healthier foods.
Prof. Dr. Cristiane Canan
Dr. Daneysa Lahis Kalschne
Dr. Jing Zhao
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- nutrition
- nutraceuticals
- proximate composition
- green technology
- functional potential
- biological properties
- food sustainability
- food sovereignty
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