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Advances in Plant-Based Foods: From Sustainable Production to Functional Applications
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Advances in Plant-Based Foods: From Sustainable Production to Functional Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 109

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food and Nutrition, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: nutritional and bioactive composition of foods; impact of bioactive compounds on human health; development of sustainable and health-promoting plant-based ingredients
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Helena S. Costa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Alimentação e Nutrição, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: traditional foods; food by-products; functional foods; nutritional composition; bioactive compounds; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Advances in Plant-Based Foods: From Sustainable Production to Functional Applications”, aims to explore the growing importance of plant-based ingredients and/or foods in promoting sustainable food systems, nutritional adequacy, and public health. With increasing global interest in reducing the environmental impact of food production and enhancing human health, plant-based ingredients have emerged as key components in the formulation of innovative and functional food products.

This Special Issue will address various aspects of plant-based food research, including the nutritional and bioactive composition of plant-derived ingredients, their functional and technological properties, and their potential role in the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Special attention will be given to the valorization of underused crops, by-products, and novel plant sources through sustainable processing and formulation strategies.

We encourage submissions that investigate the use of plant-based ingredients in the development of functional foods, including studies on bioactive compounds, protein and fiber enrichment, and fermentation or fortification approaches. Contributions focusing on consumer perception, regulatory challenges, environmental sustainability, and health impact assessment—such as clinical trials, dietary interventions, and lifestyle studies—are also welcome.

By bringing together interdisciplinary research, this Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of how plant-based foods can support both planetary and human health while driving innovation in the food industry through sustainable, functional, and evidence-based solutions.

Dr. Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque
Dr. Helena S. Costa
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

  • plant-based foods
  • functional foods
  • bioactive compounds
  • sustainable food systems
  • food processing
  • nutritional quality
  • public health
  • food innovation
  • alternative proteins
  • health-promoting ingredients

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

30 pages, 4016 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Thermal Resilience of Olive Oils: Fatty Acid Dynamics with Polyphenols Supplementation
by Taha Mehany, José M. González-Sáiz and Consuelo Pizarro
Foods 2025, 14(12), 2085; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14122085 - 13 Jun 2025
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) supplementation on the fatty acid profiles and oxidative stability of various extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) cultivars and other edible oils during prolonged deep-frying. EVOO cultivars including Picual, Cornicabra, Empeltre, Arbequina, Hojiblanca, Manzanilla, Royuela, Koroneiki, [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact of hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) supplementation on the fatty acid profiles and oxidative stability of various extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) cultivars and other edible oils during prolonged deep-frying. EVOO cultivars including Picual, Cornicabra, Empeltre, Arbequina, Hojiblanca, Manzanilla, Royuela, Koroneiki, and Arbosana were analyzed alongside two sunflower oils and three refined olive oils under thermal stress at 170–210 °C for 3–6 h. HTyr consistently preserved monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), particularly oleic acid (C18:1), while significantly reducing the degradation of polyunsaturated (PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (p < 0.05) in many oil samples; for example, in olive oil °1, TMUFAs in Exp 1 revealed 7.28%, while in Exp 5 (with HTyr), TMUFAs increased to 7.47%. In olive oil °0.4, TMUFAs increased from 8.52% in Exp 1 to 9.17% in Exp 5. Additionally, In EVOO cv. Picual, total SFAs increased slightly, from 16.58% in Exp 1 to 16.96%, in Exp 5. Notably, total MUFA content (TMUFAs) was best preserved in Manzanilla (81.92%), followed by Hojiblanca (78.52%), Empeltre (78.09%), olive oil 1° (78.20%), Koroneiki (77.60%), and Arbosana (77.01%) (p < 0.05), indicating strong oxidative resistance. In Arbequina and Royuela oils, oleic acid retention also exceeded 76% after deep-frying. HTyr helped maintain fatty acid profiles within EU regulatory limits across most cultivars, despite minor exceedances in specific SFAs, such as lignoceric acid (C24:0), likely due to varietal traits or harvest timing. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed distinct clustering patterns: sunflower oils grouped around linoleic acid (C18:2), reflecting high PUFA content, while olive oils clustered near oleic and palmitic acids. Cultivars such as Picual, Empeltre, Manzanilla, and Royuela showed unique associations with lignoceric acid, supporting the use of fatty acid profiles as cultivar-specific markers. HTyr supplementation enhanced oxidative stability and quality retention across oil types in terms of fatty acids profile, corroborating previous findings on the resilience of polyphenol-rich EVOOs under thermal stress. Furthermore, fatty acid composition varied significantly according to cultivar, HTyr, and deep-frying (p < 0.05), highlighting the complexity of oil quality determinants. This study supports the application of HTyr as a natural antioxidant to improve thermal stability and nutritional quality, not only in olive oils but also in other edible oils. These findings promote sustainable practices aligned with circular economy principles and advance the understanding of fatty acid dynamics during deep-frying. HTyr-enriched oils present promising potential in both culinary and industrial contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant-Based Foods: From Sustainable Production to Functional Applications)
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