Advanced Technologies in Novel Grain-Based Health Foods: Ingredient Innovation, Nutrition, and Safety Evaluation

Dear Colleagues,

Grains serve as the fundamental cornerstone of the global human diet. However, modern consumers increasingly demand grain products that not only provide energy but also actively promote metabolic health and ensure absolute safety. As food science transitions into the era of precision nutrition and intelligent manufacturing, traditional grain processing is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. This Special Issue focuses on the development of novel grain-based health foods, aiming to establish a comprehensive scientific platform spanning the entire chain from functional ingredient discovery to advanced nutritional and safety evaluations.  We welcome high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address the exploration, green preparation, and functional enhancement of novel grain-based food ingredients (e.g., bioactive polysaccharides, functional peptides, and modified dietary fibers). A major emphasis will be placed on how innovative processing technologies—such as physical field-assisted processing, advanced fermentation, and enzymatic modifications—can optimize the “structure–function” relationship of these ingredients within grain matrices. Furthermore, this Special Issue will highlight rigorous evaluations of nutrient bioavailability and metabolic regulation (such as low-GI food innovation), alongside advanced strategies for the tracking, risk assessment, and mitigation of processing-induced hazards and biological contaminants.

We invite submissions covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Discovery and Green Preparation of Novel Ingredients: Exploration, extraction, and stabilization of novel bioactive compounds and functional components from grain sources.
• Ingredient Innovation and Delivery Systems: Development and application of food-grade delivery systems or nano-carriers tailored for fortifying grain-based health foods.
• Processing Innovation and Quality Enhancement: Effects of emerging thermal and non-thermal technologies on the texture, flavor, and sensory attributes of novel grain foods.
• Nutritional and Metabolic Evaluation: In vitro and in vivo studies on nutrient bioavailability, glycemic management, gut microbiota modulation, and the physiological impacts of novel grain foods.
• Food Safety and Quality Control: Advanced methods for the detection, risk assessment, and mitigation of myco-toxins, heavy metals, and processing-induced hazard.

Dr. Huimin Liu
Prof. Dr. Hongyan Xu
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-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.

• emerging processing technologies
• whole grains and pseudocereals
• bioactive compounds
• nutritional bioavailability
• structure–function relationship
• metabolic health
• food safety and contaminant control
• functional ingredients