Novel and Alternative Protein Foods: From Emerging Sources to Processing, Safety, and Consumer Acceptance
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 216
Special Issue Editor
Interests: antiviral compounds; novel foods; edible insects; nutraceuticals and functionalized foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The growing global demand for protein, together with environmental and nutritional challenges, is driving intense research on novel and alternative protein foods. Beyond traditional sources, emerging protein sources such as edible insects, plant-based ingredients, algae, microbial proteins and invasive marine species are increasingly explored as sustainable solutions for future food systems. This Special Issue aims to collect recent advances on the development, processing and evaluation of novel and alternative protein foods, with particular focus on food safety, quality, nutritional value and consumer acceptance. Topics of interest include innovative processing and formulation strategies, functional and nutritional properties, safety assessments, sensory evaluations and consumer perceptions of alternative protein-based foods. Interdisciplinary contributions linking food technology, nutrition and sustainability are especially encouraged, particularly studies addressing the valorization of underutilized or invasive species as sustainable protein sources. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and review papers addressing both fundamental and applied aspects of alternative protein foods for future markets.
Dr. Annalaura Brai
Guest Editor
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
- alternative protein foods
- food processing and formulation
- nutritional quality
- food safety
- consumer acceptance
- sustainability
- novel protein sources (e.g., insects, algae)
- future food systems
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