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Food Preservation and Safety: Innovative Applications of Physical, Chemical, and...
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Food Preservation and Safety: Innovative Applications of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Methods and Their Interactions with Foodborne Microorganisms

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2467

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wei Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: food microbiology; food preservation and safety
Prof. Dr. Shuhao Huo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: biomass resource; algae; ecology; raceway ponds; photobioreactor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In response to the ever-increasing consumer demand for food safety and quality, food preservation technologies have emerged as a focal point of research. Physical methods, such as High-Pressure Processing (HPP), Pulsed Electric Fields (PEFs), and Cold Plasma technologies, offer non-thermal alternatives for inactivating pathogenic microorganisms, extending food shelf life while preserving sensory and nutritional attributes. Chemical approaches focus on the development of natural preservatives and antioxidants, including plant essential oils, extracts, and their compounds, which exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and enhance food functionality. Biological methods, particularly the use of biocontrol agents (e.g., bacteriocins and organic acids produced by lactic acid bacteria), provide green and sustainable solutions for food preservation.

This Special Issue will delve into the technical principles, application scenarios, and interaction mechanisms of these methods with foodborne microorganisms (including bacteria, molds, etc.). Special attention will be given to how these methods can synergistically control microbial contamination in food while maintaining or improving the overall quality of food products. Furthermore, the efficacy and challenges of these technologies in various food categories, including meat products, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, will be discussed. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in physical, chemical, and biological methods for food preservation and their complex interactions with foodborne microorganisms. We invite the submission of short communications, original articles, or review articles that contribute to the development of this field.

Prof. Dr. Wei Wei
Prof. Dr. Shuhao Huo
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

  • food preservation
  • food safety
  • physical methods
  • chemical methods
  • biological methods
  • foodborne microorganisms
  • high-pressure processing
  • pulsed electric fields
  • cold plasma
  • natural preservatives
  • biocontrol agents

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3963 KB  
Article
Pulsed Electric Field Inactivation of Acetobacter aceti: Mechanisms and Efficacy Elucidation
by Yongxin Teng, Boru Chen, Runyu Yao, Langhong Wang, Zhong Han and Xin-An Zeng
Foods 2025, 14(24), 4188; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14244188 - 6 Dec 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
The spoilage bacterium Acetobacter aceti poses a major threat to wine quality by causing acetification, driving the need for effective control methods. This study investigated the inactivation of A. aceti using pulsed electric field (PEF) and elucidated the multi-target mechanisms. The results demonstrated [...] Read more.
The spoilage bacterium Acetobacter aceti poses a major threat to wine quality by causing acetification, driving the need for effective control methods. This study investigated the inactivation of A. aceti using pulsed electric field (PEF) and elucidated the multi-target mechanisms. The results demonstrated that PEF efficacy was highly dependent on the electric field intensity. PEF treatment at 30 kV/cm achieved a >3-log reduction in viable cell counts, with a Weibull model analysis indicating a critical inactivation threshold of 21.64 kV/cm. Mechanistic investigations revealed that PEF induced irreversible damage to the cell membrane, evidenced by morphological rupture (SEM) and a 4-fold increased permeability (flow cytometry), which led to a massive leakage of intracellular contents. Critically, this physical damage was correlated with profound physiological disruption, including the inactivation of key spoilage enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, 80.0% relative activity loss) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH, 93.1% relative activity loss). Furthermore, PEF induced severe oxidative stress (4.25-fold increase in ROS and 3.30-fold increase in MDA) and a collapse in energy metabolism. Collectively, these findings reveal a synergistic inactivation mechanism, which establishes a strong theoretical foundation for the potential development of PEF as a non-thermal strategy to control acetic spoilage in winemaking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Preservation and Safety: Innovative Applications of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Methods and Their Interactions with Foodborne Microorganisms)
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22 pages, 4804 KB  
Article
Inhibition of Quorum Sensing-Mediated Biofilm Formation and Spoilage Factors in Pseudomonas fluorescens by Plasma-Activated Water
by Yi-Ming Zhao, Qing-Yun Zhang, Lin Zhang, Yu-Long Bao, Yi-Ting Guo, Liu-Rong Huang, Rong-Hai He, Hai-Le Ma and Da-Wen Sun
Foods 2025, 14(21), 3773; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213773 - 4 Nov 2025
Viewed by 876
Abstract
Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an emerging disinfectant; however, its potential as a quorum sensing inhibitor (QSI) for biofilm control remains underexplored, and its action mechanisms have not been elucidated. This study investigated the effects of PAW on biofilm formation and spoilage factors secretion [...] Read more.
Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an emerging disinfectant; however, its potential as a quorum sensing inhibitor (QSI) for biofilm control remains underexplored, and its action mechanisms have not been elucidated. This study investigated the effects of PAW on biofilm formation and spoilage factors secretion in Pseudomonas fluorescens under sub-inhibitory conditions. PAW generated by treating water for 60 s (PAW-60) reduced biofilm biomass by up to 1.29 log CFU/mL after 12 h incubation. It also completely inhibited protease production (100%) and decreased siderophore production by 31.87%. N-butyryl-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) was identified as the dominant signaling molecule, with its production decreasing by 34.34–84.07% following PAW treatments. Meanwhile, C4-HSL activity was significantly suppressed by 42.58–65.38%. An FTIR analysis revealed the formation of a new C=O group, indicating oxidative degradation of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Exogenous C4-HSL progressively restored the biofilm biomass, spoilage factors production, and QS-related gene expression levels, with no significant difference observed compared with the control at 0.05 µg/mL (p < 0.05). The results suggest that the inhibitory effects of PAW are primarily due to the disruption of AHLs transduction in the QS pathway. Molecular docking showed that the long-lived reactive species in PAW could bind to AHLs’ synthetic protein (FadD1) and receptor protein (LuxR) via hydrogen bonding. PAW-60 reduced the spoilage activity of P. fluorescens inoculated into fish muscle juice and extended its shelf life from 8 to 10 days during storage at 4 °C. A strong positive correlation was observed between AHLs accumulation and the spoilage process. These findings demonstrate that PAW mitigates biofilm formation and food spoilage by blocking signaling transduction, which involves suppression of AHLs production, oxidative degradation of AHLs molecules, and disruption of AHLs recognition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Preservation and Safety: Innovative Applications of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Methods and Their Interactions with Foodborne Microorganisms)
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Review

