Special Issue "Volatile Compounds in Food Systems: Consumer Perception, Biological Activity, and Novel Analytical Methods"

Dear Colleagues,

As consumers, we know that flavor, comprising aroma and taste, is one of the main traits determining food and beverage preferences. Specifically, aroma has been recognized to play a key role in food acceptance, as it is one of the first attributes perceived by the olfactory sense. Hundreds of volatile compounds compose food aroma, although only a small fraction contributes to consumer perception. These influential volatiles are referred to as “aroma-active” compounds, and their determination—together with aroma differentiators—is fundamental to improve flavor consistency and enhance consumer experiences. Some volatiles are naturally synthesized in raw food, such as terpenoids, aldehydes, and esters in fruits, but others are generated during food processing; fermentation results in specific volatiles from yeast metabolism, which participate in bread and wine aroma, while baking leads to Maillard volatiles with roasted notes such as pyrazines in cookies and coffee. Furthermore, some volatiles, particularly terpenoids, demonstrate biological benefits, including anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiallergic activities; some of these properties could be beneficial for the food industry, such as antimicrobial effects against foodborne pathogens. Therefore, analyzing volatiles is essential, and the use of chromatography‒olfactometry/mass spectrometry or electronic sensing devices could complement sensory studies. The aim of this Special Issue is to gather research papers and review articles describing the influence of food volatiles in consumer preferences and health. Submissions dealing with the development of improved and novel analytical methods for determining volatiles are welcome.

Dr. Joana Pico
Dr. Maria Tufariello
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.

• volatile compounds
• terpenoids
• fermentation
• baking
• fruits and vegetable
• processed food and beverages
• consumer perception
• bioactivity
• chromatography‒mass spectrometry
• electronic sensing devices