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Foods
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Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods
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Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 3983

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Erica Tirloni

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; food inspection; meat science; dairy science; risk analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Simone Stella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; dairy science; cheese; risk analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Growing interest by consumers in maintaining health enhances the importance of assuring safety and quality of animal origin foods. This role is played mainly by producers, who can combine production technologies, food composition and hygiene procedures. The application of innovative production techniques, combining inhibitory effect and low impact on the products characteristics, is a promising field. This approach can be combined with the use of functional ingredients for both safety and nutritional purpose, obtaining products commercialized a “functional foods” or “nutraceuticals”, whose market is increasing.

Aiming to evaluate health risk related to food consumption, deep ad complete safety assessments should be performed, in particular when new technologies are applied or new ingredients are included. Thus, toxicity, compositional, and microbiological analyses are demanded, with particular attention to the efficiency, reliability and applicability of the technical approaches used.

Dr. Erica Tirloni
Dr. Simone Stella
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.

Keywords

  • new technologies
  • functional ingredients
  • food safety
  • food production
  • animal food origin

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 14294 KB  
Article
Peptidomic Profiling Analysis of Endogenous Peptides in Buffalo Milk During Lactation Stages
by Yue Zhang, Xingchen Huang, Rongchun Huang, Pingbai Liu, Jiazheng Zhu, Yuan Yang, Gan Liang, Meiting Chen, Mengyuan Zhou, Guangsheng Qin and Qiang Fu
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1728; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101728 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 119
Abstract
Buffalo milk is a rich source of various nutritional components and bioactive peptides, offering significant health benefits. Endogenous peptides, which occur naturally in milk, represent a valuable source of bioactive peptides with potential nutraceutical applications. However, research on endogenous peptides in buffalo milk [...] Read more.
Buffalo milk is a rich source of various nutritional components and bioactive peptides, offering significant health benefits. Endogenous peptides, which occur naturally in milk, represent a valuable source of bioactive peptides with potential nutraceutical applications. However, research on endogenous peptides in buffalo milk remains limited. This study employed a quantitative peptidomic approach to characterize endogenous peptides across different lactation stages. A total of 2099, 2946, and 4418 peptides were identified in colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk, respectively. The majority of these peptides were derived from β-casein, followed by αS1-casein, κ-casein, and other proteins. Notably, variations in precursor proteins contributing to peptide production were observed throughout lactation. Phosphorylation levels of endogenous peptides were highest in mature milk, with serine residues predominating. Enzymatic cleavage analysis identified cathepsin D as the key enzyme involved in endogenous peptide production, while proline endopeptidase and plasmin exhibited stage-specific activities. Bioinformatics analysis revealed differentially expressed precursor proteins linked to complement cascades and NF-κB signaling, emphasizing the immune protective role of colostrum. Furthermore, 54 potentially bioactive peptides with favorable water solubility were identified in colostrum, of which 17 were predicted to possess anti-inflammatory properties. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of buffalo milk’s functional properties, highlighting its potential as a source of bioactive peptides for both nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods)
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29 pages, 398 KB  
Article
Fermented Radish and Beetroot Powder as Natural Sources of Nitrite in Beef Burger
by Samar A. Almohaimeed, Fahad Y. Al Juhaimi, Elfadil E. Babiker and Isam A. Mohamed Ahmed
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1651; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101651 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 341
Abstract
Growing concern over synthetic nitrite in processed meat has increased interest in natural curing alternatives for clean-label meat products. This research aimed to evaluate the potential of fermented radish and beetroot powders as natural sources of nitrite and bioactive compounds for preserving and [...] Read more.
