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5.1
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Foods
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Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods
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Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1901

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tomasz Piechowiak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, Faculty of Technology and Life Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: plant food; oxidative stress; plant biochemistry; antioxidants; proteomics; enzymology; functional food

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Current dietary recommendations state that plant-based foods should make up a significant portion of individuals’ daily diet. This is due to their richness in bioactive compounds that can help protect the human body against diet-related diseases, as well as the lower environmental impact associated with their production compared to that of animal-based foods. However, to fully harness the health potential of plant-based foods, it is essential that we develop modern processing techniques that minimize the loss of bioactive compounds and enhance their concentration in the final products. These methods must enable the creation of food products that meet consumer expectations while also aligning with the principles of sustainable development.

We therefore invite you to submit your manuscripts to this Special Issue of Foods (IF = 5.1), titled “Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods”. This Special Issue will publish high-quality original research articles, reviews, and short communications covering topics such as the following:

  • The design and optimization of innovative processing technologies for plant-based foods, based on mechanical, thermal, diffusion, biochemical, or microbiological processes;
  • The influence of processing conditions on the physicochemical properties, sensory quality, nutritional value, and microbiological safety of plant-based foods;
  • The impact of innovative storage technologies on the safety and nutritional value of plant-based foods;
  • Approaches to sustainable food production and environmentally responsible processing methods.

Dr. Tomasz Piechowiak
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

  • antioxidants
  • bioactive compounds
  • food biochemistry
  • food engineering
  • food microbiology
  • food preservation
  • food shelf-life
  • physical properties
  • sensory properties
  • sustainable food production

