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Foods
Special Issues
Seafood Components and Functional Characteristics
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Seafood Components and Functional Characteristics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2025 | Viewed by 455

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dizhi Xie

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Guest Editor
College of Marine Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: aquatic animal nutrition and feed; fish physiology; lipid metabolism; seafood quality and safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Songlin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
Interests: lipid metabolism; lipid deposition; aquaculture nutrition; fish physiology; metabolic regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Kangle Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
Interests: aquaculture nutrition; lipid metabolism; physiology and nutritional regulation of fish mitochondria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With over 250,000 documented marine species, constituting Earth's largest bioactive reservoir, only 15% have been systematically investigated for their biochemical potential. As a critical component of "blue food and pharmaceutical resources", marine-derived bioactive compounds exhibit remarkable nutritional and therapeutic properties. Emerging evidence highlights the multifunctional attributes of seafood components, including protein-derived bioactive peptides (collagen peptides, ACE-inhibitory peptides, antioxidant peptides), functional lipids (ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, marine phospholipids), and micronutrient complexes (astaxanthin, sulfated polysaccharides, carotenoids, marine terpenoids, and essential trace elements). These bioactive constituents exhibit substantial physiological effects in neuromodulation, cytoprotection, anti-aging, immunomodulation, and cancer prevention and treatment. However, critical challenges persist in translating marine bioresources into functional applications:

  1. Processing-induced modifications: Thermal and non-thermal processing techniques differentially impact structural integrity and bioactivity retention.
  2. Extraction optimization: Conventional extraction methods, when compared to emerging green technologies (such as enzyme-assisted and subcritical water extraction), exhibit differing levels of efficiency and purity outcomes.
  3. Aquaculture influences: 1) Endogenous factors: Genetic selection and metabolic pathway regulation. 2) Exogenous factors: Nutritional supplementation strategies, environmental stressors (salinity, temperature), and sustainable farming practices.

Thus, focusing on the influence of innovations in processing technology and aquaculture regulation on component characteristics will not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the functional value of marine biological resources, but also offer theoretical support for the development of functional foods, pharmaceutical intermediates, and bioproducts, thereby facilitating the sustainable development and high-value utilization of marine resources.

Dr. Dizhi Xie
Dr. Songlin Li
Dr. Kangle Lu
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • seafood
  • marine fish
  • bioactive compounds
  • processing and extraction
  • aquaculture
  • functional characteristics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4634 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Muscle Quality in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.): Impacts of Body Size on Nutrient Composition, Texture, and Volatile Profile
by Zijie He, Junli Wang, Yun Wei, Xiao Yan, Yuanyou Li, Dizhi Xie and Guoxing Nie
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2794; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162794 - 11 Aug 2025
Abstract
To investigate the effect of body size on muscle quality of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), we systematically tracked the dynamic changes in nutrient content, texture, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among small-sized (~100 g), medium-sized (~250 g), and large-sized (~600 g) [...] Read more.
To investigate the effect of body size on muscle quality of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), we systematically tracked the dynamic changes in nutrient content, texture, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among small-sized (~100 g), medium-sized (~250 g), and large-sized (~600 g) fish (SYRC, MYRC, and HYRC, respectively) over a 30-week feeding trial. The results indicated that the HYRC showed significantly reduced moisture and lipid content, along with increased protein content, hydroxyproline, hardness, and chewiness compared to the SYRC (p < 0.05). The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) and fish lipid quality in the MYRC were significantly lower than those in both the SYRC and HYRC (p < 0.05). The HYRC demonstrated an elevated health-promoting index and a reduced atherogenicity value compared to the SYRC (p < 0.05). The contents of alcohol, ketones, and furans in the HYRC increased by 32.53%, 44.62%, and 144.29%, respectively, compared with those in the SYRC (p < 0.05), including key VOCs in aquatic products such as oct-1-en-3-ol and pent-1-en-3-ol. In conclusion, the SYRC have higher levels of LC-PUFAs and lower hardness; the MYRC have poor levels of LC-PUFAs; and the HYRC have an optimal synergy of nutrition, texture, and VOCs, but the overaccumulation of undesirable VOCs requires mitigation. This provides theoretical references and data support for fish quality optimization, processing, and consumption guidelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seafood Components and Functional Characteristics)
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17 pages, 5328 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary GABA Levels on Growth, Muscle Quality, and Liver Lipid Profile: Insights from Lipidomics in Juvenile Yellowfin Seabream Acanthopagrus latus
by Guanrong Zhang, Yanjian Yang, Zini Huang, Shishi Zheng, Xinyu Feng, Ju Li, Fang Chen and Yuanyou Li
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2761; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162761 - 8 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, is used as a feed additive in aquaculture. However, its effects on muscle quality and lipid metabolism in fish remain understudied. Therefore, three diets supplemented with 0%, 0.01%, and 0.10% GABA were fed to juvenile Acanthopagrus [...] Read more.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, is used as a feed additive in aquaculture. However, its effects on muscle quality and lipid metabolism in fish remain understudied. Therefore, three diets supplemented with 0%, 0.01%, and 0.10% GABA were fed to juvenile Acanthopagrus latus (initial weight: 9.96 g) for 9 weeks, followed by analyses of growth performance, muscle quality indices, and hepatic lipid profiles. Fish fed 0.01% GABA showed the highest weight gain rate (p < 0.05). Their muscles exhibited improved muscle texture, higher levels of essential/non-essential and flavor amino acids, and a higher proportion of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), along with triglycerides and cardiolipin enriched in LC-PUFA chains (p < 0.05). Moreover, their livers demonstrated increased levels of triglycerides, phosphatidylethanolamine, and LC-PUFA, along with reduced levels of phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine (p < 0.05). These results suggest that 0.01% GABA supplementation improves growth performance, enhances flesh quality, and optimizes liver lipid profiles in A. latus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seafood Components and Functional Characteristics)
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