Growing concern over synthetic nitrite in processed meat has increased interest in natural curing alternatives for clean-label meat products. This research aimed to evaluate the potential of fermented radish and beetroot powders as natural sources of nitrite and bioactive compounds for preserving and improving the quality attributes of beef burgers during refrigerated storage. Burgers were formulated with different levels (3% and 6%) of fermented radish (R3 and R6) and beetroot (B3 and B6) and compared with negative (no additive) and positive (sodium nitrite) controls during 14 days of refrigerated storage, with physicochemical, color, oxidative, microbial, and sensory properties evaluated throughout storage. At day 7, radish and beetroot treatments improved color attributes, reduced lipid oxidation, and controlled microbial growth compared with the negative control. Among the natural treatments, R3 showed the best overall performance, with marked phenolic enrichment, high sensory scores, improved color properties, reduced lipid oxidation, enhanced DPPH radical scavenging activity, and more controlled microbial growth. Radish and beetroot treatments showed performance close to that of the positive control across most evaluated parameters, while showing higher cooking yield, higher phenolic content, greater DPPH radical scavenging activity, better consumer sensory acceptance, and lower diameter shrinkage than the positive control. Overall, the results support the potential of radish and beetroot fermented powders, especially R3, as promising clean-label alternatives for enhancing the quality and storage stability of raw beef burgers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods)
19 pages, 1006 KB  
Article
A Fourteen-Year Surveillance Study on the Microbiological Status of Raw Milk Dairy Products from Alpine Dairies in Northeastern Italy
by Ilaria Prandi, Alessandra Pezzuto, Andrea Massaro, Simone Belluco, Cristiano Ferrero, Juliane Pinarelli Fazion, Alberto Zampiero, Martina Ricci, Ivan Poli, Silvia Zuttion, Michela Favretti and Andrea Cereser
Foods 2026, 15(9), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15091479 - 23 Apr 2026
Viewed by 310
Abstract
Raw milk dairy products, an integral part of Italian food heritage, are the primary products of small-scale farms in mountain regions where pasture is seasonal. While raw milk dairy products offer potential health benefits, their physicochemical properties make them susceptible to foodborne pathogens. [...] Read more.
Raw milk dairy products, an integral part of Italian food heritage, are the primary products of small-scale farms in mountain regions where pasture is seasonal. While raw milk dairy products offer potential health benefits, their physicochemical properties make them susceptible to foodborne pathogens. Long-term surveillance of these products is essential to safeguard consumer health. Here, we present a fourteen-year microbiological surveillance of raw milk dairy products and intermediate matrices from northeastern Italy’s alpine areas, analyzing coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CPS), β-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The most frequently detected pathogens were CPS and β-glucuronidase-positive E. coli, with up to 19.6% and 51.7% of samples exceeding regulatory limits, respectively. Butter, curd, and fresh cream were the most contaminated matrices. Detection rates of staphylococcal enterotoxins, L. monocytogenes, and STEC aligned with European detection averages (6.7%, 2.6%, and 2.1%, respectively). These findings underscore the necessity of Good Hygiene and Management Practices, together with regular microbiological monitoring to mitigate contamination risks, supporting the safety and quality of traditional raw milk dairy products in alpine regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods)
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21 pages, 824 KB  
Article
Characterization of Infant Formulae Marketed in Italy and Virulence Potential of Bacillus cereus Isolates
by Viviana Fusi, Simone Stella, Emilia Ghelardi, Francesco Celandroni, Cristian Bernardi, Maria Filippa Addis, Clara Locatelli, Chistian Scarano, Francesca Piras, Giuliana Siddi and Erica Tirloni
Foods 2026, 15(3), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15030536 - 3 Feb 2026
Viewed by 963
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of powdered formulae intended for infant consumption on the Italian market. A total of 83 samples, including 23 infant formulae (PIF), 42 follow-on formulae (FOF), and 18 formulae for special medical purposes (SMPs), [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of powdered formulae intended for infant consumption on the Italian market. A total of 83 samples, including 23 infant formulae (PIF), 42 follow-on formulae (FOF), and 18 formulae for special medical purposes (SMPs), were taken between 2023 and 2024. Low total viable counts were highlighted with all SMP samples, 87.0% of PIF samples and 97.6% of FOF samples being compliant with the threshold set by the Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young Children (2.70 Log CFU/g). High contamination levels (>4 Log CFU/g) were found exclusively in PIF (8.7%) and FOF samples (2.4%). Considering potential pathogenic bacteria, the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, and Cronobacter sakazakii was investigated. Enumeration of Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridia was also performed. Only presumptive B. cereus was detected (37 samples, and in 3 samples was enumerated with counts equal to 1 Log CFU/g). A total of 42 presumptive B. cereus isolates were tested for the production of hemolysin BL, phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C, proteases, and for the presence of chromosomal toxin-encoding genes, showing a relevant prevalence of virulence factors and highlighting a potential concern for infants. The antimicrobial resistance pattern of the isolates showed high resistance rates to β-lactams and a moderate resistance to erythromycin. A chemical–physical characterization of the formulae was also performed showing high heterogeneity in terms of pH, Aw, and concentration of organic acids. The results obtained provide useful information for monitoring the potential exposition of infants to microbial populations and to evaluate the safety of the products available on the market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Safety Parameters and Functional Ingredients of Animal Source Foods)
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