Recent Advances in Bioactive Ingredients from Marine Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Foods of Marine Origin".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 October 2025 | Viewed by 1769

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Safety and Health, School of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: functional food; food safety; food health
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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
Interests: functions of bioactive ingredients; nutritional mechanisms; omics; signal pathways

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Guest Editor Assistant
College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: food bioactives; microalgae; functional food; gut microbiota

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, marine foods have gained increasing recognition for their significant contributions to health and nutrition. These foods are rich in a variety of bioactive compounds, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), peptides, polysaccharides, carotenoids, and more. These bioactive ingredients have demonstrated remarkable potential in promoting antioxidant activity, managing diabetes, preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), enhancing immunity, and improving cognitive function, among other health benefits.

Current research continues to explore novel bioactive compounds, uncover emerging biological functions and mechanisms, and develop green processing technologies to maximize the potential of these marine-derived ingredients. This Special Issue seeks to compile the latest advancements in the field, focusing on the functional properties and characteristics of marine bioactive compounds, innovative extraction and processing technologies, newly discovered biological functions and underlying mechanisms, as well as their digestion, metabolism, and advanced applications. Additionally, this Special Issue will highlight the interactions between these bioactive ingredients and other food components, including their effects on gut microbiota. We encourage submissions of original research and comprehensive review articles that address the recent progress in the study of marine bioactive ingredients.

We anticipate that this Special Issue will offer fresh theoretical insights and inspire novel research directions for the development and application of marine foods, ultimately contributing to the advancement of health and nutrition science.

Dr. Yifeng Zhang
Prof. Dr. Xiaoli Shen
Prof. Dr. Zihao Wei
Guest Editors

Dr. Bingbing Guo
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • bioactive ingredient
  • marine foods
  • biological activity
  • functional food
  • digestion and metabolism
  • interaction with gut microbiota

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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16 pages, 1166 KiB  
Review
Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Algal Bioactive Ingredients: Production, Characterization, and Application
by Bingbing Guo, Xingyu Lu, Xiaoyu Jiang, Xiao-Li Shen, Zihao Wei and Yifeng Zhang
Foods 2025, 14(10), 1783; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101783 - 17 May 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 624
Abstract
Microalgae are capable of synthesizing a diverse range of biologically active compounds, including omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, proteins, and polysaccharides, which demonstrate significant value in the fields of functional foods, innovative pharmaceuticals and high-value cosmetics. With advancements in biotechnology and the increasing demand [...] Read more.
Microalgae are capable of synthesizing a diverse range of biologically active compounds, including omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, proteins, and polysaccharides, which demonstrate significant value in the fields of functional foods, innovative pharmaceuticals and high-value cosmetics. With advancements in biotechnology and the increasing demand for natural products, studies on the functional components of algae have made significant strides. However, the commercial utilization of algal bioactives still faces challenges, such as low cultivation efficiency, limited component identification, and insufficient health evaluation. Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently emerged as a transformative tool to overcome these technological barriers in the production, characterization, and application of algal bioactive ingredients. This review examines the multidimensional mechanisms by which AI enables and optimizes these processes: (1) AI-powered predictive models, integrated with machine learning algorithms (MLAs), Industry 4.0, and other advanced digital systems, support real-time monitoring and control of intelligent bioreactors, allowing for accurate forecasting of cultivation yields and market demand. (2) AI facilitates in-depth analysis of gene regulatory networks and key metabolic pathways, enabling precise control over the biosynthesis of targeted compounds. (3) AI-based spectral imaging and image recognition techniques enable rapid and reliable identification, classification, and quality assessment of active components. (4) AI accelerates the transition from mass production to the development of personalized medical and functional nutritional products. Collectively, AI demonstrates immense potential in enhancing the yield, refining the characterization, and expanding the application scope of algal bioactives, unlocking new opportunities across multiple high-value industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Bioactive Ingredients from Marine Foods)
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