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Discovery and Utilization of Food-Derived Bioactive Polymers: Focusing on Polypeptide,...
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Discovery and Utilization of Food-Derived Bioactive Polymers: Focusing on Polypeptide, Polysaccharide, and Polyphenol

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: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 872

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: bioactive peptide; protein; aquatic food; polyphenol-protein interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hongying Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: polysaccharide; interaction between food macromolecules; polyphenol
Dr. Baoming Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Interests: polyphenol; polysaccharide; natural product; tea; gut microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymers are a kind of natural polymers produced by live organisms (animals, plans, and microorganisms) through metabolic polymerization, ranging from monomer molecules to complex multimers. In recent years, they have becoming increasingly popular in the food industry because of their high biosafety and more varied bioactivities relative to widely used chemosynthetic compounds. Moreover, three of the most diverse types of food-derived bioactive polymers, namely polypeptides, polysaccharides, and polyphenols, have shown some of the broadest applications and attracted considerable attention from food researchers, engineers, and consumers. Therefore, this Special Issue will consolidate cutting-edge studies that bridge the gap between the discovery of these biopolymers and their practical utilization. We invite contributions that explore the entire value chain, ranging from the identification and structural characterization of novel food-derived polypeptides, polysaccharides, and polyphenols to the elucidation of their complex bioactivity mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on studies that demonstrate a clear pathway from bench to application, whether through the development of functional food ingredients, bioactive packaging films, or encapsulation systems that enhance bioavailability.

This Special Issue should include, but is not limited to, the following points:

  • Innovative technologies for the efficient, precise, and targeted preparation of polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols from food materials, such as AI-aided and physical field-assisted strategies;
  • Structure-function mechanism and dose–effect relationship of polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols at multidimensional levels (molecule, cell, body, etc.);
  • Interactions between polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols and food matrix macromolecules (proteins, lipids, other carbohydrate polymers, etc.)
  • Novel technologies for enhancing the stability and bioactivity of polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols (targeted delivery, chemical modification, etc.)
  • Health-promoting effects and metabolic pathways of polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols associated with gut microbiota regulation
  • Value-added utilization methodologies of food processing by-products rich in polypeptides/polysaccharides/polyphenols

Dr. Jin Zhang
Prof. Dr. Hongying Du
Dr. Baoming Tian
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Foods 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 2900 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

  • peptide
  • polysaccharide
  • polyphenol
  • value-added utilization
  • structure–function relationship
  • innovative preparation technology
  • interaction with food macromolecule
  • health-promoting effect

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

30 pages, 5422 KB  
Review
Protein–Polyphenol Interactions in Specialty Oilseeds: Multiscale Mechanisms, Physicochemical Reshaping, and Advanced Food Applications
by Yujie Mu, Nanjie Jiang, Yongrou Fang, Xiang Liu, Xia Xiang and Can Cui
Foods 2026, 15(11), 1939; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15111939 - 1 Jun 2026
Viewed by 299
Abstract
Specialty oilseeds, encompassing herbaceous (sunflower, flaxseed, sesame) and woody (Camellia oleifera, walnut, olive) species, serve as important sustainable sources of plant proteins that are inherently enriched with structurally diverse endogenous polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid, lignans, catechins, and ellagitannins. During processing, these polyphenols [...] Read more.
Specialty oilseeds, encompassing herbaceous (sunflower, flaxseed, sesame) and woody (Camellia oleifera, walnut, olive) species, serve as important sustainable sources of plant proteins that are inherently enriched with structurally diverse endogenous polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid, lignans, catechins, and ellagitannins. During processing, these polyphenols drive covalent or non-covalent interactions that profoundly reshape the physicochemical and functional properties of the resulting food systems. While prior reviews have largely remained descriptive or focused on single commodities or model proteins, this work provides the first critical, multiscale synthesis across herbaceous and woody oilseeds. We systematically compare polyphenol diversity, delineate the continuum from reversible non-covalent association (specific residue-level vs. non-specific surface-mediated) to irreversible covalent coupling, and establish a “structure–interaction–function” framework that explicitly defines a condition-dependent “Processing Window”. Within this window, moderate interactions enhance interfacial viscoelasticity, oxidative stability, foaming, and emulsification; excessive cross-linking, however, impairs solubility, digestibility, and sensory quality. By integrating experimental spectroscopy (UV-vis, FT-IR, CD, ITC), microscopic imaging, and computational simulations (molecular docking and dynamics), we map residue-level binding modes directly to macroscopic functional outcomes. Furthermore, the review evaluates the engineering potential of these complex systems in frontier applications such as antioxidant emulsions and active packaging. By explicitly identifying evidence boundaries and quantitative knowledge gaps in endogenous matrices, this work provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for the precision design and valorization of specialty oilseed-derived functional ingredients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Utilization of Food-Derived Bioactive Polymers: Focusing on Polypeptide, Polysaccharide, and Polyphenol)
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47 pages, 5464 KB  
Review
Multifunctional Roles of Chlorogenic Acid in Food Packaging Films: Linking Structural Modulation with Active and Intelligent Performance
by Hamid Rajabi, Wanli Zhang, Di Wu, Pang Bo, Young Hoon Jung and Saroat Rawdkuen
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1637; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101637 - 8 May 2026
Viewed by 297
Abstract
The transition toward sustainable food packaging requires the integration of biodegradable materials with functional bioactivity. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a naturally abundant polyphenol, has emerged as a multifunctional compound with the capacity to simultaneously modulate polymer structure and impart active and intelligent functionalities. This [...] Read more.
The transition toward sustainable food packaging requires the integration of biodegradable materials with functional bioactivity. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a naturally abundant polyphenol, has emerged as a multifunctional compound with the capacity to simultaneously modulate polymer structure and impart active and intelligent functionalities. This review critically examines recent advances in CGA-containing packaging systems, covering fabrication strategies from physical incorporation and chemical grafting to nanostructured and stimuli-responsive architectures. The analysis reveals that CGA plays a dual role. At the molecular level, it regulates the polymer network structure through hydrogen bonding, covalent interactions, and conformational rearrangement. This, in turn, influences mechanical strength, barrier performance, and optical properties. Functionally, CGA provides antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, although its effectiveness depends strongly on the incorporation strategy and concentration. Notably, nanostructured systems and conjugation approaches enable controlled release and enhanced stability. These methods overcome limitations associated with rapid diffusion and environmental degradation, including oxidation, UV exposure, and pH-related instability. Despite these advances, key challenges remain, including CGA instability, uncontrolled release behavior, and limited regulatory and scalability data. Furthermore, while CGA is well established in active packaging, its application in intelligent systems remains limited in the literature, with only a few studies reported on its intelligent applications. Overall, this review highlights the structure–function relationships governing CGA-containing packaging systems and outlines future directions for the rational design of cost-effective, scalable, and multifunctional packaging systems, positioning CGA as a promising component in sustainable strategies for food preservation and waste reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Utilization of Food-Derived Bioactive Polymers: Focusing on Polypeptide, Polysaccharide, and Polyphenol)
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