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 8
Special Issue Editors
Interests: aquatic animal nutrition and feed; fish physiology; lipid metabolism; seafood quality and safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: lipid metabolism; lipid deposition; aquaculture nutrition; fish physiology; metabolic regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
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:
- Processing-induced modifications: Thermal and non-thermal processing techniques differentially impact structural integrity and bioactivity retention.
- 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.
- 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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