Proteins and Bioactive Peptides in Food: Extraction Techniques, Functional Characterization and Structural Characterization
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 557
Editors
Interests: food-derived proteins; bioactive peptides; hydrogels
Interests: food processing and preservation; development and utilization of proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food proteins are important nutrients for human health and, thus, make significant contributions to the unique functions of different foods. Proteins and bioactive peptides derived from food sources are gaining considerable interest not only for their nutritional value but also for their functional applications in developing biodegradable materials, particularly edible films and coatings for food preservation. The research in this field revolves around three key stages: extraction, functional characterization and structural characterization. Advanced extraction techniques are employed to isolate native proteins or generate specific peptide sequences from various sources like whey protein, soy protein, algae protein, gelatin, zein, gluten and so on.
The ensuing functional analysis is essential for determining film-forming ability, solubility, emulsifying properties and gelation properties, as well as the especially vital antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These bioactive properties are essential for creating "active" packaging that can extend the shelf life of food products. Structural characterization, e.g., analyzing secondary and tertiary structures via spectroscopy and microscopy, provides fundamental insights into the molecular interactions within the protein/peptide matrix. This understanding is key to connecting their inherent structure to the mechanical strength, barrier properties and controlled release of bioactive compounds in the resulting film.
Dr. Di Wu
Dr. Yinan Du
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-anonymized 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
- food proteins
- bioactive peptides
- edible films
- structural characterization
- active packaging
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