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22 pages, 2864 KB  
Review
Selective Inactivation Strategies for Vegetable Raw Materials: Regulating Microbial Communities to Ensure the Safety and Quality of Fermented Vegetables
by Lin Zhu, Mengke Cheng, Cuicui Xu, Rong Wang, Meng Zhang, Yufei Tao, Shanshan Qi and Wei Wei
Foods 2025, 14(19), 3291; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193291 - 23 Sep 2025
Viewed by 937
Abstract
Fermented vegetables, which are valued for their distinctive organoleptic properties and nutritional profile, are susceptible to quality deterioration during processing and storage because microorganisms inhabit vegetable raw materials. The metabolic processes of these microorganisms may induce texture degradation, chromatic alterations, flavor diminution, and [...] Read more.
Fermented vegetables, which are valued for their distinctive organoleptic properties and nutritional profile, are susceptible to quality deterioration during processing and storage because microorganisms inhabit vegetable raw materials. The metabolic processes of these microorganisms may induce texture degradation, chromatic alterations, flavor diminution, and spoilage. Conventional inactivation methods employing thermal sterilization or chemical preservatives achieve microbial control through nonselective inactivation, inevitably compromising the regional sensory characteristics conferred by indigenous fermentative microbiota. Recent advances in existing antimicrobial technologies offer promising alternatives for selective microbial management in fermented vegetable matrices. Existing modalities, including cold plasma, electromagnetic wave-based inactivation (e.g., photodynamic inactivation, pulsed light, catalytic infrared radiation, microwave, and radio frequency), natural essential oils, and lactic acid bacterial metabolites, demonstrate targeted pathogen inactivation while maintaining beneficial microbial consortia essential for quality preservation when properly optimized. This paper explores the applications, mechanisms, and targeted microbes of these technologies in fermented vegetable ingredients, aiming to provide a robust theoretical and practical framework for the use of selective inactivation strategies to manage the fermentation process. By assessing their impact on the initial microbial community, this review aims to guide the development of methods that ensure product safety while safeguarding the characteristic flavor and quality of fermented vegetables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Preservation and Safety: Innovative Applications of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Methods and Their Interactions with Foodborne Microorganisms)
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