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 282 KB  
Article
Optimization of Pectinase-Assisted Extraction from Date Palm and Development of a Quince–Jujube Ready-to-Drink Beverage: A Two-Stage Approach
by Saeid Jafari, Pitchaya Tuntiteeraboon, Isaya Kijpatanasilp, Sochannet Chheng, Kuan-Chen Cheng and Kitipong Assatarakul
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1394; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081394 - 16 Apr 2026
Viewed by 483
Abstract
Rising consumer demand for functional beverages has accelerated the development of health-promoting, fruit-based ready-to-drink (RTD) products. This study investigated the effects of incubation temperature (50–80 °C) and time (60–240 min) on pectinase-assisted extraction (0.1% v/v) of date palm (Phoenix [...] Read more.
Rising consumer demand for functional beverages has accelerated the development of health-promoting, fruit-based ready-to-drink (RTD) products. This study investigated the effects of incubation temperature (50–80 °C) and time (60–240 min) on pectinase-assisted extraction (0.1% v/v) of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L., Bahi variety) juice and subsequently formulated antioxidant-rich RTD beverages by blending the optimized extract with quince and jujube juices. The optimal extraction condition (50 °C, 60 min) was selected based on maximizing bioactive compound recovery rather than yield, achieving total phenolic content of 326.33 mg GAE/100 mL, total carotenoid content of 1.08 mg β-carotene equivalents/100 mL, and strong antioxidant activity (DPPH: 514.06; FRAP: 595.38 µmol TE/100 mL). Although maximum yield (81.25%) was obtained at 60 °C for 240 min, functional quality was prioritized. Six RTD formulations were developed using a constrained simplex-lattice mixture design. All blends exhibited significantly enhanced phenolic content, carotenoids, and antioxidant capacity compared to the control, while pH and acidity remained stable (p > 0.05). Sensory evaluation indicated that the formulation containing 70% date palm, 15% quince, and 15% jujube achieved the highest acceptability (6.50). These findings highlight the potential of this tri-fruit blend as a functional RTD beverage, warranting further studies on shelf-life stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods)
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22 pages, 1697 KB  
Article
Quality Evaluation and Shelf-Life Prediction of a Mixed Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie Under Dimethyl Dicarbonate Treatment and Packaging Interventions
by Saeid Jafari, Nateekarn Rungroj, Mohammad Fikry, Muhammad Umar, Khursheed Ahmad Shiekh, Isaya Kijpatanasilp, Sochannet Chheng, Dharmendra K. Mishra and Kitipong Assatarakul
Foods 2026, 15(5), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15050913 - 6 Mar 2026
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Abstract
This study investigated shelf-life prediction of a cold-stored mixed mango–passion fruit smoothie (60:40) using kinetic modeling to compare the effects of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC, 250 ppm), pasteurization (90 °C for 100 s), and packaging type (glass vs. polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) during six weeks [...] Read more.
This study investigated shelf-life prediction of a cold-stored mixed mango–passion fruit smoothie (60:40) using kinetic modeling to compare the effects of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC, 250 ppm), pasteurization (90 °C for 100 s), and packaging type (glass vs. polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) during six weeks at 4 °C. Physicochemical parameters, functional properties (total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay (FRAP), and microbial stability were monitored weekly. Zero- and first-order kinetic models were applied to describe quality changes, with the first-order model showing superior fit (average R2 = 0.936). pH remained relatively stable (p > 0.05), while total soluble solids (TSS) gradually declined in all treatments from approximately 16–17 °Brix to 13–14 °Brix by week 6. PET packaging resulted in a significantly higher total color difference (ΔE) than glass by the end of storage (p ≤ 0.05), particularly in DMDC-treated samples. Pasteurization reduced initial polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity by 44–56% compared with untreated and DMDC-treated samples (p ≤ 0.05), whereas PET generally exhibited higher residual PPO activity than glass. DMDC treatment better preserved antioxidant capacity, phenolics, and flavonoids, with significantly higher DPPH and FRAP values than controls at week 6 (p ≤ 0.05). Microbiologically, DMDC effectively suppressed total viable counts (<5 log CFU/mL) and yeast and mold (<3 log CFU/mL), outperforming pasteurization. Shelf-life was estimated at 27–29 days for pasteurization and 41–42 days for DMDC (250 ppm), particularly when combined with glass packaging. Overall, the DMDC–glass combination demonstrated strong potential as a non-thermal preservation approach for fruit beverages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods)
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19 pages, 4859 KB  
Article
Comparison and Modeling of Different Drying Technologies for Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.: Changes in Drying Kinetics, Color, Dehiscence Rate, Volatile Oil Content and Amide Content
by Jian-Wu Dai, Qi Zeng, Ying-Qing Du, Yao-Wen Liu, Hong-Wei Xiao, Wen Qin and Ying-Lu Li
Foods 2026, 15(4), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15040734 - 16 Feb 2026
Viewed by 508
Abstract
This study systematically evaluated the drying kinetics of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. during microwave vacuum drying (MVD), pulsation vacuum drying (PVD) and hot-air drying (HAD) at different temperatures and analyzed the heating mechanism differences in the three technologies via numerical simulation. Drying kinetics indicated [...] Read more.
This study systematically evaluated the drying kinetics of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. during microwave vacuum drying (MVD), pulsation vacuum drying (PVD) and hot-air drying (HAD) at different temperatures and analyzed the heating mechanism differences in the three technologies via numerical simulation. Drying kinetics indicated that MVD was the most efficient technique owing to its volumetric dielectric heating, whereas the PVD efficiency depended heavily on precise cyclic parameter control. As verified by simulations, a more uniform temperature field was formed in MVD, while PVD achieved focused core heating via infrared radiation. Quality analysis revealed that the dehiscence rate increased significantly with the temperature, and both MVD and PVD demonstrated superior color retention over HAD; however, MVD was the most effective for preserving volatile oils, while PVD excelled in amide preservation. It should be noted that the specific component retention advantages of PVD were balanced by its strict parameter requirements, which limits its potential for large-scale application. Comprehensive evaluation confirmed MVD’s superiority in Z. bungeanum drying, effectively retaining thermosensitive components under a vacuum pressure of −90 kPa at 60 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing Methods in Plant-Based Foods)
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